Who First Killed An Animal?

[Mudcat]

As Easter approaches I was thinking about the atonement of Christ. For some reason Genesis came to mind.

Gen 3:21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.

I had always thought it interesting that even though Adam and Eve had arrayed themselves in plant material God chose to clothe them instead with coats of skins. One can only imagine that God did not believe their clothing was an acceptable covering. It's also interesting that Adam and Eve wanted to cover their outward nakedness, they were ashamed and since we don't usually feel shame in goodness I would think they were trying to cover their outward expression of evil or sin. To me right there in the Garden a precedent was established, foreshadowing if you will, that it was never to have a living sacrifice to cover sin.

I suppose there is an interesting parallel between Cain's rejected offering to God and of plant material and Able's accepted animal sacrifice.

I suppose some of that is quite hypothetical, but I was curious as to what some thought about the question in the OP title.

Certainly it's an assumption that animals died to provide skins, but I think it's a fair assumption.

If animals were slain for skins, do you think it was God that slew them or do you think this was something He asked Adam to do? If you think it was one or the other, do you have any further thoughts on the matter?

Thanks,

Mudcat

[Alan]

I have had a suspicion for a while now that the coats of skin refers to their physical bodies. I know it doesn't fit the traditional view but I have often wondered whether the fall occured elsewhere, before we came into the physical telestial world.

[thesometimesaint]

Animal skins are much more durable and warm. Plus fig leaves have a natural irratant in the sap. Not exactly something I would want close to that area of skin.

[Matthew J. Tandy]

Lots of Jewish traditions about the animals killed. Some variation between whether it was God, Adam and Eve, or even Satan. Typically it's a sheep, but some have goats, and I think one or two traditions cite other animals.

[Brant Gardner]

Adam probably killed the first animal, but as usual, Eve put him up to it. See, there was a very big spider. . . .

[The Nehor]

With all the talk in early Christian and Jewish texts about the garment given and how they smelt of heaven or Eden I think we can only come to one conclusion:

They skinned an angel.

[blackstrap]

Obviously it was Snake-skin,from a talkative snake.

Have you seen pics of some of those big anacondas? Easily would cover 2 people.

Edited April 6, 2012 by blackstrap

[Mark Beesley]

I have had a suspicion for a while now that the coats of skin refers to their physical bodies. I know it doesn't fit the traditional view but I have often wondered whether the fall occured elsewhere, before we came into the physical telestial world.

You are not alone. The account of Adam of Eve in the scriptures is likely figurative. There used to be a line in the temple presentation to that effect.

[BCSpace]

If animals were slain for skins, do you think it was God that slew them or do you think this was something He asked Adam to do? If you think it was one or the other, do you have any further thoughts on the matter?

Nothing to prevent God making faux fur is there?

Wouldn't bother me if either of them killed animals to do it though.

[BCSpace]

You are not alone. The account of Adam of Eve in the scriptures is likely figurative. There used to be a line in the temple presentation to that effect.

The doctrine is that the rib account is figurative:

Moses 3:21–23. Adam’s Rib

President Spencer W. Kimball taught that Eve was not literally created from Adam’s rib. He said: “The story of the rib, of course, is figurative” (“The Blessings and Responsibilities of Womanhood,” Ensign, Mar. 1976, 71).

http://www.lds.org/manual/the-pearl-of-great-price-student-manual/the-book-of-moses?lang=eng&query=rib+figurative

So I think it's not unreasonable to suppose other parts are figurative though I believe there must be at least some historicity to it. The existence of Adam and Eve, for example, as the first of something.

[Mudcat]

Thanks for your thoughts everyone.

As I have been thinking about it. To me it makes more sense if Adam had sacrificed the animals though certainly God could have done so himself. Of course, Genesis is silent about the topic directly.

It always bothered me as to why Cain's offering wasn't acceptable without a previous precedent for an acceptable offering. It makes sense that Adam was instructed in the Garden and only one of his two sons followed appropriately.

It makes me rethink Cain's murder of Able. Do you think Cain could have actually been trying to please God with the blood of Able?

[Sevenbak]

I have had a suspicion for a while now that the coats of skin refers to their physical bodies. I know it doesn't fit the traditional view but I have often wondered whether the fall occured elsewhere, before we came into the physical telestial world.

I think you're on to something... at least the part about the fall occurring elsewhere.

Brigham Young put it this way:

When the earth was framed and brought into existence and man was placed upon it, it was near the throne of our Father in heaven. And when man fell though that was designed in the economy, there was nothing about it mysterious or unknown to the Gods, they understood it all, it was all planned but when man fell, the earth fell into space, and took up its abode in this planetary system, and the sun became our light. When the Lord said "Let there be light," there was light, for the earth was brought near the sun that it might reflect upon it so as to give us light by day, and the moon to give us light by night. This is the glory the earth came from, and when it is glorified it will return again unto the presence of the Father, and it will dwell there, and these intelligent beings that I am looking at, if they live worthy of it, will dwell upon this earth.

Isaiah and Nephi put it this way:

"Therefore, I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the Lord of Hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger."