If God made all animals equal, then why are some extinct?
Question:
We had a neighborhood gathering at my house, I got into a heated debate with a college student. I was defending the Bible well, then he said that if God made all animals equal, how come there are extinct animals. Then everything got very quiet as they were about to cut a cake. I'm pretty sure I got spared some serious humiliation. How do I respond to him the next time we meet. He invited me to his birthday party. I'm sure he will bring up the same question.
Thank you!
Answer:
A logical argument can be decomposed into a series of premises. Premises are statements of facts. They are then combined in some fashion to lead to a conclusion. The student's argument can be laid out as:
Premise 1: God made all animals equal.
Premise 2: Some animals are extinct.
Conclusion: God didn't make the animals.
Premise 2 is correct. But where can you find premise 1? I don't find the Bible ever saying all animals are equal, instead we find praise for various animals for the different traits they exhibit. For example, Job 39-41. Premise 1 is false. A false premise means the entire argument is false.
"Equality" is one of those words people like to toss around without ever quantifying it. Equal in what way? Is equality even required? For example, God is said to be impartial. That is He judges all men by the same rules regardless of their position (Romans 2:11). But the Bible doesn't say God treats all men equally, else all of mankind would go to heaven or hell. Some people are rich, some are poor, some are born healthy, some have handicaps -- we are not all the same in every aspect of life. But in regards to the standard by which we are judged, there we are all treated in the same fashion (Galatians 3:28).
