For Christians....Do sting-rays have poisonous barbs on their tails because of "original sin"?

Question

I just want to make sure I'm understanding who's fault it is that Steve Irwin was murdered by an evil sting-ray, as opposed to just swimming along side it in peaceful harmony with nature. Was it possed by a demon purhaps? What are your theories? I think he just got too close to an example of a creature that has evolved to protect itself to survive. But, I respect that you might have a different opinion. Please share it here.........

Thanks all... I just want to be clear that i have been a fan of his for quite a while, and am not making fun of his very shocking death. I feel awful for his wife and young children he left behind. I'm just asking a question that is probably on the minds of many kids out there who want to make sense of it and bring it back around to a religious question that should be asked. As you can see there are many different opinions here.

Answer 1

Pirate Rachael . . . this is the best question ever asked on yahoo answers ever.

Congratulations, my hat to you.

My answer; product of evolution and natural selection

Answer 2

Before the Fall all of Creation co-existed in a perfect harmony that we can't even comprehend. Lions ate grass, there were no weeds or thorns, and man was in charge of it all. I know that sounds crazy to us, but go read the Creation account in Genesis.

After the Fall everything changed. Poison became a sad part of nature. I do not believe the sting-ray was demon-possessed (though pigs were in Matthew 8:30-32). And murder can only be committed by a human, otherwise it is only the end of the physical life - with no sinful motive, and no one to blame. The sting-ray was simply protecting itself, and the poor guy got hit fatally. It's sad, especially for his grieving family, but the Lord will comfort them if they will turn to Him.

Answer 3

It's sad, but rays are not evil. Its perfectly natural for a wild ray to get scared with a human swimming right above it, can't blame the ray. Steve Irwin should have realized that would spook it, but hey, accidents happen. It's a horrible thing, especially for his family.

Course, I suppose if your main purpose in life is to insult christians (as sad as that really is), then you go right ahead, I hope it gives you some happiness, doesn't bother me in the least. I can ignore christian bashers just as easily as you can ignore respect for others beliefs.

Answer 4

You know, I don't know if the function of the tail was there before the fall; It may have a use not related to predator/defense that I am not aware of.
It doen't sound like Steve Irwin was murdered, but died in a swimming accident. Murder implies malace. I don't believe a stingray has enough self-awareness to have malace. I believe it was an accident.
I believe he just got too close to one of God's beautifully designed creatures for his own good.
Peace to your spirit, Steve.

Answer 5

I wish someone would give a good answer. I have thought about this too. If a loving God created all the living creatures why make them have to kill and eat each other. Why make some of the ways they have of killing so awful and torturous? Like animals that inject a substance that causes their prey to slowly dissovle from the inside out suffering horribly as they turn into a pile of goo the predator can suck up. Doesn't this make God kind a sadist? That they evolved these mechanisms for survival makes far more sense to me.

Answer 6

Sting-rays have poisonous barbs to protect themselves from other enemies in the sea...not as an evil agent against mankind..It was not possessed by a demon, because it does not have a conscience like humans do..it was just an animal that God created that was protecting itself and would have done the same thing had it been a shark.

Answer 7

It is my contention that when you spend a lifetime handling poisonous snakes, poking crocodiles and feeding a croc with your son in one arm and coming through unscathed for so long... you're bound to make a mistake sooner or later. It has nothing to do with original sin but everything to do with the stingray's instinct. Irwin probably got too close for the animal's comfort and it defended itself. Maybe it had young'uns nearby. I said from the start he should have stuck to his expertise! Crocs. Crikey!

Have a great day!!!

Answer 8

No doubt, it was Steve's time for God allowed it. On the more scientific line of reasoning, Steve was not in his natural habitat and the stingray may have "perceived" him as a threat, thereby instinctively releasing its barb(s) - natural defense mechanism - to protect itself or, possibly, its young.

Only man can be "possessed" as all other created lives have no "God-breathed" spirit. Nor do they have free will.

Steve knew the risks he was taking.

Answer 9

The short answer is yes.Genesis will tell you that upon being expelled from Eden man kind was cursed.Further,the world was not Eden and death was in it.Each man must die.As to how and when it is in Gods hands.Steve lived his life doing what he loved,he never held back.
Why do you feel the need to try and offend people with the death of a man who obviously knew the risks.
I think you are a pitiful representative of the human race.
You are a bigoted fool.

Answer 10

the way i see it, he had tempted fate and fooled with mother nature for too long, so to speak. the stingray has to have a defense mechanism just like any other animal. its the system of evolution and adaptiation. for their environment, they needed to be able to sting to protect their lives. steve was risking it getting near them whether he was treatening them or not. just becuase you approach a bear slowly and harmlessly, do you think that its instincts wont kick in and it maul you? those weren't domestic stingrays as there are none. they haven't been kept close to humans long enough. they were wild animals and they followed their instincts. it was not a demon posession, it was merely a coincidence and his time to go. if it hadn't been he wouldn't have been killed. the same as houdini, his career was tempting fate and finally it was the end of him. the way i see it, steve wasnt murdered, he just happened to be fatally wounded by a wild animal that was minding its own business and reacted to its instincts when it was disturbed. and stingrays have barbs for their protection, nothing to do with sin, animals dont enjoy things of the flesh like we do, they do not drink, fornicate, lie, or anything that humans do, they are an inferior being and they merely do what nature programmed them to do to survive. they are not mean, they are simply looking out for theirselves. only people sin because we have the knowledge to intentionally do what we know is wrong.

Answer 11

Gosh I certainly hope you never get stung by one of those "sinner" bees, or the terrible "devils wasp" or the horrible "rattlesnake from hell" and don't forget the following:

hornets

water moccasins

coral snakes

asps

yellow jackets

red ants

black widow spiders

scorpions

iguanas

and all the other poisonous insects and animals that of course are a result of "original sin" and are sent from hell to chase Christians and even non Christians alike. They just do not seem to discriminate.