How much do you know about God?
In depth with Albert A. C. Waite PhD
Where is God?
When was his beginning?
Christians, Muslims and Jews, all of whom believe in one God, believe that
- he is ‘out there somewhere’; but, at the same time
- he can interact with us and impact our lives.
We set out in search of God but stumble, micrometres into the journey.
First, we discover that our knowledge of God is based on what God reveals about himself. Those who apply the Why? What? Where? When? and How? questions in relation to God can only go so far.
One way we can know God is to seek to understand what he has done for us as revealed in the Bible. Another way is to examine what he has done in nature.
While we look at the promises God has made – and kept – the scientific community seeks to shed more light by using the Hubble telescope to give us glimpses of the activities at the edges of the viewable universe.
Whatever we do, our view of God is going to be limited by our philosophical and scientific world view, and how the great scientific minds of the past – from Galileo and Newton – have communicated their ideas to us.
We can theorise, philosophise, do scientific experiments – but we are limited in our knowledge of the attributes of God. We know he exists because
- there are scientifically verifiable happenings in the world around us, and in the parts of the universe to which we have access and which we can access;
- there are accounts in the Bible.
But we are limited in our world view because of limited information and a limited imagination.
Ellen MacArthur – did she do it?
Some are still questioning Ellen MacArthur‘s 27,000-mile round-the-world record. We quizzically ask, How can a 5ft 3in tall and 8 stone woman do that alone? Did she really go round the world? A pinch of doubt may even surface in the minds of those-who-should-know-better, when all we see in the newspapers are two red lines delineating her route: from the start in Britain down the west coast of Africa, veering south-east between the Cape of Good Hope (South Africa) and Antarctica when the line stops abruptly. And just as abruptly, the return journey is picked up in Drake Passage, south of Cape Horn (South America) and north of the Antarctic Peninsula, near South Shetland Islands as it weaves its way up the east cost of South America to retrace its path to Britain.
A commentator‘s remark on MacArthur‘s crossing the international date line, east of New Zealand, sends us to the globe where we console ourselves that ‘not long now and South America will be in sight and then it is all push for home.‘ Just because the distance from the south of Madagascar, past Australia, New Zealand to South America could not be shown on the flat page of The Times does not mean it could be said that MacArthur did not sail around the world. The model of the globe removes any pinch of doubt that might have existed. The supporters of Frenchman Francis Joyon, the then record holder, and the rigours of science and technology monitored her every move to capture the record for the fastest person ever to sail around the world single-handed.
Fastest gulp in the world!
Not all of us have the expertise to track sailors around the world, but most of us accept the word of those who do. They have proven themselves to be reliable; we trust them. Similarly, we accept scientists’ findings that the star-nosed mole, even though it is blind, can detect and gulp down its prey in just 230 milliseconds – too fast for the human eye to follow. This is the fastest known reaction time in the animal kingdom, less than half the 650 milliseconds that a human driver needs to brake for a red light. 1
The vast universe and its secrets are a clear indication that there is more to God than we know. What is the origin of God? I don‘t know is a valid answer when it is based on information: scientific, scriptural or philosophical analysis. So what‘s wrong in saying ‘I don‘t know the origin of God,‘ when we are still arguing about how long ago modern man emerged on Earth – the earth, which the Bible says God created in the beginning (Genesis1:1).
The latest interpretation of two fossil bones suggests that modern man is 35,000 years older than had been thought. 2
Determining the age of modern man is therefore not a precise science. It is not in the same category as determining that Ellen MacArthur took 71 days, 14 hours, 18 minutes and 33 seconds to circumnavigate a globe‘s path of 27,348 miles. 3 This can be repeated to try and break the record. Modern man‘s emergence on Earth cannot be repeated. There will always, therefore, be uncertainty about the age of modern man.
The tsunami question
The tsunami disaster in South East Asia on 26 December 2004 has posed many questions. We know some of the geological happenings that caused the tsunami. Maggie McKee reported that the tsunami released more than three times the amount of energy than at first thought. She said that analysis from some 20 seismometers from around the world suggest that ‘the Asian earthquake occurred at the eastern edge of the Indian Ocean where, over millions of years, the Indian tectonic plate has been disappearing beneath the Burma plate. This “subduction” zone had been locked for perhaps 200 years before the built-up pressure was finally released in the slippage of 26 December. 4
There are a number of scientific happenings which we could comment on to clarify how ‘the Burma plate rebounded upwards by about 10 metres at the quake‘s epicentre - setting the deadly tsunami waves in motion. 5
We could also, based on observed geological investigations in conjunction with a study of the Bible, state that the Asian tsunami was minor compared with what happened during the Flood of Genesis (see Genesis 7:11b).
The story is told of God accepting the challenge of an evolutionist who said he could make a living person. The evolutionist stooped to gather the soil to mould it into the shape of a person, before he sparked life into it. God calmly said, ‘Make your own soil. 6 It would be a mega scientific achievement if scientists were able to make life from inanimate matter. But it would not replace God, who created the matter in the first place.
Every day, through science (God‘s work) and the Bible (God‘s word), we are discovering more and more about him. How much do you know about God and his world?
In a hymn John W. Peterson wrote, ‘[God] is omnipotent, And that we can‘t deny; a God of might and miracles – ‘Tis written in the sky. It took a miracle to put the stars in place. It took a miracle to hang the world in space…’ 7
You may or may not believe in miracles, but can scientists say for certain, How, When and Why the earth, which MacArthur circumnavigated, got where it is? Can any of us explain gravity, which holds water in place as the earth, at the equator, rushes around at 1,020 mph (1,700 km/hr)?
The Bible says, ‘You covered the earth with oceans; the water was above the mountains. But at your command the water rushed away…. Lord you have made many things; with your wisdom you made them all. The earth is full of your riches. Look at the sea, so big and wide, with creatures large and small that cannot be counted. Ships travel over the ocean….‘ (Psalm 104:6, 24-26a, NCV).
Let the earth speak for itself
The book: Let The Earth Speak of God‘s Creation 8 (LTES) presents some interesting interactions between Scripture and the earth (science) that could help us to have a positive, informed and confident relationship with God, Creator of the universe, without feeling the urge to be anti anything.
The ten chapters in LTES are communicated in an accessible, refreshing manner by six international authors. The first chapter, Origin and Structure of the Earth, gives a number of theories of how the Earth might have originated; looks at human interaction with their surroundings; discusses the uniqueness of the earth in the universe, which was not an accident but designed for humans by an intelligent Being, God. Chapters two, three and four give ample information to understand how the energy in a tsunami is built up through tectonic plate activity, and deal with the anatomy of the geological column with informed reasons as to why the biblical interpretation has credibility.
In chapters five and six the Ice Age and the formation of coal continue to add to our understanding of the world around us – scientifically and biblically. Chapters seven and eight add fascination to the existence and extinction of dinosaurs – their eggs are still being unearthed today. Radiometric time and scriptural time are covered in chapter nine, before ending with The Rainbow Connection, which brings out a relationship between Calvary and the geologic column that helps consolidate faith in God without apology.
A realistic combination of the truths of true science and Scripture will banish any doubt about the existence and importance of God in our lives. Search for God and you will see him all around you.
References:
- The Times, News, 3 February 2005, p13. back
- The Times, News, 17 February 2005, p23. back
- www.netcomposites.com/news.asp?2756. back
- Maggie McKee, Power of tsunami earthquake heavily underestimated, NewScientist.com news service, 9 February 2005. back
- ibid. back
- Albert A C Waite, GOD.COM 2: Inspirational Impact, 2004, p101. back
- John W Peterson, (RHPA, USA), 111. back
- Albert A C Waite (editor), Let The Earth Speak of God‘s Creation, 2001 (www.mandrapublishing.com). back
© Albert A C Waite 2006
Revised 18/03/07
