If God exists, why did he create life? (The nature of a \'Creator\')

by Balance_Maintained , U.S.A., Saturday, December 18, 2010, 17:42 (5088 days ago) @ dhw

This is the most common and altogether aggravating statement that I have seen from every religious apologist when the question is raised of God's responsibilities. My complaint was worded with scrupulous care in order to pre-empt just such a defence: "It's the silence that greets the prayers of those who are being destroyed by catastrophes and diseases and all the other treats that God's natural world has in store for them." You have given one example after another of the disasters caused by man, for which of course man is responsible. The only example you have given of natural disaster is malaria, and then you blame people for not using netting or medication. Why do you think your God created malaria in the first place? Do you think the millions of people who died from it before man found a cure were responsible for their own deaths? Do you think that floods, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, the thousands of diseases are all man's fault? You may, as many modern apologists do, try to blame them on man's indiscriminate exploitation of the planet, but what about the time when man did not have the means to exploit the planet? Do you think our ancient ancestors were to blame for the natural catastrophes and diseases that maimed or killed them? Or did their lives not count?
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*MOST* natural catastrophes are *necessary*! Earthquakes, volcanoes, hurricanes, floods, lightning; these are all necessary things. Without them life on this planet would not, could not exist. I am not apologizing for God, that would imply that he would have done something that needed apologizing for. Do you know if the parasite that causes malaria is necessary for the mosquito, or has some benefit for it? I don't and don't pretend to. But I do no it is just another living organism that just happens not to be good for humans. Quite a large number of the natural viruses our there aren't even all that harmful to us. The most deadly ones were created by us indirectly through the indiscriminate use of anti-biotics. Other were transferred to us because we were doing things that were harmful to ourselves and our world to begin with, such as the spread of HIV from monkey's to humans. And as I pointed out a long time ago, every natural disaster, bar none(that I am aware of) gives clear and definite warnings before it hits. If a person chooses NOT to heed those warnings, who is to blame for their death? God?