• Sep 10th, 2015 at 3:40 PM (CST)
• By PD
• Categories:

At our church we have a ministry called God's Work Today which supports construction of buildings for the Kingdom of Christ around the world. Recently we went to Ecuador to assist with construction of dorms for a Christian missionary school. While there some of our team took advantage of traveling to the Glapagos Islands for a couple days.

Talk about a tourist trap! It's very expensive to get to and get around these islands. The majority of people heading there it seems do so to pay homage to Charles Darwin, who promoted Evolutionary theory, and Natural Selection as the vehicle by which it purportedly operates. The guides were sure to point out that we were seeing animals which had evolved, however, they came up short on explantions for how the unique features of the animals might have evolved.

As an example, the marine iguanas which populate the islands emerge after an hour or so spent underwater. To rid their obdies of the high saline intake, they have an organ which is in efffect a desalinization plant, allowing them to snort out the salt built up inside. Evolution was given credit for the development of such an organ. I asked the guide how such an organ could be developed, and if there was an explanation for how the organ for salt elimination by the ignuana had been evolved. The guide said that no such explanation existed. Of course, I knew this already, as it is but one of thousands of instances where organs or creatures exist which defy evolutionary development.

The wildlife was diverse, but not much moreso than some of the Mexican resorts along the Rivera Maya. Our group experienced nearly as much ecological diversity working in the Amazon basin near the town of Hauticocha, Ecuador. I especially enjoyed the playful variant of our North American lightning bug, this one having two illuminated spots on the head, so that it looked like a pair of glowing eyes darting about in the darkness!

I have been to other world-class sites and while the Galapagos was lovely, it was very expensive to see, once again thanks to tour companies capitalizing on the Darwinian theme. I would recommend it worthwhile to see only if your travel takes you near Ecuador. Be prepared for a steep sightseeing premium.

The vaunted Evolutionary principle of "Survival of the Fittest" is applied by humans unevenly when it comes to the Galapagos. All manner of human intrustion into the ecology of the ilsands can be seen. Various species are being introduced in an attempt to maintain control. More recently a particular non-native wasp, likely transported to the islands on ships, has been a nuissance. Hundreds of containers of a deadly mix of "nectar" are used to draw and eliminate them. The islands can't have too many tourists being stung, or it would be bad for business!

What I found particularly pathetic was the Darwin Tortois research and breeding facility, which seems to be single handedly supporting the tortoises from going into extinction. The tortoises are a big draw, and they can't afford to lose them or the tourism will suffer. Yet, this is all human intrusion, all the while guides espouse natural selection. The disconnect is glaring if anyone bothers to consider it. Among the most ugly aspects is the captivity of the older tortoises, kept on 1/5 food rations from what they would get in the wild. We were told that they sleep most of the day. No doubt, as they have no free range and no strength to do so! It's the equivalent of rationing food for prisoners to keep them weak and immobile. All this in the name of science and Darwinism!

God made the Galapagos islands beautiful as well as diverse. Sadly, as might be expected, mankind is monopolizing it and remaking it in their own image. Looking beyond the rugged beauty, the result is not too pretty.