Evidence for God – Part 7

7-Beauty Exists

One thing is obvious—there is beauty in creation. Darwinian evolution operates on the survival of the fittest. How could natural selection acting on random mutations create beauty that seems to have no survival value? How can it explain many cases of beauty that seem to make animals less fit and thus less likely to survive? The truth is, it can’t.

Look around, and you will see beautiful designs that naturalistic evolution attempts to explain without a designer. Why do male cardinals have such beautiful red plumage? Why do butterflies have such exquisite patterns and colors? Some animals display beautiful colors that make them more vulnerable to predators. Birds make sounds we can describe as beautiful music. A male bird may sing for an hour, announcing himself not only to prospective mates but also to predators. How can those beautiful features promote the survival of the fittest?

Peacocks, lyrebirds, flowers, starfish, butterflies, and seashells all display beautiful features that cannot be fully explained as survival benefits. Why does the nightingale sing beautiful songs to the darkness? Why do some lizards display colorful crests? How can colorblind cuttlefish change their colors at will, not just to camouflage but to send messages to other cuttlefish or predators, or just to dazzle any observer? Why do flowers display not only beautiful colors but also soothing fragrances? Nature’s beauty is visual, auditory, and even fragrant. Most of all, it is priceless.

Natural selection acting on blind chance mutations cannot explain the beauty we see in living things–both plants and animals. If natural selection can’t explain it, does that indicate evidence for design by an Artist? Furthermore, how can we explain the fact that humans can recognize and appreciate beauty? Is that because the Artist created us in His image?

Since the beauty of bird songs often goes beyond attracting mates for the survival of the fittest, do the birds sing because they love to hear music? I think they are merely doing what their Creator programmed them to do. But why did God design and program these animals to sing? Perhaps beauty is God’s gift to us. Beauty brings us joy, eases our stress, and touches our emotions. Because God loves us, He created beauty for us to enjoy. The beauty around us provides an earthly sample of the beauty God has planned for us beyond this life. In other words, beauty is another evidence that God exists.

— Roland Earnst

Meet us at the International Conference on Missions at America’s Center in St. Louis, November 12-14, 2026, booth 1223 in the Exhibit Hall.