My trip to the Galapagos Islands, a creationist perspective

Have you wondered about the relationship between Evolution and belief 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 final essay on Darwin and his journey, and I always wanted to see it for myself. The experience was incredible! I was able to visualize why Darwin found 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 next to some birds called Boobies, which put their nests in the open air and we could see them with their young, and they did not show any concern. I could sit next to a lizard and it wouldn’t run away. From my perspective, this safe environment contributed to a great diversity of animals. Furthermore, when making comparisons between islands, there seemed to be differences that lend credence to how animals best suited to individual islands could survive. For example, we found that there were differences within the islands between turtles, finches and in the vegetation.

Still, thinking about it from this experience hasn’t shaken my faith in God. The reason is that while I find Darwin’s principle of adaptation to make sense, God could still have set this plan in motion just as he set 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 to the work of God such as sunsets and beautiful mountains. Psalm 104:24 I think he says it right: “O Lord, what a variety of things you have made! With wisdom you have made them all. The earth is full of your creatures.”

Just looking out the windows of my house, I am amazed 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 declared himself “king of the trough”. Usually he sits prominently on top of our feeder. Other hummingbirds will try to feed there, but he quickly chases them away. Sometimes they will revert to other strategies, like sneaking up when you’re not looking or coming in two at a time. But he always finds a way to prevail. He will find new and unusual tactics, such as blending into the leaves in a nearby bush and rushing in when another bird approaches. Another example, through another window, I see a nest of morning doves. They are just the opposite of hummingbirds! They are very soft and non-aggressive. The father and mother take turns each day to feed their babies.

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