To the best of my knowledge, I heard Richard Pratt mention this once in a lecture I had on my iPod, though I can't say for sure. At any rate, I'm sure you are all familiar with this opening scene from the 1994 movie, The Lion King. The whole song and accompanying video paint what is supposed to be a beautiful picture of the earth and the creatures of the earth in their natural state.

But this is exactly the problem. That entire "circle of life" that is the subject of this song is not something to be glorified and lauded as natural. Instead, it should be understood as a terrible thing. It is one of the most awful and vivid pictures of how sin has distorted the creation. This is the reason why the prophet Isaiah looks forward to the day when "the wolf shall dwell with the lamb" (Isaiah 11:6-9). How can we sit and watch one animal devour another on the Discovery Channel and believe that this is the way it was meant to be?

Weigh in. What do you think?