Again, consideration of other Biblical passages makes a strict interpretation of "anything that breathes" questionable. Within Moses' writings, there is Deuteronomy 21:16, in which the Israelites are commanded not to leave anything that breathes in the cities of Canaan. 21:13-14 specifies only killing the adult males, but this could be taken as referring to cites outside of Canaan. However, if we then turn to Joshua, we find God telling them to only kill the people of Ai and spare the cattle (8:2). Even in Jericho, birds would have gotten away.
In fact, by insisting on strict interpretation of "all", you can also prove that evolution is devoid of evil. The love of money is the root of all evil, and evolution doesn't produce a profit.
Dr. David Campbell
"Old Seashells"
Biology Department
Saint Mary's College of Maryland
18952 E. Fisher Road
St. Mary's City, MD 20686-3001 USA
dcampbell@osprey.smcm.edu, 301 862-0372 Fax: 301 862-0996
"Mollusks murmured 'Morning!'. And salmon chanted 'Evening!'."-Frank Muir, Oh My Word!
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