Darwin and Grundtvig

While the influential priest and poet N.F.S. Grundtvig himself remained neutral on Darwinism, the theory was eagerly debated among his followers at folk schools and parsonages. Darwinism was a part of a larger debate on natural science and religion and the view of the Bible. Overall orthodox and traditional Grundtvigians rejected Darwinism, while the more liberal Grundtvigians stayed positive towards the new theory. In the early 1880s, controversy took place in an extensive debate where the theologian Frederik Jungersen defended the theory of evolution and the independence of natural science against the physicist Poul la Cour’s literal reading of the Bible.

la Cour, Poul: "Anmeldelse af J.N.L. Dalsgård: Stenene råbe", ( Review of J.N.L. Dalsgård’s ’The Stones would cry’)Nordisk Månedsskrift, 1. halvårgang, 1880, pp. 81-122

Dalsgård, J.N.L.: "Om naturlovenes uforanderlighed I. Svar til cand. P. la Cour i anledning af hans anmeldelse af ’Stenene råbe’", (On the constancy of the laws of nature I. An answer to M. P. la Cour as a reference to his review of ’The Stone would cry’) Nordisk Månedsskrift, 2. halvårgang, 1880, pp. 44-60

Jungersen, Fr.: "II. Om naturlovenes uforanderlighed", (II. ’ On the constancy of the laws of nature) Nordisk Månedsskrift, 2. halvårgang, 1880, pp. 60-80

la Cour, Poul: "Om naturlovenes uforanderlighed III. Svar til J.N. Dalsgård og Fr. Jungersen", (On the constancy of the laws of nature III. An answer to J.N. Dalsgård and Fr. Jungersen) Nordisk Månedsskrift, 2. halvårgang, 1880, pp. 81-101

Jungersen, Fr.: "Svar til P. la Cour i Nordisk Månedsskrift," (An answer to P. la Cour in Nordic Monthly) 1. halvårgang, 1881, pp. 161-179

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