• Welcome to Religious Forums, a friendly forum to discuss all religions in a friendly surrounding.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Our modern chat room. No add-ons or extensions required, just login and start chatting!
    • Access to private conversations with other members.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon!

The biogeographic evidence for evolution

Rational Agnostic

Well-Known Member
Few creationists are familiar with the biogeographic evidence for evolution, yet it is one of the strongest pieces of evidence for evolution.

Why do species on islands resemble species on the nearest mainland, even if there is a vast difference in environmental conditions between the island and the mainland? If a creator was independently creating species, why would he create species on islands that are similar to those on the nearest continent or mainland? The species found on islands such as the Galapagos, while distinct from the species of the nearest mainland, resemble them more closely than they resemble the species of other islands with more similar environmental conditions, indicating that the species on the islands descended and evolved from the species on the nearest mainland.

This is what Darwin had to say on the subject:

"The naturalist, looking at the inhabitants of these volcanic islands in the Pacific, distant several hundred miles from the continent,feels that he is standing on American land. Why should this be so? Why should the species which are supposed to have been created in the Galapagos Archipelago, and nowhere else, bear so plainly the stamp of affinity to those created in America?There is nothing in the conditions of life, in the geological nature of the islands, in their height or climate, or in the proportions in which the several classes are associated together, which closely resemble the conditions of the South American coast: in fact, there is a considerable dissimilarity in all these respects.... Facts such as these admit of no sort of explanation on the ordinary view of independent creation; whereas on the view here maintained, it is obvious that the Galapagos Islands would be likely to receive colonists from America, whether by occasional means of transport or (though I do not believe in this doctrine) by formerly continuous land ...such colonists would be liable to modification,—the principle of inheritance still betraying their original birthplace."

Creationists cannot explain away this evidence. They just pretend it doesn't exist.
 

nPeace

Veteran Member
Few creationists are familiar with the biogeographic evidence for evolution, yet it is one of the strongest pieces of evidence for evolution.

Why do species on islands resemble species on the nearest mainland, even if there is a vast difference in environmental conditions between the island and the mainland? If a creator was independently creating species, why would he create species on islands that are similar to those on the nearest continent or mainland? The species found on islands such as the Galapagos, while distinct from the species of the nearest mainland, resemble them more closely than they resemble the species of other islands with more similar environmental conditions, indicating that the species on the islands descended and evolved from the species on the nearest mainland.

This is what Darwin had to say on the subject:

"The naturalist, looking at the inhabitants of these volcanic islands in the Pacific, distant several hundred miles from the continent,feels that he is standing on American land. Why should this be so? Why should the species which are supposed to have been created in the Galapagos Archipelago, and nowhere else, bear so plainly the stamp of affinity to those created in America?There is nothing in the conditions of life, in the geological nature of the islands, in their height or climate, or in the proportions in which the several classes are associated together, which closely resemble the conditions of the South American coast: in fact, there is a considerable dissimilarity in all these respects.... Facts such as these admit of no sort of explanation on the ordinary view of independent creation; whereas on the view here maintained, it is obvious that the Galapagos Islands would be likely to receive colonists from America, whether by occasional means of transport or (though I do not believe in this doctrine) by formerly continuous land ...such colonists would be liable to modification,—the principle of inheritance still betraying their original birthplace."

Creationists cannot explain away this evidence. They just pretend it doesn't exist.
Who said God created individual species? :shrug:
Did God make Caucasians, and then make dark skinned people, and then...? Have you read the Bible Hubert?
 

nPeace

Veteran Member
Ummm...those aren't examples of 'different species'.
Ummm. What examples are you talking about.
I'm responding to the OP.
Why do species on islands resemble species on the nearest mainland, even if there is a vast difference in environmental conditions between the island and the mainland? If a creator was independently creating species, why would he create species on islands that are similar to those on the nearest continent or mainland? The species found on islands such as the Galapagos, while distinct from the species of the nearest mainland, resemble them more closely than they resemble the species of other islands with more similar environmental conditions, indicating that the species on the islands descended and evolved from the species on the nearest mainland.
 

nPeace

Veteran Member
Before I log off, @Hubert Farnsworth interestingly, "one of the strongest pieces of evidence for evolution" happens to be a Creationists perspective, of how life spread about in the earth.

Since apparently you haven't seen this in the Bible, take a look at Acts 17:26, and read carefully please. :)
Peace out.
 

whirlingmerc

Well-Known Member
Not an assumption. A reasonable conclusion from the context of your post. You seem to have forgotten that creationists are not supposed to use that word unless they can justify their claim.

Species may get from land to islands by various means.

Two that come to mind include:
Waters after the flood can be lower due to a short ice age causing land bridges
Creatures can float on masses of floating plant materials and logs
 

whirlingmerc

Well-Known Member
Species may get from land to islands by various means.

Two that come to mind include:
Waters after the flood can be lower due to a short ice age causing land bridges
Creatures can float on masses of floating plant materials and logs

Marcupials might travel faster than competing animals and the land bridge being there and then going away for their protection is quite a provdence.
 

Ellen Brown

Well-Known Member
Few creationists are familiar with the biogeographic evidence for evolution, yet it is one of the strongest pieces of evidence for evolution.

Why do species on islands resemble species on the nearest mainland, even if there is a vast difference in environmental conditions between the island and the mainland? If a creator was independently creating species, why would he create species on islands that are similar to those on the nearest continent or mainland? The species found on islands such as the Galapagos, while distinct from the species of the nearest mainland, resemble them more closely than they resemble the species of other islands with more similar environmental conditions, indicating that the species on the islands descended and evolved from the species on the nearest mainland.

This is what Darwin had to say on the subject:

"The naturalist, looking at the inhabitants of these volcanic islands in the Pacific, distant several hundred miles from the continent,feels that he is standing on American land. Why should this be so? Why should the species which are supposed to have been created in the Galapagos Archipelago, and nowhere else, bear so plainly the stamp of affinity to those created in America?There is nothing in the conditions of life, in the geological nature of the islands, in their height or climate, or in the proportions in which the several classes are associated together, which closely resemble the conditions of the South American coast: in fact, there is a considerable dissimilarity in all these respects.... Facts such as these admit of no sort of explanation on the ordinary view of independent creation; whereas on the view here maintained, it is obvious that the Galapagos Islands would be likely to receive colonists from America, whether by occasional means of transport or (though I do not believe in this doctrine) by formerly continuous land ...such colonists would be liable to modification,—the principle of inheritance still betraying their original birthplace."

Creationists cannot explain away this evidence. They just pretend it doesn't exist.

Um, it is both.
 

Dan From Smithville

What's up Doc?
Staff member
Premium Member
By standard rules of English, your post #2 seems to suggest that Caucasians and dark-skinned people are different species.
His post, as written, indicates that Caucasians and dark-skinned people are different species. I cannot say why. He does not seem to understand that it does. It is not an assumption. It is what it written.
 

Dan From Smithville

What's up Doc?
Staff member
Premium Member
Species may get from land to islands by various means.

Two that come to mind include:
Waters after the flood can be lower due to a short ice age causing land bridges
Creatures can float on masses of floating plant materials and logs
The latter is one means the ancestors of the island species got there, but the species on the islands are no longer the same species as those of the mainland.

They can also fly to islands or being blown in on winds.
 

Subduction Zone

Veteran Member
That is how the ancestors of the island species got there, but the species on the islands are no longer the same species as those of the mainland.

The Galapagoes did not have landbridges . But then the life there is either at least part time aquatic or birds. The only land mammals that are indigenous are "rice rats". The probably floated over on a fallen tree or trees.

A Guide for Mammals in the Galapagos Islands

That no large land animals are indigenous is just one more bit of evidence against the flood.
 

Dan From Smithville

What's up Doc?
Staff member
Premium Member
The Galapagoes did not have landbridges . But then the life there is either at least part time aquatic or birds. The only land mammals that are indigenous are "rice rats". The probably floated over on a fallen tree or trees.

A Guide for Mammals in the Galapagos Islands

That no large land animals are indigenous is just one more bit of evidence against the flood.
I updated my post. My original post, the one you quoted, was directed to the arrival of species on mats of floating plant material or debris. Realizing that he included land bridges, I amended it to refer only to his latter reference. I did that also to eliminate the implication that I agreed with the nonsense about a flood, given that the evolution of the species on those islands took place over 4 million years and not over a few thousand years.
 

Polymath257

Think & Care
Staff member
Premium Member
By refuted you mean if you say you don't believe it over and over it's refuted?

No, it's refuted because the evidence shows it to be wrong. The people saying over and over that they don't believe something are the creationists who ignore the actual evidence.
 

Subduction Zone

Veteran Member
By refuted you mean if you say you don't believe it over and over it's refuted?

Your fairy tale has been refuted to death. But there is quite the army of dishonest Christians out there that are will to lie to you for Jesus.

Tell me, why don't you ever rely on people that have done actual science? Why don't you use a source where people have published their works in a well respected professional journal rather than at a creationist circle jerk.?

And I watched the your trailer until the first clear lie. At 40 seconds in you can hear an obvious lie. Tell me, since when is it okay to lie for Jesus? I will be repeating this question until you respond to it.
 
Top