“The animal kingdom…excites our admiration, and…manifests the almighty power, wisdom, and beneficence of the Supreme Creator and Sovereign Lord of the universe; some in their vast size and strength, as the mammoth, the elephant, the whale, the lion, and alligator; others in agility; others in their beauty and elegance of colour, plumage, and rapidity of flight, having the faculty of moving and living in the air…how wonderful is the mechanism of these finely formed self-moving beings, how complicated their system, yet what unerring uniformity prevails through every tribe and particular species! The effect we see and contemplate, the cause is invisible, incomprehensible; how can it be otherwise?…We admire the mechanism of a watch, and the fabric of a piece of brocade, as being the production of art; these merit our admiration, and must excite our esteem for the ingenious artist or modifier; but nature is the work of God omnipotent; and an elephant, nay even this world, is comparatively but a very minute part of his works. If then the visible, the mechanical part of the animal creation, the mere material part, is so admiringly beautiful, harmonious, and incomprehensible, what must be the intellectual system?…That which animates the inimitable machines, which gives them motion, impowers them to act, speak, and perform, this must be divine and immortal?”
“Travels of William Bartram” by William Bartram (originally published in 1791 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
Consider this quote from the naturalist William Bartram. He touches on many different aspects of how nature proves the existence of a designer. He mentions size, strength, agility, beauty, color, uniformity throughout a species, intricate systems such as the intellectual, and the ability to act, speak, and perform, all by their own will. All of these certainly argue for a designer. But in my opinion, beauty does so the best. It does not fit with the Theory of Evolution, but with the Theory of a Supreme Designer. Surely Evolution and Natural Selection would not preserve species such as the birds of paradise or peacocks. The beauty of red pandas or rainbow trout is not a priority in the Theory of Evolution. However, if there is a designer, beautiful things make far more sense. People like things to be pleasing to the eye. This is why classic art pieces are famous. It separates the work of Picasso from that of a toddler. Humans enjoy the beauty of birds and other colorful animals, and this evidence suggests that either a designer created beauty for humans or the designer himself finds these things beautiful.
Some say that animals are beautiful for their own purposes. They have beauty to attract a mate. Or bright colors and patterns to warn predators. I agree both of these are valid reasons to be beautiful and colorful, I think there is another reason, however, as described above. To this claim, that they possess beauty for their own gain, I would say look at things that are not animals. Look at the flowers, some are very beautiful, very intricate. They do not have to choose their mate. Nor do they have to actively defend themselves. They must be beautiful for a different reason. Why are some plants not as beautiful as others? They are certainly just as complex but may lack the pleasing visual aspect. Certainly, Evolution would either say plants should possess beauty, or they should not. Either the ones with beauty would overtake the ones without, or the ones without would overtake the ones with. The same principle applies to the animal kingdom. The existence of a designer, however, would allow a place for both practicality and beauty.
Why, if there is no designer, do we have sunsets or sunrises? Rainbows? Aurora Borealis and Australis? Hot springs? There is beauty everywhere. These things serve no practical purpose or could serve the same purpose without beauty, but they are beautiful. We perceive them as beautiful. I think the evidence points to a designer, who designed beauty and designed us to enjoy it.
As Christians, we do not need evidence to believe that God created the world. The Bible tells us about our designer, our maker. We can thank Him for creating beauty for us to enjoy. It is helpful to have evidence, however, and there is certainly a lot out there, on every topic and question imaginable. I would encourage you to search it out, but you will only find what you know to be true from scripture.
I would like to leave you with some reading material from the Bible on God’s creation.
Genesis 1:1-2:7 – God creates the world.
Genesis 8:20-9:17 – God makes a covenant with Noah and all creatures and creates the rainbow as a symbol of it.
Job 12:7-10 – Job speaks of nature.
Job 40:15-41:34 – God describes the Behemoth and Leviathan.
Psalm 8:1-9 – God’s glory in His creation.
Psalm 14:1 – There is more evidence for God than against Him. David says it is foolish to disbelieve in Him.
Romans 9:20-21 – We have been formed by God.