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I suppose I did read your

this

broadly.

To properly address your point then, I offer you some examples where average scientifically-minded people think of evolution as a Darwin-centric idea, or where Darwin is a synonym for natural selection:

• Darwin Fish bumper stickers
• The infamous Darwin Awards
• The term Social Darwinism
• National Geographic's obsession with Darwin for the man's 200th birthday anniversary, including tonight's show Darwin's Secret Notebooks
• Various articles published in respected science journals like Nature, such as Kevin Padian's Darwin's Enduring Legacy, stating that "perhaps no individual has had such a sweeping influence on so many facets of social and intellectual life as Charles Darwin."
• The annual "international recognition of science and humanity," called Darwin Day Celebration

These are just a few examples of how Darwin is used to encapsulate the entire field of evolutionary biology. Sure, professional biology scientists may not use Darwin's name so casually, but is there any wonder why average people who support the theory of evolution also appear to idolize Darwin?

I saw someone with a "Science" rocket once. Here's a link to dozens of takes on the "fish":

http://evolvefish.com/fish/emblems.html

I wouldn't put one on a car I owned (excuse me, Mr. Policeman, if you're Christian, can you write me a few extra tickets? I think I was speeding, and maybe my seatbelt was crooked, and my tail light is making a weird blinking when I turn the corner.) but I have to say that the Freud one made me laugh out loud.

Also, I'm pretty sure that all good science is supposed to be falsifiable. That doesn't mean it's false; it means that you can do experiments on it to attempt to disprove the theory.

prayer based security?

These are darwin fish. http://www.evolvefish.com/ This is also an annoying poorly designed site, but they have darwin fish and are the first in Google.

It's a play on the Christian fish people put on their cars and such.

http://www.evolvefish.com/fish/emblems.html

I've had 5 of them, and every one goes missing after no more than a week.

Same for the Darwin "fish" ... when I first saw one, I thought it was unusual as the car sported a most unreligious bumper sticker. When I figured out what it was, I laughed and figured "I gotta get me one."

It's funny. Here we are on a global computer network, built upon the application of principles of scientific theory that were once opposed by the church, and we're having the same argument people did 300 years ago.

Ahh, progress.

Funny story -- back when Ben Franklin invented lightning rods, the church decried them as heretical. That was until every building in town was safe from lightning strikes except the churches. :)

So the Darwin fish on my car is anatomically correct? Cool.

In America the earthquake of 1755 was widely ascribed, especially in Massachusetts, to Franklin's rod.

The Rev. Thomas Prince, pastor of the Old South Church, published a sermon on the subject, and in the appendix expressed the opinion that the frequency of earthquakes may be due to the erection of ``iron points invented by the sagacious Mr. Franklin.'' He goes on to argue that ``in Boston are more erected than anywhere else in New England, and Boston seems to be more dreadfully shaken. Oh! there is no getting out of the mighty hand of God.''

Three years later, John Adams, speaking of a conversation with Arbuthnot, a Boston physician, says: ``He began to prate upon the presumption of philosophy in erecting iron rods to draw the lightning from the clouds. He railed and foamed against the points and the presumption that erected them. He talked of presuming upon God, as Peter attempted to walk upon the water, and of attempting to control the artillery of heaven.''

As late as 1770 religious scruples regarding lightning-rods were still felt, the theory being that, as thunder and lightning were tokens of the Divine displeasure, it was impiety to prevent their doing their full work. Fortunately, Prof. John Winthrop, of Harvard, showed himself wise in this, as in so many other things: in a lecture on earthquakes he opposed the dominant theology; and as to arguments against Franklin's rods, he declared, ``It is as much our duty to secure ourselves against the effects of lightning as against those of rain, snow, and wind by the means God has put into our hands.''

In Switzerland, France and Italy, popular prejudice against the lightning rod was ignited and fueled by the churches and resulted in the tearing down of lightning rods from many homes and buildings, including one from the Institute of Bologna, the leading scientific institution in Italy. The Swiss chemist, M. de Saussure, removed a rod he had erected on his house in Geneva in 1771 when it caused his neighbors so much anxiety that he feared a riot.

In 1780-1784, a lawsuit about lightning rods gave M. de St. Omer the right to have a lightning rod on top of his house despite the religious objections of his neighbors. This victory established the fame of the lawyer in the case, young Robespierre.

In America, Rev. Thomas Prince, pastor of Old South Church, blamed Franklin's invention of the lightning rod for causing the Massachusetts earthquake of 1755.

In Prince's sermon on the topic, he expressed the opinion that the frequency of earthquakes may be due to the erection of "points invented by the sagacious Mr. Franklin." He goes on to argue that "in Boston more are erected than anywhere else in New England, and Boston seems to be more dreadfully shaken. Oh! There is no getting out of the mighty hand of God."

It took many years for scientists to convince the priests to attach a lightning rod to the spire of St. Bride's Church in London, even though it had been destroyed by lightning several times.

I got your lord and savior right here