Dangerous Things

[MorningStar]

When my son was about 4 or 5, he asked me quite a few times why Heavenly Father made dangerous things like poisonous snakes and spiders. How would you answer this?

:)

[AKinPA]

When my son was about 4 or 5, he asked me quite a few times why Heavenly Father made dangerous things like poisonous snakes and spiders. How would you answer this?

:)

Well the POINT of a snake isn't to be dangerous. Heavenly Father provided the creature with a way to protect itself and a way to get food. Poisonous snakes are all meat eaters. Most of that venom is meant for the mice and other critters it eats. Likewise the spiders. The point of a snake is to inhabit its nitch in its particular habitat--whether that's keeping mice or lizards or groundhogs under control or something else. The point of most spiders is to keep other insects or spider populations under control.

It's when humans and snakes and spiders want to live in the same spot that there are problems--and this is more about humans and our use of resources than it is about the snake. (That is, we have more choices than the animal does.)

Alaska

[Moksha]

When my son was about 4 or 5, he asked me quite a few times why Heavenly Father made dangerous things like poisonous snakes and spiders. How would you answer this?

:)

I think a 4-5 year old would be to young to understand how animals fill particular niches in the environment. Sometimes you just have to say "Because".

[Lolgirl]

i think I would say...because everything has a place...you can't know and appreciate happiness if you've never felt sad.The snake is there to be a part of the great plan of the earth.

I think that's the most I could get he/she to understand really lol.

[CourtneyP]

I'd put it the same way Alaska did. Her response is great!

[MorningStar]

Well the POINT of a snake isn't to be dangerous. Heavenly Father provided the creature with a way to protect itself and a way to get food. Poisonous snakes are all meat eaters. Most of that venom is meant for the mice and other critters it eats. Likewise the spiders. The point of a snake is to inhabit its nitch in its particular habitat--whether that's keeping mice or lizards or groundhogs under control or something else. The point of most spiders is to keep other insects or spider populations under control.

It's when humans and snakes and spiders want to live in the same spot that there are problems--and this is more about humans and our use of resources than it is about the snake. (That is, we have more choices than the animal does.)

Alaska

That's a wonderful answer! Thanks! I could point out how humans defend ourselves and maybe the animals are wondering why God invented dangerous people.

[ztodd]

To a 4 year old, you could say (maybe he'd get some of this) -

H.F. made snakes so they could eat mice so there won't be too many mice. If there were too many mice they would eat all our food.

H.F. made spiders so they could eat bugs there wouldn't be too many bugs. Too many bugs would kill all the beautiful plants.

It's all called the great circle of life.

Then you can sing the Lion King song together. :)

[Lolgirl]

You mean the in the jungle one? lol

Or the one that goes...the circle of life.....and umm i forgot the rest...

[MorningStar]

I forgot to mention, he also was asking about hurricanes and Tsunamis. He would ask why Heavenly Father made those happen. He wants to know why bad things happen to good people and hopefully we'll be able to help him understand that.