DVD REVIEW: The Mysterious Islands: A Testimony to God's Hand in Creation

Do you remember high school science say, oh, a couple decades ago (or longer)? What did you learn about how our universe came to be? I remember the big debate in the late '80s was whether or not the theory of evolution could be taught. Now, only twenty years or so later, it's taught as fact! Evolution has always seemed a bit off to me, always leaving me with the sense that something was missing...but not the supposed Missing Link for which scientists have been searching for years. The Biblical account of Creation in six days almost seems too fantastic to be real, made more difficult for Christian students by the evolutionary bent that is present in public school science curriculum. Could this theory of evolution somehow explain how God created the universe? Can there be a marriage between Science and the Bible? Watching The Mysterious Islands helped answer that question definitively in my mind.

Released on August 31, 2010 by Provident Films (who also brought us Facing the Giants and Fireproof), The Mysterious Islands is a documentary that challenges Darwin's findings during his exploration and study of the Galapagos Islands and the amazing creatures that live there. Calling the Galapagos "The Jerusalem of Evolution", Doug Phillips journeys with his 16 year old son Joshua and a Christian team of scientists to these incredible Islands to follow Darwin's path of discovery over 150 years ago. They beautifully answer the question, "Is the Galapagos a laboratory for evolution or a glorious testimony to God's creation?"

The cinematography is breath-taking, soaring over the islands and diving deep into the surrounding oceans to capture some of the most beautiful and amazing creatures on earth. There are thought-provoking discussions on faith, modern science, and insight into how Darwin came to the conclusions that forever changed science, helped shaped the environmental movement and altered the very fabric of society itself.

This film is a terrific resource for homeschoolers, youth groups, church small groups or for anyone searching for the truth amid the myriad scientific "evidence" abounding to explain the origins of life and how our universe began. A discussion guide is available to download, as well.

Our family thoroughly enjoyed this documentary, especially my ten year old daughter, a budding scientist. After watching The Mysterious Islands, I am convinced that a marriage between Darwin's conclusions and the Biblical account of Creation is an unholy union. I plan to use this DVD as part of our homeschool science curriculum and am excited to have a resource that both encourages me to explore this topic even more and arms me with a defense against evolutionary theory....which, by the way, has yet to actually be proven! 

Something to think about:  Does it bother you that your children are being taught a theory as fact, especially since the "fairness" that is demanded to allow teaching of, say, alternative lifestyles or other "faith traditions", for example is blatantly ignored when it comes to including Creationism in public school science curriculum? What far-reaching implications will that have on future generations? Are you satisfied to blindly accept popularly held theories and conclusions or are you willing to dig deeper, to measure such theories and conclusions against God's Word? And when you find discrepancies, what will you do next?

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