Today, I played God.

[retrorich]

Today I played God.

A tiny insect managed to land in my cup of coffee. (Fortunately the coffee was not hot.) I carefully fished it out and placed it on my desk. It did a lot of squirming and struggling, and it was difficult to tell if it had been seriously injured or just needed to dry off. My dilemma was whether to put it out of its misery or let it live as long as possible. In a way, I was playing God. Eventually, the insect crawled to the edge of the desk and fell to where I could not see or reach it.

My thought was: Well now, the creature was in the hands of the real God--if He exists. Would the God you believe in care about the fate of an insect?

 

[michel]

Today I played God.

A tiny insect managed to land in my cup of coffee. (Fortunately the coffee was not hot.) I carefully fished it out and placed it on my desk. It did a lot of squirming and struggling, and it was difficult to tell if it had been seriously injured or just needed to dry off. My dilemma was weather to put it out of its misery or let it live as long as possible. In a way, I was playing God. Eventually, the insect crawled to the edge of the desk and fell to where I could not see or reach it.

My thought was: Well now, the creature was in the hands of the real God--if He exists. Would the God you believe in care about the fate of an insect?

I believe he would; if he cares about us, he cares about insects; they are just as 'important' as we are.

 

[Bangbang]

Today I played God.

A tiny insect managed to land in my cup of coffee. (Fortunately the coffee was not hot.) I carefully fished it out and placed it on my desk. It did a lot of squirming and struggling, and it was difficult to tell if it had been seriously injured or just needed to dry off. My dilemma was weather to put it out of its misery or let it live as long as possible. In a way, I was playing God. Eventually, the insect crawled to the edge of the desk and fell to where I could not see or reach it.

My thought was: Well now, the creature was in the hands of the real God--if He exists. Would the God you believe in care about the fate of an insect?

A all loving good god would have placed him on the ground so he would not have fallen off the desk to his death.:biglaugh:

 

[Bishka]

I believe God cares about every living thing, whether it is a human, bug or plant. He created this world, so He cares for it. Just as a loving parent should.

 

[jamaesi]

My G-d cares about all life.

I hate that insect thing. I always fish them out of cups or pools and they squirm around and I just don't know if I really saved them or prolonged their suffering. If they don't take off after a while I squish them. :/ It's not out of malice- just concern- so I hope G-d doesn't think me a murderer.

 

[retrorich]

I don't believe in God. But I do believe in the sacredness of life. I was a vegan vegetarian for five years, but had to give it up for health reasons. I hate killing.

 

[michel]

I don't believe in God. But I do believe in the sacredness of life. I was a vegan vegetarian for five years, but had to give it up for health reasons. I hate killing.

Bravo!:clap Fruball for yet another demonstration that an atheist can be even more moral than a religious person.

 

[jamaesi]

I don't believe in God. But I do believe in the sacredness of life. I was a vegan vegetarian for five years, but had to give it up for health reasons. I hate killing.

I was a vegetarian for about 6 years then a pesctarian (I ate just fish) for two years but gave both up when I came to Brasil.

If I didn't eat meat, I would get sick or starve here- They eat so much meat here. ;_;

 

[michel]

I am much the same as Rich; I became a vegetarian, fell ill (because way back when I did there was no one to give dietary advice), and was told to eat meat by my dooctor.


It then occurred to me that fish and vegetables are justas deserving of respect; so now I just accept that living beings need to give up their life so that my body be nourished.

I accept the sacrifice with sadness.

 

[CaptainXeroid]

Today I played God...

Since I believe that all things serve God's purpose, have you considered that the insect's purpose was to cause you to reconsider the view that God does not exist?

BTW...I hate killing as well, but some of the insects are too icky and need to get squashed.

 

[maggie2]

Well, Retrorich, I applaud your willingness to be open to the possibility of God. You don't believe in God but yet you would try to imagine what it might be like to BE God. And certainly you exhibited caring characteristics and that certainly seems to be God-like to me. Thanks for sharing your buggy adverture.

 

[Scuba Pete]

Let me get this straight: You baptised a fly. Was it with Rich's baptism or was it another?

 

[Nick Soapdish]

BTW...I hate killing as well, but some of the insects are too icky and need to get squashed.

I usually only kill insects if my wife is yelling at me to do so ...

As a kid I kept bugs as pets. I always get very excited when I see a praying mantis, unless it's a dead one -- then I get very sad.

 

[retrorich]

Since I believe that all things serve God's purpose, have you considered that the insect's purpose was to cause you to reconsider the view that God does not exist?

It did NOT cause me to reconsider the view that God does not exist. I am still content with my atheism. I am, however, interested in how people such as you who do believe in God feel about God's concern, or lack of concern, about creatures such as insects.

BTW...I hate killing as well, but some of the insects are too icky and need to get squashed.

How about icky people?

 

[michel]

Let me get this straight: You baptised a fly. Was it with Rich's baptism or was it another?

Naughty (for an atheist) but very funny. fruballs for you!:biglaugh:

It did NOT cause me to reconsider the view that God does not exist. I am still content with my atheism. I am, however, interested in how people such as you who do believe in God feel about God's concern, or lack of concern, about creatures such as insects. How about icky people? [/font]

I see what you are trying to get to Rich, and the question is very valid, and goes far deeper than squashing flies................

God let us have this 'playground' on which to be tested (as I a theist sees it), and yet we have to kill to survive. There is one massively long chain of killing of living beings that ends with man; whether we like it or not, by proxy or directly, we have to kill (be it a cow, a cabbage or a tree (to build a house)). One cannot, of course know how God feels about this, but I would expect him to know that it is nature, a 'must be' in the equation of the whole world.

The fact that some of us can feel a sense of part-repentence by admitting that living beings are killed every day, for our sustenance, and can give thanks to those beings for their sacrifice help, IMO.

 

[CaptainXeroid]

It did NOT cause me to reconsider the view that God does not exist. I am still content with my atheism. I am, however, interested in how people such as you who do believe in God feel about God's concern, or lack of concern, about creatures such as insects.

Glad to hear it, and of course, I am content with my belief in God and His Son Jesus Christ.:162: I just find it interesting that people who profess that God does not exist are so curious about how those of us who do believe in God relate to Him.

How about icky people?

It depends on the person. When I pop into chat, name a few & we'll see.

BTW...did you ever find out what happened to that insect?

 

[michel]

BTW...did you ever find out what happened to that insect?

Funny you should ask that, I have a slightly dizzy ghost of an insect here complaining that he has been abused by a human............

 

[Linus]

Would the God you believe in care about the fate of an insect?

Yes, but not nearly as much as he would if it were a human.

 

[retrorich]

Glad to hear it, and of course, I am content with my belief in God and His Son Jesus Christ.:162: I just find it interesting that people who profess that God does not exist are so curious about how those of us who do believe in God relate to Him.

Well speaking for myself, I find the concept of God fascinating, though totally unbelievable to me. I love to discuss religion, as you well know.

BTW...did you ever find out what happened to that insect?

No. It dropped out of sight behind my desk where I couldn't search for it. Maybe it's just as well. I felt bad enough as it was.

 

[retrorich]

Yes, but not nearly as much as he would if it were a human.

Why is that?