[Morganite]

Some say that God has a purpose for everything he does. What do YOU believe his purpose was for creating mosquitoes, flies, and other pests?

[Fr_Chuck]

I know, I have always thought, if NOAH had just done a couple of swats,

[Starman]

The present biological situation is a distortion of the original.

Acts 3:19-21

[Morganite]

That's much too terse to be helpful. The question addresses God's motivation and purpose.



M:)

[NeedKarma]

Food for bats?

[Sentra]

Food for bats, yes Noah should have just let the birds have at 'em and... a light show. Those glowing bug zappers placed on the front porch weren't made for nothing!

[Starman]

That's much too terse to be helpful. The question addresses God's motivation and purpose.

M:)

The christian viewpoint is that the predatory and pestiferous behavior of

Insects was not of God's original design. That came after the fall. His original

Purpose was one of peace between animals and mankind and among the

Animals themselves. That's why a restoration of all things is spoken of in

The NT and is described in the OT in the following way.



Isaiah 11:6-9
King James Version
Public Domain


6The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.

7And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.

8And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den.

9They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.


What is God's purpose in allowing the present pestiferous insectile situation

To develop? To demonstarate to mankind that their original decision to go

At it without his blessings is a mistake.

Excerpt

By Gordon Anderson

"I Make New Heavens and a New Earth"



Apart from the moral damage caused by Satan, how was the earth itself affected as a consequence of sin? Genesis 3:17–19.


NOTE: "Although the earth was blighted with the curse, nature was still to be man's lesson book. It could not now represent goodness only; for evil was everywhere present, marring earth and sea and air with its defiling touch. Where once was written only the character of God, the knowledge of good, was now written also the character of Satan, the knowledge of evil. From nature, which now revealed the knowledge of good and evil, man was continually to receive warning as to the results of sin."


http://www.steps2life.org/php/view_a...article_id=161


BTW

Of course if the question is a hypothetical and bantering is what its all about

Then I guess my answer is out of place here.

[NeedKarma]

8And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den.

Can you explain the meaning of this verse to me please, it doesn't seem to make any sense.

[Starman]

Can you explain the meaning of this verse to me please, it doesn't seem to make any sense.

The verse means that dangerous animals will no longer be dangerous and predatory once all things are restored to their original condition. A child will be able to go where a snake resides and play with it. The animal referred to here is the adder.


BTW
The first KJV translators mistranslated original word and substituted a mythological creature. The word cockatrice is a mistranslation of a Hebrew tzeph'a referring to an adder. That's one reason why I should have used a more accurate translation.

Wikipedia
In Proverbs 23:32 the similar Hebrew tzeph'a is rendered "adder", both in the Authorized Version and the Revised Version.

[NeedKarma]

The verse means that dangerous animals will no longer be dangerous and predatory once all things are restored to their original condition.

Wow, I have to admit that I do not see where one could infer that from that verse.

[Morganite]

The christian viewpoint is that the predatory and pestiferous behavior of

insects was not of God's original design. That came after the fall. His orginal

purpose was one of peace between animals and mankind and among the

animals themselves. That's why a restoration of all things is spoken of in

the NT and is described in the OT in the following way.



Isaiah 11:6-9
King James Version
Public Domain


6The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.

7And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.

8And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den.

9They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.


What is God's purpose in allowing the present pestiferous insectile situation

to develop? To demonstarate to mankind that their original decision to go

at it without his blessings is a mistake.

Excerpt

By Gordon Anderson

"I Make New Heavens and a New Earth"



Apart from the moral damage caused by Satan, how was the earth itself affected as a consequence of sin? Genesis 3:17–19.


NOTE: "Although the earth was blighted with the curse, nature was still to be man's lesson book. It could not now represent goodness only; for evil was everywhere present, marring earth and sea and air with its defiling touch. Where once was written only the character of God, the knowledge of good, was now written also the character of Satan, the knowledge of evil. From nature, which now revealed the knowledge of good and evil, man was continually to receive warning as to the results of sin."


http://www.steps2life.org/php/view_a...article_id=161


BTW

Of course if the question is a hypothetical and bantering is what its all about

then I guess my answer is out of place here.

The question is deadly serious. I take it from what you wrote further that at the Fall you believe that everything 'fell' and was changed for the worst. If this was not God's intention, how could it have happened? It raises questions about God's onmipotence, yes?


M:)



.

[J_9]

Some say that God has a purpose for everything he does. What do YOU believe his purpose was for creating mosquitoes, flies, and other pests?

I tend to stay away from the religious threads, but I do believe that one reason, maybe, was to teach tolerance. Tolerance of the mundane and unimportant things of life.

Just my simple thoughts.:o

[Starman]

Wow, I have to admit that I do not see where one could infer that from that verse.

Infer what?

[NeedKarma]

Infer what?

That "8And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den. "

Equals

"The verse means that dangerous animals will no longer be dangerous and predatory once all things are restored to their original condition."


That's quite a leap.

[NeedKarma]

To answer the original question, there is no abberation of an ideal biological situation. It's all relative. To you these animals are pests but they are food to others. Animals who see humans encroaching on their land would see us as pests as well. It's in the eye of the beholder. :)

[31pumpkin]

Some say that God has a purpose for everything he does. What do YOU believe his purpose was for creating mosquitoes, flies, and other pests?

I still have to go with THE ORIGINAL SIN concept. So I would imagine that after the FLOOD, or even before it, those mosquitos(although they may have evolved since then) became pestilences.

Nature had been set in motion, but now we had sickness(randomly) & death in place too.
Insects cause billions of $$ of damage to crops. Insects spread many plant diseases, such as Dutch elm disease. They also transmit animal diseases: mosquitos carry malaria, yellow fever, elephantiasis, encephalitis, & more;houseflies carry dysentery & typhoid fever; tsetse flies carry African sleeping sickness; lice carry typhus; fleas carry plague; ticks carry lyme disease & Rocky mt. spotted fever. Insects also destroy property; termites destroy wood; moths & carpet beetles damage clothing, fabrics, furs, & carpets; silverfish destroy paper;weevils, ants cockroaches ruin food.
However, some insects still serve valuable functions for ecology.
For example, while bees can be dangerous to us, they also pollinate the flowers of apple & pear tree,clover & berries. They also produce honey.
Some insects destroy other insects that are harmful to humans & property.
Science is always searching for ways to control harmful insects without harming other insects or animals.

So what I basically saying is that I believe man didn't have pests & sickness when he was in the GARDEN. And Heaven will be a return to that kind of Eden where there won't be TOIL for everything man needs, or any tears, or any pests or man-eating barracuda(if u will)
Everything will be our friend , animals will not be carnivores either.

So for now- don't put away that DEET!

[Starman]

That "8And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den. "

equals

"The verse means that dangerous animals will no longer be dangerous and predatory once all things are restored to their original condition."


That's quite a leap.

It's a leap only if you isolate it from its context.


Isaiah 65:25

25The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD.

The context in which it is found justifies the conclusion. Verses placed in context were not meant to be isolated from their context by the reader. Actually, this is similar to taking the verse from Robert Frost's poem about the boy who lost his hand while cutting wood where he states: "No more to build on here!" isolating these words and saying that by themselves they it don't indicate that anyone is mortally wounded. Or taking Shakespeare's "Out Out brief candle," statement in his play Macbeth and saying that it's a great leap to understand it as referring to the shortness of life.



http://av.rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A9ibyK4...ief-candle.htm


http://www.free-researchpapers.com/dbs/a10/esv2.shtml

That's not the way language works, not only in English but in any other language. Context is essential to understanding. I'm sure you wouldn't read a novel or short story or even a comic book that way-so why shift to that mode when reading the Bible?


Also, if indeed you already have your own interpretation which you know is contrary to what I understand-why ask me for help to understand it?

The question is deadly serious. I take it from what you wrote further that at the Fall you believe that everything 'fell' and was changed for the worst. If this was not God's intention, how could it have happened? It raises questions about God's onmipotence, yes?

M:)

.

First, I base my belief on the Biblical verses referring to the what occurred in Eden as described in Genesis and the restoration of all things as described in the rest of the Bible. For example the New Earth promises, the prophetic statements of the prophets which describe a paradise earth being established. Those in the NT where a New Earth where no pain nor sorrow nor death will exist is mentioned by Peter and by John in Revelation.

Isaiah 65:17
"Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind.


2 Peter 3:13
But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.

Revelation 21

1Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."


In Jesus' telling us that the Earth is inherited by the those God chooses based on their willingness to do his will.

Matthew 5:5
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

About God's omnipotence being called into question because he let man go it on his own and suffer the consequences of his decision to go it on his own, I don't see how that indicates that he isn't omnipotent. I also don't see how we can attribute the consequences of disobedience to God who clearly warned Adam that disobedience would bring his disapproval and death.

Genesis 2:17
but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die."

But let's focus this on the animals in question. Based on the scriptures that speak of the predator prey relationship being abolished and on the statement in Genesis that plants were the only source of food in Eden, we can conclude that the present arrangement with all its suffering, its blood and its gore was not what God had originally planned for our Earth.

Since that is evidently the case, then its existence doesn't please him though he is temporarily allowing it. Remember, sin doesn't please him either and yet he allows it for now but promises he will remove it in the future. In short, he has a timetable which he is following which is in harmony with his justice. But this choosing to have a timetable in no way mean that he isn't omnipotent.


Habakkuk 2:3
For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.


Matthew 8:29
"What do you want with us, Son of God?" they shouted. "Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?"

[Morganite]

I still have to go with THE ORIGINAL SIN concept. So I would imagine that after the FLOOD, or even before it, those mosquitos(although they may have evolved since then) became pestilences.

Nature had been set in motion, but now we had sickness & death "randomly" in place too.
Insects cause billions of $$ of damage to crops. Insects spread many plant diseases, such as Dutch elm disease. They also transmit animal diseases: mosquitos carry malaria, yellow fever, elephantiasis, encephalitis, & more;houseflies carry dysentery & typhoid fever; tsetse flies carry African sleeping sickness; lice carry typhus; fleas carry plague; ticks carry lyme disease & Rocky mt. spotted fever. Insects also destroy property; termites destroy wood; moths & carpet beetles damage clothing, fabrics, furs, & carpets; silverfish destroy paper;weevils, ants cockroaches ruin food.
However, some insects still serve valuable functions for ecology.
For example, while bees can be dangerous to us, they also pollinate the flowers of apple & pear tree,clover & berries. They also produce honey.
Some insects destroy other insects that are harmful to humans & property.
Science is always searching for ways to control harmful insects without harming other insects or animals.

So what I basically saying is that I believe man didn't have pests & sickness when he was in the GARDEN. And Heaven will be a return to that kind of Eden where there won't be TOIL for everything man needs, or any tears, or any pests or man-eating barracuda(if u will)
Everything will be our friend , animals will not be carnivores either.

So for now- don't put away that DEET!

Original Sin as explained by Augustine is not biblical. Even if it was (which it patently is NOT), how could the transgression of A&E be transmitted to flies, gnats, and mosquitoes?

M:)





.

[ordinaryguy]

I still have to go with THE ORIGINAL SIN concept. So I would imagine that after the FLOOD, or even before it, those mosquitos(although they may have evolved since then) became pestilences.

Nature had been set in motion, but now we had sickness(randomly) & death in place too.
Insects cause billions of $$ of damage to crops. Insects spread many plant diseases, such as Dutch elm disease. They also transmit animal diseases: mosquitos carry malaria, yellow fever, elephantiasis, encephalitis, & more;houseflies carry dysentery & typhoid fever; tsetse flies carry African sleeping sickness; lice carry typhus; fleas carry plague; ticks carry lyme disease & Rocky mt. spotted fever. Insects also destroy property; termites destroy wood; moths & carpet beetles damage clothing, fabrics, furs, & carpets; silverfish destroy paper;weevils, ants cockroaches ruin food.
However, some insects still serve valuable functions for ecology.
For example, while bees can be dangerous to us, they also pollinate the flowers of apple & pear tree,clover & berries. They also produce honey.
Some insects destroy other insects that are harmful to humans & property.
Science is always searching for ways to control harmful insects without harming other insects or animals.

So what I basically saying is that I believe man didn't have pests & sickness when he was in the GARDEN. And Heaven will be a return to that kind of Eden where there won't be TOIL for everything man needs, or any tears, or any pests or man-eating barracuda(if u will)
Everything will be our friend , animals will not be carnivores either.

So for now- don't put away that DEET!

Forgive me, but isn't it kind of preposterous to claim that the entire web of life as it exists on this earth is a perversion caused by original sin? By this line of reasoning all predators, parasites and scavengers are a result of sin, as are all disease-causing bacteria, viruses, phages, and fungi. And the death of any living organism, even single-celled microscopic ones must be due to sin as well. And in a deathless biology there would be no need for reproduction, in fact it would be disastrous, so that has to go too. But why would it stop there? Anything that changed biology that fundamentally would surely have also changed the laws of chemistry and physics? In a sinless universe would stars die? Just how deep did it go?

[31pumpkin]

And not the death of any living organism. That was already in place. It was a creation called nature. After the Fall of Man, man was limited on his number of years to live on this earth.
I wouldn't call it a perversion either." The entire web of life as it exists on this earth". The world is under the sway of the evil one. This applies to man. The devil cannot(does not have the power) to change anything else except put hooks into the souls of people.
Sin has nothing to do with stars dying out. It has to do with God's Plan for us and the world.
Somewhere between the start and finish of our lives, we are to come to God and Jesus
Who sends His Son(His Holy Spirit) so that we may have peace regarding the outcomes of even our troubles. If I'm wrong, I will have lived more prudently only. But if I'm right, then the blessing is twofold.