Vision Forum Ministries’ new film, The Mysterious Islands, not only takes you under the water, on volcanic craters, and across lizard laden fields of black lava rocks, but it shows you the multi-generational legacy of skepticism and evolutionism in the Darwin family and its spiritual progeny.

Darwin is often presented as a reasonable observer and adherent to biblical Christianity who was just in search of answers. The truth is that from his early days, Darwin was influenced by family members who had utter contempt for the Bible.

Meet Erasmus Darwin, free-love practitioner, Bible scoffer, author of Zoonomia, and influential grandfather to Charles. Young Charles would grow up to credit his grandfather Erasmus, and the theory of evolution he advanced in his writings, as a principal influence in his life.

From grandfather Erasmus, Charles was taught that the world was millions of years old and that the scientific teachings of the Bible were absurd.

Erasmus Darwin even gave the Darwin family a new motto: E Conchis Omnia—Everything from Shells!

Young Charles learned to be excited about discovery, but the religious skeptics in his family modelled an approach to scientific investigation which was at war with the God of Scriptures.