I have to admit that before I reviewed "The Mysterious Islands", I was skeptical of two things: how entertaining would a documentary be? How will they confront Darwin's theory of evolution? The question of entertaining was answered by the breathtaking scenery and many species of animals that are showcased. The whole movie is told from a Christian perspective.
For me, the key to understanding the debate between Christianity and evolution is in remembering the distinction between evolution and adaptation.
The term "mysterious islands" refers to the Galapagos Islands, which is where the research team is working to disprove evolution. Darwin theorized that life began in a pond, where micro-organisms evolved into the animal and human forms that now exist. This is countered with the creation account in Genesis. Just as Darwin makes assumptions, there are things we take on faith, that can neither be proved or disproved.
The case against evolution is stronger than I expected. For example:
- an iguana that adapted to the water, as opposed to the land-based iguanas we are used to.
- a flightless bird whose short wings allow it to feed in the water. (these two adapted, rather than evolving into another species).
- lava from a volcano proves that the earth is not old enough to support evolution.
- salt levels in the ocean do not support evolution.
My favorite part was when they took aim at eugenics, which developed out of evolution. They named H.G. Wells, Margaret Sanger and Hitler as eugenics supporters who believed some people were more worthy of life than others.
The researchers are Christians who value life and acknowledge God as our creator. I think they did a very effective job.
I highly recommend this movie, especially for parents whose children may be attending a school in which they are taught evolution.
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