The continuing free giveaway of a special-edition Charles Darwin's evolution manifesto The Origin of Species--which features a 50-page introduction refuting Darwin's theory--continues to rankle atheists.

Bridge-Logos Foundation partnered with evangelist, author and speaker Ray Comfort's Living Waters ministry to supply some of the books--which retail for $4.99--to Christian bookstores for evangelistic purposes. Comfort came up with the idea last year to reproduce the 1859 book, citing that The Origin of Species was in the public domain.

Prominent atheist Richard Dawkins, author of The God Delusion (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), had encouraged students to tear out the book's introduction, calling Comfort "an idiot" when asked on CNN for his thoughts on the giveaway. When the University of Oxford professor lectured in Australia and New Zealand in March, Living Waters' teams distributed more than 20,000 books at his meetings.

Dawkins recently spoke in five U.S. universities, including in New York City--where he held up a copy of the book and told students to ignore it.

"Students ignored him, and a thousand of them took the books," Comfort said. "The problem with any message is getting it to the people you want to reach. We have been able to get the book directly into the hands of thousands of atheists throughout the country. I was so delighted that the professor had pulled them all together for us, that I sent him a gift basket and a thank-you note."

More than 220,000 copies of the special edition have been distributed since last fall, sparking an angry backlash from atheists. Approximately 170,000 of Comfort's version have been to students in 100 universities across the nation, Living Waters officials said.

Click here for more information on The Origin of Species: 150th Anniversary Edition.

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