Why did God make the human body this way?

Dear Trivia Jockey,

As we can all see, theists are pretty impoverished when it comes to developing humane, rational arguments to a very reasonable question. But if one’s mindset incorporates the sheer magnitude of self-deluding doublethink necessary to believe of YHWH/the LORD my God™/Allah (as worshipped by Jews, Xtians and Muslims respectively), this mass murdering tyrant (according to one’s own “Good Book”) [1], that He is in reality an omnipotent entity who loves us all, then constructing humane, rational (or even sane) arguments isn’t likely to be one’s strong suit.

Of course, as I think we agree, the premise of your question is deliberately flawed – there’s more evidence than one could read in a lifetime that we’re as much a product of biological evolution as every other living thing on Earth; and no evidence stronger than a single Middle Eastern bronze age book of history and myths that a fictional magical overlord character made man in “his image”.

Although I have nothing but the greatest respect for your ‘argument from cancer’, I’m personally more inclined toward the ‘argument from incompetently bad design’, such as:

• we can bite the inside of our own mouths and lips (ouch!)

• we can bite our own tongue when we sneeze (again with the ouch!)

• we produce faeces every day that smell horrible (why not like roses, or fresh pine?)

• unless we wash regularly, we smell horrible too (does YHWH/the LORD their God™/Allah stink to high heaven?)

• our eyesight is prone to a myriad of disorders, that it’s up to US to correct (thank goodness for glasses)

• our bodies degenerate unpleasantly with age (why not the body of a 20 year old till death by natural causes? <sigh>)

• we can inhale our food and drink into our lungs, or choke to death if food gets lodged in the throat (cough, splutter, retch!)

...but enough of the frivolous, how about...

• In the human female, a fertilized egg can implant into the fallopian tube, cervix or ovary rather than the uterus causing an ectopic pregnancy. The existence of a cavity between the ovary and the fallopian tube could indicate a flawed design in the female reproductive system. Prior to modern surgery, ectopic pregnancy invariably caused the deaths of both mother and baby. Even in modern times, in almost all cases, the pregnancy must be aborted to save the life of the mother.

• In the human female, the birth canal passes through the pelvis. The prenatal skull will deform to a surprising extent. However, if the baby’s head is significantly larger than the pelvic opening, the baby cannot be born naturally. Prior to the development of modern surgery (caesarean section), such a complication would lead to the death of the mother, the baby or both. Other birthing complications such as breech birth are worsened by this position of the birth canal.

• In the human male, testes develop initially within the abdomen. Later during gestation, they migrate through the abdominal wall into the scrotum. This causes two weak points in the abdominal wall where hernias can later form. Prior to modern surgical techniques, complications from hernias including intestinal blockage, gangrene, etc., usually resulted in death.

• Almost all animals and plants synthesize their own vitamin C, but humans cannot because the gene for this enzyme is defective (Pseudogene ΨGULO). Lack of vitamin C results in scurvy and eventually death.

• We are prone to a myriad of congenital diseases and genetic disorders such as Huntington's Disease.

• The structure of humans’ eyes (as well as all mammals’) – our retina is ‘inside out’, in that the nerves and blood vessels lie on the surface of the retina instead of behind it as is the case in many invertebrate species. This arrangement forces a number of complex adaptations and gives mammals a blind spot. Six muscles move the eye when three would suffice.

• Our breathing reflex is stimulated not directly by the absence of oxygen but rather indirectly by the presence of carbon dioxide. A result is that, at high altitudes, oxygen deprivation can occur in unadapted individuals who do not consciously increase their breathing rate.

And that’s not even all the design flaws in humans, let alone all the design flaws we’ve discovered in all the other animals, and in plants, and all other living things. For more, see, for instance:

• Argument from poor design

» http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argument_from_poor_de...

Thank you for the opportunity to help broaden our understanding, and to supply some pointers for further exploration,

Warm Regards, Dr Dawkins’ Doppelgänger

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God designed our bodies to live forever. Those or us who went to school and did their homework know what the appendix is for. It is part of our immune system. Sin is what brought death and disease, and that was NOT part of God's original plan. One those of use who have been cleansed by the Blood of the Lamb will live forever. And some humans who are born after the event of the Bible have all occured will in fact, live forever in bodies free from disease as God intended in the first place. Isaiah 9:7 Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.

In the beginning, when there was no sin, God made our bodies in his image. And while we were perfect and sinless, sickness and death and unhappiness did not exist. Once Eve ate from the tree in the middle of the garden, though, sin had been brought into this world, also allowing sickness and death in. So cancer, just like any other sickness, came into existence after sin did. If Adam and Eve hadn't sinned, then we would never die or be able to receive the terrible news of cancer. So in a way, yes, man did do something that made our bodies prone to cancer, it was just before our time now. Sin ruined the perfection of the world, and in believing in Jesus Christ as savior you can be reborn and have a perfect life in heaven, in a place cancer free, after you die off of this earth. This life time is just a blink of an eye compared to the length of time you can spend in heaven, and will with Jesus.

The "in God's image" thing has been mistranslated, and misunderstood.

The word in Hebrew is 'elohim', which most of the time it is translated as "God", but it's actually a plural word. There are several examples in the Bible where it is translated as "gods" (plural), which is the correct form.

Back before the Babylonian exile, the Israelites actually worshiped more than one deity. They were not yet monotheistic. That's what a major theme of the Book of Kings is about, the worship of other deities, and the drive towards worshiping only Yahweh.

One of those other deities they worshiped, was Asherah - a female goddess of fertility.

This means that in early Judaism, they would have been worshiping both male and female deities.

With that in mind, take a look at how the "in God's image" translates if you use the correct plural translation of elohim...

Genesis 1:27

27 So the gods created mankind in their own image,

in the image of the gods they created them;

male and female they created them.

Suddenly that passage makes a lot more sense, doesn't it? That's why humans would have been created male and female, because they would have been in the image of male and female gods. That also explains who was being spoken to in the prior verse, where it says "Let US make mankind in OUR image, OUR likeness."

It's not true that mankind did nothing. Adam and eve sinned when they ate the fruit from the forbidden tree, thereby messing all of us up. Rm. 5:12 says thru one man sin and death entered the world and death spread. But the bible does hold out a marvelous hope for those who obey him at John 17:3 that shows we can have everlasting life with perfect human bodies that never break down.

The body was not susceptible to cancer as he made it. There were two creations of man, the earthly man that was small brained and just above the animals then there was Adam and Eve who were an exceptional creation. At the fall they were expelled from Eden and produced children and their children took mates from the earthly men and so the corruption began and as it has continued so has disease grown.

its a good question to ask how a benevolent god would create bodies so susceptible to disease, or why a benevolent could would even create disease in the first place.

From how I see it, what could have created diseases and beings susceptible to disease is perhaps a neutral deity who favors no beings in particular.

A more reasonable answer is that we are part of a natural system, that has no preferences and does not help produce "perfect" beings. Therefor, we do not have perfect defense systems and our bodies are susceptible to disease.

It's beautiful, and so miraculously made. I mean evolution if it did happen it would've made us have different features. More diseases, and such. But, the human body is so beautiful, and creative. I mean there's diesease, and broken body parts. But that's cause there's sin, sin causes pain, and death. Every sin = death.

You assume it is meant that we are made in his physical image. How do you know that nothing we've done caused cancer? Not even the greatest doctors on the planet could make that statement. bottom line is we don't know a lot of stuff. All we can do is speculate and strive to one day understand.

You say, "nothing mankind did made our bodies prone to cancer...God MUST have done that", and you're wrong.

Humans choose in our free will to create pesticides, insecticides, chemically based cleaners, etc., and use them regardless of how they affect our bodies and our planet.

Humans choose to eat processed, ready-made food that comes in a box or plastic bag that has no significant nutritious food value. God gave us nutritious vegetables, fruits, etc. to eat that have all that we need to avoid cancer.

Speaking of plastic, humans chose in their free will to create plastic. In addition, humans choose to use plastic to store food, to package food to sell. Humans even choose to use plastic containers to heat food in microwaves! Humans, for some reason, were not concerned about chemicals leaching out from the plastic.

And there's the assorted "body care" chemicals humans choose in their free will to put on their porous skin...

Etcetera.

No one is going to know the answer to this, just as no one is going to be able to answer why our bodies haven't evolved to be able to beat cancer. These arguments work better when the questions can't be applied to both sides.