Why are conjoined twins a thing?

[Sqwerl]

Psalm 139:13
(NIV)
"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb."

(NLV)
"You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb."

(ESV)
"For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb."

"Births of conjoined twins, whose skin and internal organs are fused together, are rare. Conjoined twins occur once every 200,000 live births, and their survival is anything but assured.

Approximately 40 to 60 percent of conjoined twins arrive stillborn, and about 35 percent survive only one day. The overall survival rate of conjoined twins is somewhere between 5 percent and 25 percent." - University of Maryland Medical Center

If God is all-powerful and all-loving, why would he create con-joined twins? A God who would allow conjoined twins is either lazy or a cruel jokester. The picture I chose for this example is very light. Most of the pictures are completely horrific.

 

[Debater Slayer]

If God is all-powerful and all-loving, why would he create con-joined twins? A God who would allow conjoined twins is either lazy or a cruel jokester.

That phrasing is just beyond the pale in a context like this.

 

[Jainarayan]

If God is all-powerful and all-loving, why would he create con-joined twins?

Why do you assume God did it?

 

[George-ananda]

If God is all-powerful and all-loving, why would he create con-joined twins? A God who would allow conjoined twins is either lazy or a cruel jokester. The picture I chose for this example is very light. Most of the pictures are completely horrific.

This the famous Problem of Evil, You could have picked a thousand other things besides conjoined twins as your example evil. My thought is that this problem comes from an application of certain assumptions about God and the purpose of life that comes from more rigid Abrahamic thinking.

I think to understand the answer to the 'Problem of Evil' we need to start thinking in more eastern ways that includes many lives (reincarnation) and ultimate victory Liberation for all souls.

1) That we live for eons in a soul developing process; not one body's duration. In that perspective any suffering in one life is short and temporary in this grander view. And even an unfortunate life and death has lessons for that soul and for those seeing and interacting and providing compassion towards the unfortunate life.

2) That such things are not as random as they appear. There is chain of cause and effect through time we can not see.

3) That those currently living an unfortunate life will have victory 'enlightenment' at the end of the challenges.

4) That it is God at the core of everything and it is He who experiences the temporary good and bad fortunes. It is ultimately not Him imposing it on other separate beings. It is His play/drama where He separates Himself from Himself and returns Himself to Himself but this play ends with a happy ending for all. In any great play/drama there is always drama/suffering in the middle.

 

[Mickdrew]

I'm sure many here will have varied responses to why such cruel things happen to people under a supposed benevolent God.

I'd just like to point out that for nonbelievers, there is no difficulty in providing an explanation for this. We are a primate species and our genetics are at times imperfect during conception and pregnancy.
Conjoined twins and other birth defects are no different than what you get from any other species on this planet.
Incidents like this are expected to happen. It would be much more incredible if they never did.

Why make it more complicated than that?

 

[Sqwerl]

This the famous Problem of Evil, You could have picked a thousand other things besides conjoined twins as your example evil. My thought is that this problem comes from an application of certain assumptions about God and the purpose of life that comes from more rigid Abrahamic thinking.

I think to understand the answer to the 'Problem of Evil' we need to start thinking in more eastern ways that includes many lives (reincarnation) and ultimate victory Liberation for all souls.

1) That we live for eons in a soul developing process; not one body's duration. In that perspective any suffering in one life is short and temporary in this grander view. And even an unfortunate life and death has lessons for that soul and for those seeing and interacting and providing compassion towards the unfortunate life.

2) That such things are not as random as they appear. There is chain of cause and effect through time we can not see.

3) That those currently living an unfortunate life will have victory 'enlightenment' at the end of the challenges.

4) That it is God at the core of everything and it is He who experiences the temporary good and bad fortunes. It is ultimately not Him imposing it on other separate beings. It is His play/drama where He separates Himself from Himself and returns Himself to Himself but this play ends with a happy ending for all. In any great play/drama there is always drama/suffering in the middle.

I can definitely get behind that. Alan Watts sparked my interest in the Eastern Philosophy about a year ago. Are there any links or books you could recommend for a beginner?

 

[Sqwerl]

Why do you assume God did it?

Jeremiah 1:5 (NIV)
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."

 

[VioletVortex]

Pollution is probably the main cause of such mutations.

 

[Aupmanyav]

I can definitely get behind that. Alan Watts sparked my interest in the Eastern Philosophy about a year ago. Are there any links or books you could recommend for a beginner?

Wikipedia. BBC - Hinduism also is good.

 

[LuisDantas]

I'm sure many here will have varied responses to why such cruel things happen to people under a supposed benevolent God.

I'd just like to point out that for nonbelievers, there is no difficulty in providing an explanation for this. We are a primate species and our genetics are at times imperfect during conception and pregnancy.
Conjoined twins and other birth defects are no different than what you get from any other species on this planet.
Incidents like this are expected to happen. It would be much more incredible if they never did.

Why make it more complicated than that?

I so agree.

We should aim to learn how to deal constructively with the challenges and tragedies big and small of life. I don't think supernaturalist attempts at "explaining" them are at all a constructive thing.

 

[Eliab ben Benjamin]

This topic brings a lump in my throat, a little pride and some sorrow ...
I attended the birth of a pair of conjoined twins by cesarean section, both astounded
and horrified to see them joined top to tail .... I was the Anesthetic Technician.

Not long later i witnessed their separation by Dr Stu Brown ... astounding almost
miracle, as they survived .. I was then working as NICU Resp. Technician ....

 

[Aupmanyav]

Why do you assume God did it?

Why do you assume that a God does it?

 

[Aupmanyav]

Parents of these two girls, Veena and Vani, have requested the government for surgery to separate them (July, 2016). It is going to be highly dangerous for their lives. The parents do not have money. The government will take care of all the expenses. The doctors at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi, our premier medical institute, where probably this operation will take place, will need to perform many more tests before the operation. Kindly pray for safety of their lives in surgery.

 

[Jainarayan]

Why do you assume that a God does it?

My very point, I don't.

 

[Acim]

I'm sure many here will have varied responses to why such cruel things happen to people under a supposed benevolent God.

I'd just like to point out that for nonbelievers, there is no difficulty in providing an explanation for this. We are a primate species and our genetics are at times imperfect during conception and pregnancy.
Conjoined twins and other birth defects are no different than what you get from any other species on this planet.
Incidents like this are expected to happen. It would be much more incredible if they never did.

Why make it more complicated than that?

The reason to make it more complicated than what you provided is because you really didn't explain anything. You just described it (in other words) and provided no indication of why. "genetics are at times imperfect" is as good of an explanation as "sometimes God works in mysterious ways."

 

[Mickdrew]

The reason to make it more complicated than what you provided is because you really didn't explain anything. You just described it (in other words) and provided no indication of why. "genetics are at times imperfect" is as good of an explanation as "sometimes God works in mysterious ways."

How are those two similar?
Genes not being perfect is what causes mutations which in turns allows us to evolve.
If you want to know why this happens, open a biology textbook and read up on the chemical process during conception.

 

[Acim]

How are those two similar?
Genes not being perfect is what causes mutations which in turns allows us to evolve.
If you want to know why this happens, open a biology textbook and read up on the chemical process during conception.

I have, they don't explain why (to my satisfaction). They describe how and what. Usually in ways I find far fetched.

 

[Acim]

How are those two similar?

They are similar because they aren't actually explanations. I believe they are invoked to quiet the audience and to sound authoritative as if that reply is the end all be all for any further discussion.

 

[Mickdrew]

I have, they don't explain why (to my satisfaction). They describe how and what. Usually in ways I find far fetched.

Fair enough. You're free to attach any meanings you like on why chemicals react the way they do.

But again, I don't see why is has to be anymore complicated than it is.

 

[Mickdrew]

They are similar because they aren't actually explanations. I believe they are invoked to quiet the audience and to sound authoritative as if that reply is the end all be all for any further discussion.

Actually, I only said that because I don't know enough in this area to get into specifics xDD

There are detailed sources that can explain it much clearer than I can