NEW YORK -- A leading candidate in the Republican presidential race believes a spooky ghost possessed Charles Darwin.
Dr Ben Carson, a retired neurosurgeon, spoke at a meeting of fellow Seventh-Day Adventists in 2012, telling the audience the theory of evolution was created by the Devil.
“I personally believe that this theory that Darwin came up with was something that was encouraged by the adversary and it has become what is scientifically, politically correct,” he noted.
The “adversary” in this context being Satan.
Ben Carson answers questions from the media at a news conference before a campaign rally at the Sharonville Convention Center, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2015, in Cincinnati
When questioned about this remark on Tuesday, the mouse-voiced candidate said: “I’m not gonna denigrate you because of your faith and you shouldn’t denigrate me for mine. And that’s the kind of attitude, you know -- that’s the kind of attitude that I think is very important in the society in which we live today.”
Carson is a creationist, which means he believes the world is only 6,000 years old. He has also referred to the big bang theory as "ridiculous" and a "fairy tale" created by "high-falutin scientists."
Recently, he was ridiculed for suggesting a Muslim should not be allowed to be president. "I do not believe Sharia is consistent with the Constitution of this country," he said. "Muslims feel that their religion is very much a part of your public life and what you do as a public official, and that’s inconsistent with our principles and our Constitution."
Carson is currently polling second behind Donald Trump. The business tycoon has yet to comment on whether he believes a bearded Victorian biologist cooked up a provable scientific theory on the say-so of a naughty ghoul.