Did satan create viruses?

The problem is that most people (including Christians) don't know how to qualify blessings correctly.

The only way to discern if something is *truly* a blessing is seen in how it transforms someone spiritually. Unfortunately, people (including Christians) tend to measure 'blessings' with *worldly* measuring sticks. The real measure of a blessing has *nothing* to do with the physical existence.

In other words, if someone survives a war it is a blessing only if they experience a greater connection with God through this experience. It is therefore *not* a 'blessing' for everyone who survives. Someone could *die* in that war and also be blessed. Similarly, good health is only a blessing if you are enriched by it spiritually....for many this is *not* the case and so they are not blessed by having it.

Also, an event that is *not* a blessing for the person that experiences it, can turn out to be a blessing for *others*. For example, a soldier survives a war and a familily member is spiritually enriched as a result.

I hope this clears up the theology of it David.

I thought most viruses were oppurtunistic to take advantage off any suitable environment.

__________________
"One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive,to find, and not to yield." Alfred, Lord Tennyson

I remember that before I started going to college here at the University of Florida, I had big financial problems ahead of me. When high school was over, my future apartment-mates (best freinds) were getting thousands of dollars from their parents for starting out in college. I am one of three (basically 5) children of two public school teachers (at a "D" grade school). I was accepted to the University, but it looked so impossible for me to go.

After hearing how much the other parents were helping their children, my mother came into my room and cried that she couldn't help me. God bless her. I told her not to worry, and that I was far more blessed than the others because of the faith I require. Sure enough, I was hired by three jobs over the summer: The sod farm or the construction crew during the day, and Dairy Queen at night. Later, I moved into my apartment with an immediate job on the apartment complex as a maintenance/furniture person (thanks to mom). This pays off my rent, and I work another job over the weekend as a janitor at a gym. Everything is steady, and great now. I'm actually living on my own, and I was trully blessed with edification.

__________________

Bacteria take adavantage of an environment. Some do good things and some do the same things but inside people or animals so they are bad. some of the same bacteria is considered good and bad simultaneously. E.Coli. Now, viruses can attack bacteria. good and "bad" bacteria. so if a virus kills a "bad" bacteria, is it now a good virus.
I find the concept of good and bad may only be applied to Human Morality, not to organisms in the world. A "bad" thing that some earlier organism did to another organism may have resulted in evolutionary change. So now the bad thing is "good".

__________________
Jesus said, "If a blind person leads a blind person, both of them will fall into a hole." Thomas 34

"On blind faith they place reliance, what they need more of is science"- MC Hawking

Yes. Especially if we also claim to be love incarnate... If we claim to be omnipotent and it is within our power to prevent it hitting the floor... And if we are omniscient and know the pain that computer is programmed to feel.

Ownership does not preclude or justify cruelty.

That was my point. You sympathize with those that experience "suffering", because you have a similiar fear. While, it can be seen as simply nothing more than than what we tell ourselves. And, suppose it had to be dropped. How much less cruel, then, is it to drop it?

About the God blame thing: Lets say I am omni-potent and I decide to program a car to hate falling off a table. I set the car up on the table, and by this, I give it a choice. The car then deliberately falls off the table. I knew by common sense that this would happen, but, I knew that through this experience, it would not do it again. Through its suffering from its fall, it remains in pleasure under its law.

__________________

God does *not* control everything that happens, however. He reliquished those controls when He created us.

If a child runs around, and despite your warnings..slams into the wall...it *hurts*. But does that justify exerting *control* over everything that child experiences, good or bad? Do we not love the child if we allow him to get hurt? Should we always prevent pain? Please note one thing: this analogy makes a certain amount of sense...but to extend it to God, you need to understand the larger spiritual theology...

Your reasoning is flawed because it assumes that the paramount aspect of your existence is the physical part....so you qualify all things as good or bad based on whatever happens to you in this physical existence, right? For God, this existence is meaningless compared to the health of your spirit. The experience can lead you to 'spiritual maturity'. If you could see that, then you can see God's love, no matter what happens...if you can't see it...then you will make arguments like the ones you are making 'against God' instead.