My trip to the Galapagos Islands, a creationist perspective

Have you ever wondered about the relationship between evolution and faith in God? I would like to give a personal perspective on this. In 2008, my wife and I had the opportunity to visit the Galapagos Islands. Since high school, he had wanted to go there. I wrote my third year paper on Darwin and his journey, and had always wanted to see it for myself. The experience was incredible! I was able to visualize why Darwin found in this a great laboratory for his observations. There were practically no predators. The animals hardly experienced fear of other animals or humans. It was surreal! We walked alongside birds called boobies, who put their nests outdoors and we were able to observe them with their babies, and they showed no concern. I could sit next to a lizard and it wouldn’t run away. From my perspective, this safe atmosphere contributed to a great diversity of animals. Furthermore, when making comparisons between islands, there seemed to be differences that gave credence to how animals that were best adapted to individual islands could survive. For example, we found that there were differences within the islands between turtles, finches, and vegetation.

Anyway, thinking about this from this experience has not shaken my faith in God. The reason is that while I think Darwin’s principle of adaptation makes sense, God could still have set this plan in motion just as He did other laws of nature, such as the law of gravity. Not only that, the result of this diversity that I find is a wonder to behold, in line with other wonders that we can attribute as God’s work, such as sunsets and beautiful mountains. Psalm 104: 24 I think it says it well: “O Lord, what a variety of things you have done! By wisdom you have done them all. The earth is full of your creatures.”

Just looking out the windows of my house, I marvel at the animal behavior I see. This is particularly true when looking at our hummingbird feeder. We have witnessed how they have a strong territorial character. One, whom we call “Little Guy”, has proclaimed himself “King of the Feeder.” It usually sits prominently on the top of our feeder. Other hummingbirds will try to feed there, but it quickly drives them away. Sometimes they will revert to other strategies, such as sneaking up when he’s not looking or approaching two at a time. But he always finds a way to prevail. You’ll find new and unusual tactics, like mingling with the leaves of a nearby bush and rushing when another bird approaches. Another example, in another window, I see a nest of morning pigeons. They are the complete opposite of hummingbirds! They are very soft and not aggressive. The father and mother take turns feeding their babies every day.

Yes, I see evidence of natural selection. However, I still see that God is in control!