Evolutionary Evidence? ~ Part 3

Have you ever seen this picture in your science books?
http://www.intelligentdesignnetwork.org/images/Finches.jpg
Did you learn that Darwin's Finches proves evolution is true? Were you taught that Darwin's Finches is an example of birds on their evolutionary way to becoming a new species? You may want to consider the following.

One of the most widely cited pieces of evidence or evolution is the variation among finches on the Galapagos islands off the coast of South America. The finches are small, rather dull-looking birds, whose main claim on our interest is that their beak size differs according to the haitats where they live--suggesting that they have adapted to differing conditions. Virtually every biology textbook repeats the story of Darin's voyage to the Galapagos as a young naturalist, and contemporary biologist have gone back there to confirm his theory.

Sure enough, one study found that during a period of drought, the average beak size among the finches actually increased slightly. Apparently the only food available in the dry period were larger, tougher seeds, so that the birds with slighly larger beaks survived better. Now, we're talking about a changed measured in tenths of a millimeter--about the thickness of a thumbnail. Yet it was hailed enthusiastically as confirmation of Darwin's theory. As one science writer exulted, this is evolution happening "before [our] very eyes."

But that was not the end of the story. Eventually the rains returned, restoring the original range of seeds. And what happened then? The average beak size returned to normal. In other words, the change that Darwinists were so excited about turned out to be nothing more than a cyclical fluctuation. It did no put the finches on the road to evolving into a new kind of bird; it was simply a minor adaptation that allowed the speies to survive in dry weather.

Which is to say, the change was a minor adjustment that allowed the finches to stay finches under adverse conditions. It did not demonstrate that they originally evolved from another kind of organism, nor that they are evolving into anything new.

...Another frequent example is the development of resistance to antibiotics. A highlight of the PBS "Evolution" series was a section explaining how the HIV virus becomes resistant to the drug used in treatment, due apparently to a mututation. Once again, this was hailed as evolution in action. But once again, as soon as the drug was removed, the change was reversed, and the virus returned to normal. (It became drug sensitive again.) Such limited, reversible change is hardly evidence for a theory that requires unlimited, directional change.1

"So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good." Genesis 1:21




1Pearcey, Nancy. Total Truth. Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2005.