Re: Evidences of God - Animals - Ichneumon fly

Therion Ware wrote:

> > Again, this is only one example.
>
> Here's another: the Ichneumon  fly.
>
> A particularly nasty variety of insect. 
>
> Ichneumons parasitise most insect groups - especially moths and
> butterflies and other Hymenoptera, as well as spiders. 
>
> The females lay their eggs in or on the larvae or pupae (rarely eggs
> or adults) of the host. The ichneumon larva feeds on the fats and body
> fluids of the host until fully grown, then usually spins a silken
> cocoon. The species that parasitise hosts in open habitats usually
> develop as internal parasites; those that attack hosts in concealed
> places, such as wood burrows, usually feed on the host externally. In
> most cases a single larva develops in one host; in some cases,
> however, many larvae develop in a single host. 

In other words, one creature uses another creature for its survival.

> It is difficult to imagine a good or beneficent God designing such a
> means of reproduction, where life is brought forth by the literal
> eating alive of another living entity. Such a design may be efficient,
> but it is by no means beneficent.

Brining up whether or not it is beneficent is dealing with theology, 
which breaks away from my main discussion about design and a designer. 
I haven't covered what that designer might be like yet.

But since you brought up this theological point, let me address it. 
Virtually every known species of animal uses other living things for 
their own survival.  That is the nature of life on this planet.  Lions 
eat other animals for food.  Is that cruel to the other animals?  Cows 
eat grass.  Is that cruel to the grass?

I can understand you point, but there is another theological concept 
that can come into play here.  Not all of God's creation was created equal.

The Bible clearly shows that man has value above the rest of creation. 
We have a soul, created in the image of God.  To have one animal preying 
on another animal, or infecting another animal, or implanting its 
offspring, does not show that God is not beneficent.

But about this fly itself.  Often in nature we see a near balance of 
things.  If we did not have spiders, flies would most likely reproduce 
unchecked.

And as for insects implanting their offspring into living organisms, 
there are good things that we can easily come from this.  Even now, 
medial researchers are turning back to using maggots to cure some 
conditions; specifically, non-wounds. One might even be able to argue 
that this shows a beneficent God, that offers ways to cure our wounds 
that we don't even have to apply... it applys itself.

--- Jeremy