Parasites in Paradise
Ryan Cox • October 26, 2021
Parasites in Paradise
“If there was no physical death or bloodshed before Adam and Eve sinned, then what did carnivorous animals eat?
What did mosquitoes drink? How do you explain parasites?”
These are some of the questions we come across, most often not from evolutionists, but from Christians trying to answer basic questions about the pre-Fall world. Now, as Dr. Sharp would teach, we can never fully understand perfection this side of the Fall. However, there are good, science-based answers for such questions.
Carnivorous Animals
It has been well established that all animals can or could at one time survive on a plant-based diet. Today we see dogs eat grass when they are sick. Fossils reveal that some ancient crocodiles were herbivores.¹ And then there is Little Tyke: a female African lion that 75 years ago refused all meat, including milk containing blood droplets. Living on a vegetarian diet, she grew up to be, according to one zoo curator, the best of her species he had ever viewed.²
So, yes, it is an observable reality that all animals could have survived on plant-based diets before the Fall when there was no pain, suffering, bloodshed, or death.
Mosquitoes
When we address the subject of mosquitoes in the Garden of Eden, most do not realize that today there are nearly 3,600 species. They ALL
feed on nectar, honeydew, and other plant juices. None of the males in any species suck blood. It is only females in some species that ever feed on blood, and the only reason for their bloodsucking is the acquisition of protein and iron for egg production.³
Yet, even that is not always necessary. Some females can produce eggs through autogenous reproduction, which is without any bloodsucking.⁴
Therefore, based on observational data, it is a reasonable assumption that in perfection, mosquitoes survived on nectar, as they do today, and females produced eggs through autogenous reproduction. There was no need for bloodsucking before the Fall.
Parasites
A parasite is one organism living on or in anther organism. They can range anywhere from animals (lice, etc.) to fungi (ringworm, etc.) to plants (mistletoe, etc.) or single-celled protozoans (malaria, etc.). Let’s take nematodes (roundworms) as an example. Estimates as to the number of species within the phylum of Nematoda
range anywhere from 25,000 to 1 million. Of those, only about 35 occur as parasites in humans.⁵ They feed on the insides of algae and bacteria while decomposing organic matter, which allows for soil fertilization. Hence, they can be found underground, in oceans, and even on mountains. One cubic meter of dirt can contain over 1 million of them, laying an estimated 200,000 eggs at one time. They are a vibrant, essential part of life on Earth.⁶
At some point in history when there was a scarcity of resources, they learned to feed upon insects that had previously transported them unharmed. The insects, like blackflies, transported them to humans, and they eventually adapted to infect people. But because of how few species do this, even evolutionists do not believe they were originally parasitic.⁷
Heart Condition
This, sadly, does not keep some from using parasites as a “reason” for rejecting our Creator God. Sir David Attenborough of the BBC responded in an interview, “There are creation legends everywhere; every society has one, all over the world. But they can’t all be true. If you want to decide what the truth is, how are you going to do it? As far as I’m concerned, you look for the evidence in the rocks and in the creatures around you… The evidence is for evolution.”⁸
What concrete evidence did he find? “…I tend to think instead of a parasitic worm that is boring through the eye of a boy sitting on the bank of a river in West Africa, that’s going to make him blind… Are you telling me that the God you believe in, who you say is an all-merciful God, who cares for each one of us individually, are you saying that God created this worm that can live in no other way than in an innocent child’s eyeball? Because that doesn’t seem to coincide with a God who’s full of mercy.”⁹
As is evident in his response, it was not a matter of scientific observation that led to his rejection of God, but rather a matter of his heart. This is a clear example, as the Apostle Paul said, of “professing to be wise, they became fools” (Romans 1:22).
“¹⁷
So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind,
¹⁸
being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart…
²¹
…truth is in Jesus,
²²
that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self…
²⁴
and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.” (Ephesians 4:17-24)
Endnotes
1.
Tim Collins, “Ancient crocodiles were not fierce meat-eaters but survived on a diet of PLANTS, study finds”, UK Daily Mail, 27 June 2019, <https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-7188337/Ancient-crocodiles-survived-diet-PLANTS-200-million-years-ago-study-finds.html>.
2.
David Catchpoole, “The lion that wouldn’t eat meat”, Creation
22(2): 22-23, March 2000, <https://creation.com/the-lion-that-wouldnt-eat-meat>.
3. "Mosquito”, Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia, Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., ed. 23 October 2021, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosquito#Feeding_by_adults>.
4.
K. Sawabe & A. Moribayashi, “Lipid Utilization for Ovarian Development in an Autogenous Mosquito”, Journal of Medical Entomology, Vol. 37, Iss. 5, 1 September 2000, pp. 726-31.
5.
Anderson, Roy C.
Nematode Parasites of Vertebrates: Their Development and Transmission. CABI, 2000, p. 1.
6.
Scott Arledge, “Can a Merciful God Great Parasites?”,
Acts & Facts
50(8), 2000, <https://www.icr.org/article/can-a-merciful-god-create-parasites/>.
7.
Christoph Dieterich & Ralf Sommer, “How to become a parasite – lessons from the genomes of nematodes”,
Trends in Genetics, Vol. 25, Iss. 5, May 2009, pp. 203-9.
8.
"Wild, wild life”, The Sydney Morning Herald, 25 March 2003, <https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/wild-wild-life-20030325-gdghkj.html>.
9.
Ibid.
Here we are again, just a few days before Christmas. It seems the old adage, “The older you get the faster time flies,” is so true. There is not a year that passes when we look back and think, “Wow, this year took forever!” History is passing by and we look forward to the new year as we continue to focus on our eternal destiny. Our theme this year has been, HISTORY & DESTINY. Christmas is a great time to reflect on these two realities. Everyone has “Christmas history”, as I term it - those moments from past Christmases that are remembered year after year. Maybe it’s a great family gathering or Christmas activity that has become a beloved tradition. All of those moments are formed by previous years’ experiences. Sometimes this season can be tough, as we may have that memory of a loved one that has passed or other difficulties that we may be facing. Christmas history is always impactful, be it good or bad. This makes me reflect on the first Christmas. For Mary and Joseph, there was no previous history like that moment, per se. Yet, the history of the prior four thousand years had been preparing for the manger, the moment in history that our Savior would be born and begin Christmas history for all of us. Whether it is acknowledged or not, without Jesus’ birth in history, none of this season happens. Each and every Christmas our desire is to make those “Christmas history” memories for our family. Our desire is to impact the future of our family, our destiny. Often our efforts fall short or are interrupted by things out of our control. In those moments, so much stress can come from our efforts not going as planned. Sometimes it ends up ruining the whole season, especially if our focus has not been on the simple fact that He was born to bring peace, not stress. Let us not forget that it didn’t start the way Mary and Joseph had planned, with no room in the inn. But the Lord provided a place for them to rest and deliver the baby. Immanuel, God with us, is the bell ringing for all eternity that started that first Christmas. Our eternal destiny hinges on whether we acknowledge who He is everyday, not just in this season. Yet, this season is most assuredly a great time to emphasize His gift of life for all eternity. Our Creator became as one of His image bearers in that stable under imperfect conditions. He joined HISTORY and DESTINY that moment in time. The years of history that prepared the world for the child born that first Christmas would give us hope for all eternity. Jesus is the marker for all history. Because of that moment in time, our life can have peace for eternity through Him. May we all focus on the culmination of HISTORY & DESTINY during our family Christmas celebrations this year. Our history is written but our destiny is hope in Jesus Christ, our Creator and Savior. Blessings this season to you and your family from all of us here at Creation Truth Foundation!