My first week of posts here were very serious and all the wonderful, encouraging replies helped me very much.
So now I want to ask something semi-frivolous. (Actually it's one of the many things that don't make sense to me about "the truth")
Why do animals die?
The bible tells us that death is the result of sin. Logically if Adam and Eve had not sinned they would not have died. So they would have been in a paradise, surrounded by thousands of creatures that would experience death constantly. Why? How would that be anything but horribly cruel? Anyone who has lived on a farm or had to put a pet down knows how unnatural and sometimes painful it feels when a favorite animal dies.
Will animals live forever in the new system? There's supposed to be no pain, sorrow or crying in the paradise, but I've seen hard men with iron self-control cry like babies when their dog or their horse died. Are we going to become callous or emotionally disconnected from animals? Or will we just become inured to death so it doesn't bother us anymore?
Or is it all B.S.?
I know it sounds petty but this one really bugs me. This is just one of many things where I can't reconcile observable reality with our beliefs.
Either death is natural or it's not. Which is it?