"For you are dust, And to dust you shall return." There were many beliefs before Darwin. Spontaneous generation was a commonly accepted theory. Augustine of Hi

"For you are dust, And to dust you shall return." There were many beliefs before Darwin. Spontaneous generation was a commonly accepted theory. Augustine of Hippo suggested life was created as a potential. The other problem with "were were created special" is that so was everything else, including beings superior to humans (angels).