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.
In Genesis 12 the Lord calls Abraham (Abram) to be the father of a great nation. This all happened to Abraham at 75 years old. Some might say that is too late in life to start something new, especially a calling of that magnitude. Yet that was not the overwhelming part to me; that would come in verse 7 when the Lord said the land would be his offspring’s. Wait, what?! The Lord had a plan and His Providence would guide Abraham, even when Abraham did not have offspring and did not wait on the Lord. I have to wonder how I would have reacted to such a call and covenant. As we know from Psalms, the Lord guides and sustains all by His Providence for His name sake, which we are focusing on this year. But does Providence act on our timing? When God called Abraham, he had no children. Yet the promise given was that his offspring would be a great nation in a land saved for them. What we know now is that Abraham wouldn’t have his son Isaac until he was 100 years old, a full 25 years after the covenant was made. Most of the time we expect the Lord’s hand working in our life to be immediate, but that is not always the case. In some cases it might take years to experience the Providence coming to fruition. Remember Genesis 21:2 states Isaac’s birth was at the “appointed time.” This understanding should give us peace as we rely on Providence and, at times, are called to patience. Providence was again on display for us to understand that even in obedient sacrifice He will be glorified, as Abraham was asked to sacrifice his son, Isaac, who was inherently tied to the covenant of the Lord. Abraham was faithful in all aspects, even when most of us might say “no way” to that sacrifice to the Lord. Yet at the right time, through faithfulness in Abraham’s obedience, there was Providence providing behind him in the ram. Our faithful obedience sometimes feels like a tough ask from the Lord, but rest assured He is there, ready to lift up His name through us. Providence continued through time, 100 years later, after Isaac had his sons, Jacob and Esau. Then Jacob was blessed by the Lord with 12 sons, one of which was Joseph, who was sold to Egypt by his brothers. You probably recall all the ups and downs of Joseph’s life, yet he was faithful to the Lord throughout them all. Remember, there was a covenant at stake. The Lord, through His Providence, made sure he had Joseph where He needed him to save the great nation of Israel from famine. This Providence secured the covenant line to continue to Christ. Many times throughout history Providence has guided and protected His covenant, and now you and I can be blessed with inclusion in His great nation through Christ. If it had not been so, then we literally have no assurance of our salvation. Praise be to our Lord Jesus Christ that His Providence is faithful for all eternity, so we may know peace and have confidence in the promised destiny. Our ministry here at CTF has always emphasized the importance of Genesis 12, Abraham’s covenant. We share there is no difference in importance of Genesis 1-11 over chapter 12 and through the entirety of the Bible. The whole Bible is inspired to be trustworthy and to show His Providence throughout history for His name’s sake and also for our salvation. Blessings.
Fort Necessity, also known as the Battle of the Great Meadows