So many claims are made by presumed science to discredit God and the Bible. Rather than taking them on one by one, read some common strategies to handle this flood of distractions. Then, out of the blue, the heart of these issues is exposed.
| Created: 2009/09/26. Updated 2021/01/01. |
Scientists want to understand the physical world. Me too! We all accept that this world is governed by the Laws of Physics. These laws include the Relativistic and Quantum Mechanical realms where things get a little less intuitive, but the essential feature is that even in these extremes, the Laws are repeatable and experimentally verified. If something happens that is outside the scope of these experimentally proven laws then we might define it as miraculous or, super natural (SN). The SN term stresses that we are looking at an event which goes beyond the range of the physical laws. Going ‘beyond’ can mean it is statistically impossible or is directly opposed to proven laws.
OK, I have just made some definitions so we know clearly what we are talking about. That’s the sort of thing you expect from a scientist. What about currently undiscovered laws? This is getting a bit murky with lots of proposals involving science fiction. These are being given more influence over popular culture than they should. But, let’s accept that if they turn out to be experimentally verifiable then they can be called a law. The point I want to tease out is that a SN event is NOT repeatable or routine but nonetheless happened. And, by definition, we cannot explain the reason why it happens.
Don’t be fooled. Cosmological scientists routinely invoke SN events to explain the universe’s beginning. It breaks the conservation of mass-energy rule. Many theories or observations are announced that are known not to work, but they are still touted, perhaps as a partial solution, to disguise the fundamental ignorance of an explanation. Evolutionary scientists believe in a process that is statistically impossible. You need a SN event to start a universe and to start life. Yes, these events are by definition SN; not experimentally verified and not repeatable. Of course, it is blatantly obvious that the universe and life had a start. So, they have a dilemma, but we will cut them some slack for stepping beyond the realm of science to suggest an explanation for these events.
Now, I have to repeat myself, to be absolutely clear. Scientists have no scientific, (experimentally repeatable), explanation for the start of the universe and life, (and heaps of other stuff). You don’t have to be brilliant to realise this. It’s hidden in assumptions and obvious because no experiment can be run to make a universe or life. Well, the Bible has an explanation for these events… God created the universe and life!
Why do scientists, in fact many people, get stressed if I say that God was the initiator of the SN events to start the universe and life? (Notwithstanding a plethora of subsequent events to craft the diversity of life we see in this world.) All the above paragraphs lead us to the conclusion that it is not about avoiding impossible, supernatural events, but it is about denying God. So, boys and girls, there is a level playing field. Everyone invokes a SN event to initiate the universe and life. The question is, did God initiate it? Or, did the universe suddenly appear out of nothing for no reason? Then ditto again for life springing from no life for no reason.
How many times must I repeat this theme before the penny drops? Why is it considered OK for the universe, (and life), to spring out of nothing, for no reason; but to deny God, who alone can create. P.S. and to deny God who alone, can forgive and save you into His heaven through His son.
Conclusion: leave room for God in the supernatural events!
I saw a television program claiming that “Science confirms the Bible”. It discussed the events that happened during the Exodus under Moses. Basically a volcano erupts in Northern Africa and spews red mud into the Nile which explains the Nile seemingly turned into blood. This drives out the frogs and hence the plague of frogs is explained. The frogs die and flies breed up and hence the plague of flies. Volcanic dust in the atmosphere explains dramatic weather effects that explain other plagues. And so it goes on until a tsunami wipes out the Egyptian army that is pursuing the Israelites. It was just one long sequence of natural disasters.
This is actually an attack on the Bible because it suggests that no God was required and the Israelites simply embellished the account of these events to put God in it. Many of the details of the events are incorrect in this presumed scenario, and the fact that everything happened when Moses commanded it, and stopped when Moses commanded it, is ignored. By contrast, creation scientists take great pains to ensure that all the details in the Bible are consistent with what they propose. The technical claims behind this TV program have been thoroughly debugged but still it is broadcast.
Another series of TV programs claiming that science, specifically archaeology, confirms the Bible. Yet each episode would look at artefacts and dates claiming that the history of Israel was different to what the Bible asserted. This program was so tragically wrong that it should have been tagged as “Fake News”.
For example, in one episode, it examined a complex of buildings discovered in Israel, and containing many Egyptian artefacts and perhaps a small garrison of soldiers. It also had a great quantity of clay tablets probably used for records and written communications back to Egypt. The conclusion offered was that this ‘proved’ that Israel was under the rule of Egypt at this time; estimated at about 1300 BC. But go and check out your Bible. During the reign of Solomon at around 1000 BC there was massive trade between Israel and Egypt. This would have necessitated soldiers to escort goods and payments, and lots of clerical messages. Several such compounds were found in Israel which is also consistent with the way Solomon appointed different cities to house these imports.
Another episode examined an artefact that was interpreted as a foreign god. This was found near the site of the temple in Jerusalem and estimated at 600BC. This was announced as proof that Israel at this time was not a monotheist (single God) society. This was supposed to disprove the Bible. But again, read your Bible. Very close to this date, was the exile and the prophets had been warning Israel about this turning to foreign gods, (Jeremiah 5:19, 9:14). This find was not disproof, but confirmation of the Biblical account. What it did prove was that the archaeologist knew nothing about the Bible he was supposedly reviewing!
Leave room for God: Don’t blindly accept any old pronouncement discrediting the Bible. Read your Bible. Checkout CMI for comments.
By definition a SN event defies the laws of physics. Remember the image of the Israelites crossing the Red Sea with a wall of water on each side. No level of physics will explain this. (Nor the miracles of Jesus.) It’s supposed to defy the laws of physics. This is God making a statement that He is God! There were a million or more eye-witnesses that walked between the walls of water and it was committed to writing within a few years.
When creation scientists look at a SN event like Noah’s flood, they usually don’t know what initiated it. OK, that is sort of what we expect of a SN event. But the event will sometimes leave evidence that it did happen. Looking for that evidence is real physics!
Can you see what I mean in the flood event? God just described water rising for about 6 months and then the ark rested on a mountain; then the waters receded for about 6 months. But here is a small sample of what we can deduce:
A lot of this is really good deduction of the side effects of the flood. It explains a lot of what we see in geology today. But something worries me… What if I suppose that a meteor of just the right size hits the earth, and stirs up the molten core, thus raising the temperature under the mantle? It’s easy to suggest that this would cause continents to sink and sea floors to rise for a period of time. This might also facilitate rapid continental drift. At the end of the day I have reduced God to a meteor strike and everything is a sequence of natural disasters.
Do you see how little room we have left for God? Scientists have discovered things about the mechanics but we have lost a focus on God’s role. Before you know it, someone will suggest that benevolent aliens studying our planet saw the meteor coming and warned the residents to build boats. But God did not include all these mechanical details in the Bible. Here are the features of God’s account:
In this telling, I choose to put a focus on God’s role and God’s heart to care for the occupants of the Ark. As we focus on His role, the range of questions start to evaporate. For example, the technical details about how to feed all these animals. Yes, God told Noah to bring all sorts of food on board, and the Ark was very big, but once we grasp God’s close presence and concern for the Ark and its passengers, then to me, this is a non-issue. Jesus miraculously multiplied food when the people with him were in need, so why not on the Ark? Let’s not just defend the technical feasibility of the flood, but let’s also reveal God’s heart.
I started this article about a decade ago. It grew, but now (2020), I was reviewing it and I felt that it had lost its focus. There was lots of good stuff that now just seemed like a lot of words. At this point in the original article I started to talk about the miraculous events in the New Testament; from Jesus onwards, so to speak. What struck me was that they were sort of routine. That’s not the ideal word and some miracles were dramatic, but they were not the cinematic spectacular depictions as in Cecil B DeMille’s, “The Ten Commandments”, where the Red Sea parts before your eyes. (It actually happened overnight in the Bible.)
I tell you what; my conversations with God (prayers), used to push for a bit of the spectacular. But now I was seeing what Jesus did as almost casual. He resisted many opportunities to, shall I say, ‘show off’; that is to prove himself. Some of his most dramatic stuff was done only before his disciples. Look, I don’t want to list a variety of scriptures and try and prove something. This was a moment that He was revealing something to me and I am hoping you grasp a bit of that now…
I have captured a glimpse of how Jesus created the universe in my book “Where Time Begins”. I have seen how Genesis 1 captures the entire history of the world, from Adam onwards, in “Page 1: God’s Timetable”. Book sales are pathetic right now, but that’s not the issue. These seemed like the ‘big things’ in my life. A long time ago, I experienced miraculous healing. OK, I can spin a good story of God’s grace. But, right now I see a nurse or doctor nearly every day: diabetes, chronic kidney disease, cancer, open heart surgery pending, bits getting cut off, wounds not healing. So, what was really important?
I have seen Jesus’ face as He suffered for me on the Cross. When I was closest to death my prayers were the simplest: “Hold me”. The ‘big stuff’ wanes in our consciousness and over the years and generations. In the Old Testament it never seemed to work in the long term. But the intimate, personal encounters transform your heart. When I go to church I often doze off during the sermon. But during the worship I sense His presence and it melts my heart…
Leave room for God in your heart… Enough said!
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Well, I thought I had said enough, but a week later I saw where Jesus endorsed my declaration. It was during Jesus’ discussion with Thomas, after He was resurrected in John 20:24-29 . Thomas’ response to seeing Jesus was, “My Lord and my God.” It was a beautiful moment of personal revelation to Thomas. But Jesus indicated that those who believe without having seen something miraculous, were blessed. In other words, it was not about the ‘big stuff’, but about belief. Belief is what we see in our hearts. Belief is what we know by faith. The Bible factually testifies to volumes and volumes of ‘big stuff’, but life challenges or tests our faith. Holding this faith, this room for God in your heart, during your personal trials, releases the blessing.