It has been customary in Biology textbooks to cite the peppered moths of England as a good example of organic evolution. Solbrig and Solbrig, for example, in their book, Introduction to Population Biology and Evolution, say about this industrial melanism that it "has been recognized as one of the most interesting of evolutionary phenomena."¹

This species of peppered moths, named Biston betularia, comes in two forms – white and black. The white form is mainly white, but is peppered with a number of little grey dots. Hence the name "peppered moth." Textbook photos of white moths on a dark tree and black moths on a light tree clearly show their vulnerability to predation. But moths that blend in with the bark of the trees can hardly be discovered because of their good camouflage.²

Before the industrial revolution in England the white form was predominant on the trees in the parks and woods. The explanation for this predominance is that these moths would blend in well with the light-colored lichens on the bark. They would be well camouflaged, and would-be predators were less like­ly to pick them off.

Not so the dark form of this moth. Dark ones could easily be spotted against the lichens by predator birds. Thus there was a strong factor selecting against these dark moths, reducing their numbers. Even though the dark form is genetically dominant, this factor is not very significant in this situation.

During the industrial revolution the situation changed, however. Because the new industry produced soot, as well as air pollutants which killed the lichens, the bark of the trees became darker. This in turn made it easier for black moths to be camouflag­ed, but white ones would stand out sharply against that dark background. As a result, the white moths then decreased in number because of this selection factor, while the black form became the predominant. Such reversal of relative numbers of white and black forms of the moths was considered an evolutionary response to the environment.

What happened subsequently, however, is that con­trol measures were initiated to reduce the air pollu­tion caused by the industry. Because of this pollution control, the trees again became lighter as they had been before the industrial revolution. Now predation shifted back to the black moths and reduced their numbers, while the white form was again able to sur­vive better because they blended in well with the light, lichen-covered bark.

So what happened to the so-called evolution of the peppered moths? It turns out that this is not at all evidence for evolution. Actually, what we see here is a case of change in gene frequency due to selection against one form of the species – first against the black, then against the white, and finally against the black form again.

No evolution occurred. No new genes were created. No mutation occurred to cause the frequency change. It is simply a matter of one phenotype (black or white) being better able to survive predation by birds in this particular environment. And that is all there is to that.

We need not be too overly impressed with the claim of many evolutionists that there are clear proofs of the evolutionary process. Organic evolution is not a fact, and a number of secular evolutionists openly admit this. Strictly speaking, organic evolution is a theory, or hypothesis, which is needed by those who reject the concept of supernatural creation by Jehovah God. It is their alternative which they hope will help them to make sense out of all that they observe in nature.

But those who take God's biblical revelation seriously, also as they do their science, do not need an alternative, because all that we see around us can indeed be explained scientifically within a biblical framework.

It is your starting point and your most basic com­mitments that make all the difference. Being consis­tent with your commitments, with your world-and­-life view, is not only essential but also most reward­ing. On the other hand, compromise between biblical and secular concepts leads to unnecessary scientific, theological and philosophical problems. In order to be able to properly fulfill our task as stewards of God's creation, synthesis must be replaced by the antithesis.