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Bugs and God

Posted by tom | Sep 11, 2007

This post is in honor of my dad, who suggested it. He identified an insect brought to his attention by a colleague and mentioned that this insect prompted a theological question. Can a benevolent God create something so seemingly cruel? The insect my dad identified was a giant ichneumon wasp. Wasps in this family of parasitoids lay their eggs in the larvae of other insects, feeding on and eventually killing the host before it pupates. In fact, ichneumons are frequently used to control populations of nuisance pests, such as beetles and flies in agricultural endeavors.

According to Wikipedia, the source of all knowledge:

Charles Darwin found the grisly life histories of Ichneumons incompatible with the central notion of natural theology which saw the study of nature as a way to demonstrate God's benevolence. In a letter to American botanist Asa Gray, Darwin wrote: "I cannot persuade myself that a beneficent and omnipotent God would have designedly created the Ichneumonidae with the express intention of their feeding within the living bodies of Caterpillars, or that a cat should play with mice." -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ichneumon_wasp

I [Theresa] suppose I get to weigh in first. Hmmm, I'm not usually one to ponder such questions. I start from the premise that God created living things and God is a benevolent God, therefore I don't question His decision making skills. My first reaction is to point to the benefit of pest control that these insects bring to mankind. Of course, that assumes one believes mankind to be in a position of honor or authority over the rest of the created realm, which I do assume.

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4 Comments & 0 Trackbacks of "Bugs and God"

    Is that really any worse than that lions should kill and eat zebras, or that we should kill and eat chickens? Or use laboratory mice for research?

    I'm not a vegetarian, nor can I imagine a vegan lion. :) But apparently that's the way the world was, pre-Fall (possibly pre-Flood?) and will be -- or the lamb would be mighty nervous lying down with the lion.

    Without the concept of the Fall and its devastating effects upon the whole world -- and not just The Fall as an event in the past but the consequences of free will even now -- I'd agree with those who cannot reconcile the idea of a good God with visible reality.

    Posted by SursumCorda, Sep 12 2007, 06:22

    Why do you call them pests? Ichy calls them food and may even be thankful for a providential God who supplies his need. Perspective is important, isn't it?
    This is a very striking beast - about 4 inches long with beautiful markings.

    Posted by Carl Ginder, Sep 12 2007, 21:06

    Ultimately, (nearly) every living thing relies at least partially on nutrients from other living beings to survive. Certain chemotrophs or phototrophs are probably exempt, but God clearly didn't create us all that way. Of the rest of us, some can make do solely on renewable components of other organisms - fruit, leaves, blood, etc. But many of us rely at least partially on the death of other things for nourishment. Putting aside the question of whether this is appropriate for people, it seems to be by design for for many bacteria, parasites, insects, etc., all the way up to the large predators so popular in films and nature specials. When you consider the wide range of life styles, I think it becomes a very complicated proposition to decide which are "cruel" and which are not.

    I think it also complicates the idea that there was absolutely no death prior to the Fall. Sure, one can imagine lions eating fruits & vegetables. But what did mosquito larvae eat? What was the malaria life cycle like? And what did all the saprotrophs do? Maybe there is an easy answer to these questions, but it isn't at all clear to me. Which is a big reason why biology is so fascinating to me - so much complexity and diversity, and always a bizarre counterexample to every rule. God was really having fun when He got to living things.

    Oh, and FYI - my entomologist friends would be disappointed if I didn't mention that Ichy isn't actually a bug.

    Posted by Andy, Sep 12 2007, 23:03

    I agree with Andy. (When in doubt, it's best to agree with Andy). And, yes, Ichy is not a "bug." Large Marge in another of my posts is indeed a bug. Did I mention it was large?

    Posted by Theresa, Sep 13 2007, 12:23
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