How do Young Earth Creationists explain the teeth of animals if there was no death before the fall?
Upvote:0
Before the fall of man, did lions and tigers and other sharp-toothed animals have the flesh eating type of teeth? After looking at their teeth structure it seems that their teeth would have a terrible design to eat only plants and herbs.
The question is fair but should not be limited to animals. Adam and Eve had teeth as well, including incisors, but God gave them everything in the garden (minus the fruit of just one tree!) to eat. No meat yet.
So as was pointed out above, the presence of cutting/tearing teeth do not necessarily indicate, much less demand, a diet of flesh.
Upvote:4
As a 'Young Earth' creationist, the question of Lions having teeth doesn't really make a lot of sense.
We don't believe there were any Lions or Tigers as we know them today, only big cats. Those big cats contained the genetic information for sharp teeth, not so sharp teeth, and all the way in between (just like your parents have the genetic information for you and your siblings).
A similar example (and possibly easier to explain/understand) is Darwin's Galapagos Finches. You can read more about them here, but the general idea is that the finches had the genetic information for long beaks, and short beaks. Via Natural Selection (an observable and non-evolutionary process) the finches with more appropriate beaks were more successful.
Applying this to the big cats of Genesis, they contained the genetic information for various different teeth, and over a few generations would be more suited to their environment.
Upvote:7
The explanation is quite simple. They had the same teeth, but they ate plants. Whether they struggled to eat plants is another question and mostly opinion based.
Generally, Young Earth Creationists when challenged with this point, will note that there are examples of animals with carnivorous teeth, yet they are herbivorous.
The most common example is the Panda Bear. The Panda clearly has very sharp, carnivorous teeth. But anyone who knows a little about the species knows that it is fully herbivorous and consumes almost exclusively bamboo. Consider this article from Answers in Genesis for reference.
There are other examples often given as well, including fruit bats, crocodiles and piranha.
They will sometimes point to curious cases, like a lion eating only vegetables throughout its life, yet being in full health and living an average lifespan.
As a final reference, consider this very typical YEC theology regarding the "impossibility" that death existed before the fall. In my opinion, this is the driving force for YEC's to keep their ground and literal interpretation of Genesis' creation story. If there was death before the fall, then the whole of Christianity no longer makes sense or has any value.
The Bible itself seems to be quite silent on the issue, save for Genesis 1:30, where God gives all the animals "every green plant for food". However, regarding what humans may or did eat is discussed quite a bit. See: What does the Bible say about vegetarian diets?
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