Why did God create so many animals?

Question

I've asked Christian friends of mine why God created for example - rabbits and I get answers like 'Because they're cute' or equally inadequate and unfulfilling answers. Why do you Christians believe God created a world with millions of species, many of them impractical to humans? Do you believe that only humans have souls? The whole world is just for us and animals disappear when they die?
Also, why do you think God created so many barren planets and stars?

Animals are 'for us to enjoy'? How often do you enjoy being bitten by a poisonous snake, or ripped to pieces by a hippopotamus? Perhaps you enjoy the pleasant sight of wriggling maggots.
Also, we cannot eat all animals.

Answer 1

Very Good question, and I gave you a "thunbs up" for it...now, let me try to answer in the best way possible, one question at a time, and please bare with me.
-Why do you Christians believe God created a world with millions of species, many of them impractical to humans?
Well, there are a couple of reasons behind that...Firstly, and perhaps the best answer for me, was that God in His infinate wisdom and power, created all those wonderous things around us so that we may bask in His creative power and Glory, giving us a tiny physical glimpse, Only a Glimpse, into how wonderful and great He is.
Secondly, Because He is a God of Order...Everything operates in a delicate and intricate balance. You will notice that NONE of these creations exist in isolation, and if you desturb the balance of one side or one specie, it will have a detramental effect on that entire eco system. For example, something that might 'impractical' to humans as you have termed such as ... I dunno... deap sea weeds...what are you gonna do with them? You cannot reach them, let alone use them, right?
Well, true, to an extent...that intricate balance I speak of, as we know in science today, bring deap-sea weed into the equation this way...These weeds thrive on the waiste that results from dieing sea creatures as they hit the sea-bed...they then grow and start to breath out oxygen from photosythesis, so other sea creatures can breath...then they are eaten by smaller creaturs down their, who are also food for bigger fish that come to the surface, and then "Presto" we have Fish to hook on a line and put on a hot plate...and that is an EXTREMELY simplistic example, but its practical and applicable to anything else.
And it works exactly the same way with the Planets as you asked...Planets are so connected to each other to keep each other rotating and suspended in the unverse, so that way we have time, day and night, seasons...etc.
As for animals that harm us, eg snakes as you put it, it was never intended to be that way...When man was first created in paradise, there was no enmiety and no death. no carnivores and all creatures at only plants. Enmiety between creations like carnivores was brought about as a result of many totally dropping from Grace and sinned, thus the entire system of blood-less living was disturbed. And especially with snakes and serpants, that was God's orders because it was satan in the form of a serpant that lead Adam & Eve to sin...Thus everything was re-arranged and creation had to take on a new "Dog-eat-Dog" world...only as a result of our fall from Grace.
As for animals having souls, I do not believe they do, simply because we are the Only creatures that are created in God's Image. And that image is eternal life and gift of logic and desire to improve and grow, and the Gift of Love and affection...etc.
The rest of creation was given to our subdue within this intacate eco-system I spole of earlier. One day they will pass away, but we are the ones left to fulfill our destiny beyond this world, and into the Kingdom of God that he prepared for us before the ages.

I hope I have not confused you more...If you like, you can e-mail me and I will see if I can help any further...God Bless you my friend :-)

Answer 2

You have to remember, when life was created, it was to be on a paradise earth. The paradise earth will indeed be here. There are too many prophecies promising us this.
Since we are not under the intended conditions, we will not know all purposes of life for a while.
Man was given dominion over the earth and animals, and that will return.
And really----do we need to know the purpose of the life of a rabbit? If not knowing stumbles you, I doubt any answer would appease your curiosity anyway.

The word 'soul' has three uses in the Bible.
The main use though is that man 'is a soul'.

"barren planets and stars?"!
I don't think the universe is that dreary. When it appeared, the angels applauded with praise.

Gen 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

Isa 11:6 The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.

Gen 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust.........; and man became a living soul.

Job 38:7 When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

2Pe 3:13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

Answer 3

There is not a single species which is impractical to human (which cannot be the work of anyone other than God)..we get to know more and more how we are connected to each other when we study about them..and we know very little about them....that is why God told us to gain knowledge to understand this world and its species....because that way we can understand God better.....the more we get educated the more we start to believe in god.
As far as rabbit is concerned...Rabbits are an example of an animal which is treated as food, pet and pest by the same culture.
Their milk may also be of great medicinal (see links below) or nutritional benefit due to its high protein content.
http://www.advance.uconn.edu/1997/970214/02149707.htm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/852647.stm

The animals do have souls but it is also true that they are created only for us..
I dont think there is a need to tell you why god created sun..we may find the benefit of barren planets and stars when we know more about them.

Answer 4

How many base species are there? There is only one feline species, but hundreds of breeds. One monkey species, but hundreds of breeds. Felines can be cross breed with any feline. The base species is what God created, everything evolved form the genetic material they carried, just as humans did.

As for being impractical, rabbits have a practical purpose. They eat and produce fertilizer. Mosquitoes have a purpose. They are fed on by bird and bats, both of which produce nitrogen rich fertilizer, necessary to keeping soil lose and not compacted.

Yes, some variations of species have developed that seem to serve no purpose, but who makes that decision. Leaches were consider unnecessary until science realized their usefulness in reattaching limbs. Scorpions are important in that they clean up dead things. Roaches clean up after us.

Answer 5

God created so many animals to demonstrate his creativity and to give variety of companionship to man. When God created the animals they were good and lived in harmony with one another and they ate green herb for food (Gen 1:30). It is only after the fall of Adam that animals became corrupted and become a nuisance to man and one another and eat meat. Human is spirit, he has a soul and lives in a body. God wants to demonstrate His immense power and reach in creating so many planets and stars. We cannot be certain that God has not created other forms of life elsewhere..

Answer 6

The answers youget are simple cuz that's all that's required. He felt like it. He likes variety.
As for planets and stars, who knows? Could be that many celestial bodies had to interact in a gravitational sense for some reason. I wouldn't know. could be that he gets bored and says "hey I think a quasar would look neat here!" Again, I wouldn't know. I don't know that I personally find it relevant either, but the night sky is an excellent thing to look at so I'm glad he did.
More importantly, my pet Rabbit is also excellent, so I'm glad God like the variety he does.

Answer 7

To prove that He is extremely rich and we are extremely poor; He is absolutely wise, we are pure stupidity; He is ever-living, we are as dead.
Man cannot create even one blade of grass, but he keeps on boasting about all sorts of things. He doesn't know what is the nature, the purpose and the use of grass, what are beings living inside and outside the blade of grass. What a pity!
If man starts his learning by reading the Holy Books of the Messengers of the One True God, he will be taught about God, about his soul, about the world of creation and the world of revelation, and he will realize little by little the love of God and the cause of His creating innumerable things for man to use and mysteries for man to discover...
Please start learning, because our ignorance is immense.

Answer 8

because every soul related to its advancement come in the earth and reincarnate to phisical body of animals or human
an advanced soul can not reincarnate to an animal body and also an elementary soul can not reincarnate to a human body.
more over all types of creates have many duty to each other to progress their mission and evolution and so on

Answer 9

I am sure you have more serious questions than these.Anyways these animals were created for us to enjoy observing their ways if not the way they taste on our plates.

Answer 10

God does not create in physical terms--physicality is a projection of -and in- mind. God is formless, invisible, perfect, whole, complete...as are we, as one with God.