The Reaping
The Ten Biblical Plagues
Science vs. Religion
What Do You Believe?
The Movie :The
Reaping
•The movie is about a woman
named Katherine who used to be
a ordained minister but she lost
her faith because of the
circumstances behind her
families murders.
• She is now a scientist who
goes around disproving miracles
with her friend and colleague
Ben.
•They are asked to travel to a
small town called Haven by the
local high school science teacher
named Doug.
•He wants her to prove to the
local towns people that a little girl
( Loren McConnell who’s life is
being threatened) has not
caused the town to be cursed by
the ten biblical plagues.
Main Characters
Katherine Winter (4) Ben (4)
Main Characters Continued
Loren McConnell (4) Doug (4)
River Turned To BloodFiction Idea of Biblical
River Turned To Blood
The red river from the
movie. (4)
THE PFISTERIA THEORY WAS DEVELOPED BY DRS. JOHN
MARR AND CURTIS MALLOY. IT BASICALLY STATES THAT
THE BIBLICAL PLAGUES CAN ALL BE EXPLAINED
SCIENTIFICALLY AS A UNUSUAL AND TRAGIC SERIES OF
EVENTS. EACH EVENT HAS A RATIONAL AND EXPLAINABLE
REASON FOR HAPPENING.(1)
Pfisteria Theory
What is
Pfisteria?Pfisteria was discover in
1991 by Drs. Ed Noga and
JoAnne Buckholder at NC
State University.(5)
Pfisteria is a dinoflagellate
that can produce toxins that
cause lesions on fish and it
eventually kills the fish. It
can also make people sick
if they come in close
contact with this
microscopic organism
causing burning
skin, respiratory problems
and difficulty
concentration.(5)
Fish that has been exposed to Pfisteria
According to the Bible the fish in the Nile river died
and the Nile’s waters were fouled. According to Dr.
Marr and Dr. Malloy the pfisteria used all of the
oxygen in the water killing the fish.
FrogsThe Doctors go on to state
that the death of the fish (
who eat the tadpoles
)caused an over population
of frogs and because of the
depleted oxygen levels of
the water the frogs fled to
the land. According to the
Bible the frogs even found
their way into the
beds, ovens and larders.
However frogs can’t live on
land permanently the must
have a water habitat to
survive and breed so this
combined with the pfisteria
bacteria killed the frogs.(1)
LiceDr. Marr and Dr. Malloy
began to search for an
insect that would fit the
description in the Bible and
they believe that insect is
the Culicoide. (aka. No-
see-ums) It lays its eggs in
the sand as described in
the Bible and it feeds on
dead animals such as fish
and frogs. (1)
FliesFlies also used the dead
frog and fish bodies as a
breeding ground. There
would be an explosion of
these insects because their
natural predator frogs were
dead. This situation made a
perfect fly breeding
ground.(1)
Death of the LivestockCulicoides are carriers for the
bluetongue virus which only affect
cows and sheep. The Doctors believe
that this is what killed the hoofed
livestock of the Egyptians. Culicoides
don’t fly very well so, they probably
wouldn’t have been able to fly to the
Hebrew land of Goshen and affect the
Jewish slaves livestock.(1)
Sheep with the
Bluetongue Virus
Boils and SoresDr. Marr searched for a
reason why the Egyptian
people suffered from boils
and sores and he
discovered that it could
have been caused by a
bacterial disease called
Glanders. It is very
contagious as an airborne
disease and is spread by
flying insects and it also
can be spread by eating
contaminated meat.(1)
Fire from the
SkyThis is believed to have
been a severe lightening
and hail storm that
destroyed much of the
Egyptian crops. Which they
described as fire in the
sky.(1)
Swarms of
LocustsThen came the swarms of
locusts that would have
eaten the last of the crops
as well as any newly
planted seedlings.
According to the Doctors
the ancient Egyptians
would have been afraid to
lose the food left for them
to eat. They had already
lost the fish in the river and
the cattle to the bluetongue
virus so they would have
tried to save what little food
they had left.(1)
Three Days of
Darkness
Dr. Marr and Dr.
Malloy believe this was
caused by a huge
sandstorm.
Sandstorms produce
scorching winds
allowing the bacteria
and molds to grow.(1)
Death of the
Firstborn
Because the hail would have
broken and beaten the crops.
Laying on the ground they
would have been contaminated
with locust feces full of
microorganisms and bacteria.
The Egyptian might have taken
the contaminated grain to their
granaries allowing microtoxins
to grow. According to the
Doctors the eldest child in an
Egyptian family got the largest
portion of food at meal time
therefore causing them to get
the largest portion of
microtoxins causing their
deaths.(1)
What Do You Believe?
Science
1) Algal Bloom ( Pfisteria )
2) Frogs
3) Cuilicoides
4) Flies
5) Bluetongue Virus
6) Glanders
7) Hail and Lightening
8) Locusts
9) Sandstorm
10) Microtoxins
Religion
1) River turned to Blood
2) Frogs
3) Lice
4) Flies
5) Death of the livestock
6) Boils and sores
7) Fire in the sky
8) Locusts
9) 3 Days of Darkness
10) Death of the Firstborn
Questions
• Why did these events
happen?
• Was this just a tragic but
scientifically explained
series of events?
• Could this ever happen
again?
• Could God have chosen to
use nature in his
punishment of the
Egyptian Pharaoh a self
proclaimed “ living God”
for not freeing the Hebrew
slaves?
• Did the Egyptian Pharaoh
cause these events by his
lack of his pride and lack
of faith?
Bibliography
• Works Cited
• 1)Malloy, Dr. John Marr and Dr. Curtis. "New York Times." 11 2 2002.
Epidemiologic Analysis of the 10 Plagues of Egypt. 11 3 2011
<http://www.nytimes.com>.
• 2) Office, DHHS Public Affairs. What Should You Know About
Pfisteria and NC'S Waters. 22 September 1997. 11 3 2011
<http://www.enr.state.nc.us/files/pfies.htm>.
• 3) Ravers, Anne. Biblical Plagues: A Novel Theory. 4 April 1996. 11 3
2011 <http://www.nytimes.com/1996/04/04/garden/biblical-plagues-a-
novel-theory.html>.
• 4) The Reaping. Dir. Stephen Hopkins. Perf. Idris Elba Hillary Swank.
2007.
• 5) Worrall, Jim. "National Agricultural Library." 6 June 2002. Review
of Systems for Early Detection and Rapid response. 11 3 2011
<http://search.nal.usda.gov>.
•