Hunting and the Providence of God

First of all, let me state the obvious: In any sport, hobby, profession, or anything else, there are pinheads. Hunting has been tainted by those who are careless with weapons, break laws, and do other foolish things. Yet there are men and women who hunt responsibly and with skill.

Believers in descent with modifications evolution believe that the urge to hunt nowadays is a holdover from our stupid ancestors who had to hunt. What if I told you that such an idea is hooey?

Some people give hunters a bad reputation, but many hunt responsibly. Consider that God may have us hunting as a provision in this fallen world.
Hunting, Pixabay / jackmac34 (Jacqueline Macou)
The above words come from someone who has never hunted and detests the idea of killing for the sake of trophies. Those jaspers do it for pride, often leaving the meat to rot. I wonder how that kind of killing fits into the idea of hunting being an urge of our inner primitive caveman?

Here is something that was a bit startling to me, and it may be for you as well, but consider that hunting is a means God gave us to survive in this fallen world. After Adam sinned, death came into the world. So did hunting. When perusing photos of hunting for this post, there was a passel of animals on the hunt. They do it to survive, and humans have hunted for survival for a mighty long time — ever since God gave us permission to learn how tasty he made animals.

For many people, the changing of the leaves from deep green to crisp reds doesn’t signal the chance to pull on a comforting flannel shirt and cozy up to a pumpkin spice lattes but rather a seat at the fire at hunting camp and their favorite orange hunting vest. Whether it is grouse, pronghorns, elk, or deer, the opportunity to pursue wild game and enjoy the outdoors pulls millions to the woods and plains. In 2022, it is estimated that over 14.4 million Americans participated in a hunting activity.1 So what creates this urge to hunt game, and is it right for those who call themselves Christians to kill God’s magnificent creatures?

You can track down the rest of this article by following the link to "The Provision of Hunting."