Did satan create viruses?

Scriptures shows that evil is under his whim. He is Good, but he is also beyond being good or evil. My previous post explains a definition for good and evil in relevance toward spirituality. Because we, as humans, are unable to judge properly (and we want to be forgiven for our own trespasses), we are not to utilize forms of evil in a seemingly just manner. Vengance is God's, being that He is the ultimate judge. The unjust abusers of evil for gain are the legions of hate. There is such a thing as abusing evil, but "there is no law against love". So, we know that abstinence from personal vendettas will lead us to our own forgiven sins.

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Tonight, at my Bible study, we went through Romans 8. And in it, Paul mentions that "all of creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to come into glory. For creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in pains of childbirth right up to the present time."

I think that this particular peice of scripture does a good job of explaining alot of these creational questions. I will have to remember it.

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Satan did not create viruses.

He was too busy creating all those role playing games.

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'Avast, ye scurvy dogs! Rotate the rubber baby buggy bumpers!'

You forgot terminal cancer and whole hosts of neurological disorders. But why stop there? With a little research, I'm sure you can do better than that parasite example Halruaa.

I'm guessing you are not speaking from personal experience here Halruaa. Instead, you strike me as a kind of 'litigator' for all the people who have ever suffered in the world. You probably figure you have an *air tight* case against God with your arguments, yes?

Lets see...

First, lets assume for the sake of argument that God really exists. Lets also assume that all of the theology in the Bible is right. And finally, lets assume that you and I and everyone else has an *eternal soul* that is succeptable to decay and death (losing its eternal nature). We'll also assume that this decay results from an obsession and infatuation with *this* world and the material (or physical) existence. In fact, we are so obsessed with this existence that we are *blinded* by it. We tend to ignore the spiritual self completely, even though it is the element of the self that greatly *supercedes* the physical existence.

Why all these assumptions? You want to make your case against God and His theology, right? Then you should understand the basics of that theology if you want to argue against it. OK, lets make your case...

Lets say I have that horrible crippling parasite you are describing. Sounds pretty bad (although I'm sure there are worse things). Anyway, my body is torn down and I am left barely functionning. What does God say in defense? Well lets check the Bible. What? Not only is this not necessarily a *bad thing* Biblically, on the contrary, the Bible says I'm *blessed*. Thats even *more* ridiculous! Right? Wait, lets check some more. The Bible indicates that all that matters to God is the fate of your eternal soul (and really that's all that should matter to us). If breaking down your physical body *removes the blinders* that the physical world has covered your eyes with...then the Bible says YES, suffering can be a blessing. It can help you connect with your spiritual self and realize your need for God...and this is of *paramount importance*. The Bible says that all of the world's pain, suffering, even physical death is completely insignificant compared to spritual death.

Of course, If all you are is your physical body, then you are right, there is nothing good in suffering....and none of these arguments will ever sway you (how could they?) But if thats true then there is no God anyway, so who are you going to blame? Just have fun while you can in your pointless, finite existence. One thing is certain: pain and death will one day find you too Halruaa. But *if* there is a God, when that day comes you just might lose the only thing you have that really matters.

Either way you are left without a case Halruaa, if God exists then He is justified by redeeming the souls of those who suffer...if He doesn't then you are wasting your breath with your arguments.

BTW, If you want to see it for yourself, volunteer for palliative care or help take care of those who *really* suffer. Time and again I have seen people turn to God just when things are worst. An act of desparation? Or an act of *clarity*? Maybe it doesn't compel everyone...but thats because faith is a free choice.

Thats true. How can we know pleasure if we don't know how to be grateful for suffering's absence?

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It depends. Is the absence of suffering equal to pleasure?

To put it another way, is the absence of pleasure equal to suffering?


I would suggest that pleasure and suffering are two separate things and that you can have large or small amounts of either simultaneously. As such, suffering is not required in order to know gratitude for pleasure.

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'Avast, ye scurvy dogs! Rotate the rubber baby buggy bumpers!'

It would be a pleasure just to know that I didn't have to worry about enduring suffering. And since suffering is well known to Christians, the experience makes even its absence a truly pleasurable thing.

In Jesus' only parable about Heaven and Hell he does not mention anything about faith, doctrines, or creeds. He simply displays that the rich man was in Hell for his pleasures in life, whereas the poor man (Lazarus) was in Heaven for the evil he experienced in life. The rich man could have helped Lazarus, but he didn't. Infact, Lazarus (covered in awful sores) ate by the food the rich man tossed out to the dogs. The rich man was not even intending to help the poor man, he was trying to feed his dogs. Read the beattitudes of Jesus. Everything gets flip flopped in the after life.

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As a biochemist, viruses are "alive" since they have cell coats and DNA. Unlike bacteria, they require other cells to reproduce (i.e., they are parasites on a small scale).

What I am more interested in is WHY is it important for you to know if viruses came from satan? [Personnally, I am more concerned about behavior of American society today (secular, materialistic, etc.) than I am about the origins of viruses.]

[quote=Mike Flynn]If breaking down your physical body *removes the blinders* that the physical world has covered your eyes with...then the Bible says YES, suffering can be a blessing. It can help you connect with your spiritual self and realize your need for God...and this is of *paramount importance*. The Bible says that all of the world's pain, suffering, even physical death is completely insignificant compared to spritual death.QUOTE]

I agree with you. My life was changed when my son was critically ill and on life support for 4 days. We did not know if he would live or die. This is when you faith is tested and only through my faith in God did I survive this time. Luckily, my son who was 6 yrs old survived and is now 15 yrs old and was not affected by his disease - a form of encephilitis.

It would appear that those who experience hardships are more blessed than those who do not.- very Biblically supported.

Coincidence? Or Destiny?

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