Adaptation (Week 10)

3/27/2023

manna Moment

Genesis 1:25 says, “God made all sorts of wild animals, livestock, and small animals, each able to produce offspring of the same kind. And God saw that it was good.” Some people believe that the different physical traits or behaviors given to animals occurred over long periods of time to survive their environments while others believe that God designed animals in their kinds from the beginning to survive their environments even after the Fall of Man. Looking at the different traits of plants and animals brings out two very different worldviews, one void of a Creator God and one acknowledging the Creator God. It is important in reading science books to understand these two worldviews so that you know what you are reading.

Its Designed to Do What it Does Do

While I thought this book might be too young for my 2nd and 3rd graders, it actually turned out that the googly eyes were a hit. Through this book, we learned all about different kinds of animals and their unique characteristics that were designed from the beginning as part of their kind.
Throughout the book, the students were led line by line to drawing a mysterious animal. It turned out to be a sheep to remind us of Jesus, the Lamb of God.

Science Fact versus Science Idea

Remember that science should not be a faith or a religion, it is a process for figuring out the world around us. Science changes all the time because we are discovering new things all the time. So in order for something to be a science fact, it must meet three criteria:

It must be observable
It must be measurable
It must be repeatable

Even in these criteria, there are many limitations to how much we can understand through science. This handout breaks down two common worldviews about the origins of life and neither one of them is science fact, they are merely ideas based on one's perspective of the world.

Identifying Worldview in books

Adaptation can be a loaded word. It means one thing to some and another to others depending on your worldview. However, you can tell which worldview a book is speaking from by how they address the idea of adaptation.
If the book you are reading believe that physical traits of organisms develop over long periods of time, you are reading a book from an evolutionary standpoint.
If you are reading a book that points out God's purposeful design from the beginning, then you would be reading a book from a Creation standpoint.
Adaptation itself is defined as the physical traits or behaviors that allow an organism to be better suited for its environment. We can learn about the adaptations without getting into the 'how' they came about. The cards below are just the facts, just the adaptations we have seen (observed) from animals.

Animal and Plant Adaptation Matching Cards

These cards have both animals and plants and their amazing abilities to live in their designated environments. I, personally, believe that our Creator God was very purposeful and intentional about how He made Creation. This is consistent with His character throughout scripture. Since science changes all the time, I trust the God who created who never changes.