Thanks for the enthusiastic responses to my column on how to in good shape miracles into a religion that does not need you to be ignorant of science.
Q: I definitely sympathize with people attempting to reveal clear biblical miracles with naturally happening cosmic events this sort of as you proposed for the “crossing of the Red Sea.” However, this will only get you so significantly until eventually it collapses of its possess weight, e.g., the description in Exodus 17 of Moses keeping his arms up with help that prevented the solar from environment, hence permitting Joshua’s military to prevail in excess of the Amalekites (I believe). Can you envision the cosmic disruption of the planets that would have transpired? Even much more problematic (for us Christians) are the NT miracles that defy logic, e.g., the raising of Lazarus from the dead soon after a number of times in the tomb, even noting that he experienced begun to be odoriferous (John’s Gospel and only in this Gospel).
If there had been so a lot of witnesses of this instead magnificent party, the place was the Hebrew chronicler of events of the time, Josephus, and how did he not come across it sufficiently crucial to mention? I want to think of all these religion stories, myths (?), as just that — stories of religion that attest to the depth of conviction of the fact of God. Definitely this notion is much more easily applied to the Hebrew Bible given that thousands of a long time handed concerning the activities and their recording in possibly 500-600 BCE, relying on word-of-mouth interaction of these gatherings.
I want to think some imaginative descriptions ended up applied in the misguided attempt to encourage some others of the existence of God in these occasions, perhaps a little bit less difficult for the Hebrew Bible than the Gospels of the NT, but, however, a satisfactory clarification for me.
Quite a few contemporaries these days describe events that defy logic and have been carefully explained in any variety of publications that I am not ready to discounted out of hand simply because they did not take place to me, even while I am schooled in the medical sciences and most of them worry magnificent therapeutic activities. Just my views, and I glance forward to looking through your column weekly. — (From O)
A: I concur, pricey O, that the trouble of miracles is additional tough for Christianity, which is primarily based upon the historical fact of the gospel accounts of the miracles encompassing Jesus’ ministry and death and resurrection. Judaism and Islam, the other two Abrahamic faiths, do not require followers of the faith to affirm the truth of miracles in the Bible. The affirmation at the root of faith is that God is actual and is performing in the earth to help you save us from sin and ignorance. How God operates ought to stay a thriller.
MG: Errata (or oops!)
Q: I am an outdated person and a somewhat new Christian. I always appreciate your “GOD SQUAD” column mainly because of it really is widespread feeling and excellent inclusiveness as shown by the years of your relationship with Father Tom Hartman. I think you obtained it improper, on the other hand, in your “How Do Miracles Fit Into our Life” discussion. I agree with your concept, but you got the gravity explanation backward. The earth spinning does not create gravity. It is established by the dense iron main at the middle of the earth. Earth’s spinning minimizes the effects of gravity. If it spun rapid plenty of, we would “fly off” its surface area. Just consider of a pail of h2o that you keep at arm’s length and spin in excess of your head. Centrifugal power (the spinning) keeps the h2o from slipping out when it truly is over your head. If not for the spin, gravity would cause the h2o to slide out on your head. Preserve up the good work but be careful on merry-go-rounds. — (From Dr. K in Ocala, FL)
MG: Perfectly, this just proves that most people today go through my column for theology classes not physics lessons. My level was that all types of truly spooky and mainly unattainable points would transpire if gravity was actually suspended at the shore of the Red Sea. These spooky and difficult matters just cannot suit neatly into a world of consistent and requested natural guidelines. That was my key stage and that issue is legitimate.
There was, however, one anonymous reader who slammed me pretty challenging: Did you by no means just take physics in college? Your writing that the Earth “spinning on its axis … brings about gravity” and the much more outrageous “If it stopped spinning it would explode” built a dunce of you — and has a tendency to undercut the price of just about anything else you generate. Consider a brief Google visit to “gravity,” where by you will master that gravity is triggered by mass, and not the type Father Tom celebrated. The moon neither spins nor explodes.
Hey, now you know. I am a extremely good rabbi, but a really poor physicist.
Deliver ALL Questions AND Opinions to The God Squad by way of electronic mail at [email protected]. Rabbi Gellman is the author of a number of publications, together with “Religion for Dummies,” co-prepared with Fr. Tom Hartman. Also, the new God Squad podcast is now obtainable.