8. Atheists received Darwin’s work with exuberance, though Darwin was not an atheist
Perhaps understandably, scientific evidence which questioned the fundamental beliefs over how humanity came into existence was welcomed by atheists. Hewett Watson was a botanist and phrenologist (one who compared size and shape of the cranium in relation to character traits) who worked extensively with Darwin, providing data and the results of experiments and studies. Watson was later one of the first scientists to suggest the different roles of the right and left sides of the human brain. He was also an atheist, who congratulated Darwin when his work was published.
Other atheists and doubters were enthusiastic in their response to Darwin’s theory of natural selection. In the United States, fundamentalists considered anyone supportive of his views to be a heretic. Contrary to popular belief, the Catholic Church did not condemn Darwin’s views, and never has, choosing instead to accept the concept of evolution, including the transmutation of species, and to ignore the concept of natural selection. The position of the church allowed Catholics to accept the emerging science without consequently altering their religious beliefs or the catechism of the church.
