How can we scientifically test the supernatural?

[pitabread]

I have the following hypothesis: God's intervention is actively required for healthy plant growth.

Can anyone describe a method by which this hypothesis could be tested scientifically?

 

[salt-n-light]

I have the following hypothesis: Is God's intervention actively required for healthy plant growth?

Can anyone describe a method by which this hypothesis could be tested scientifically?

A better hypothesis would be a start, your hypothesis sounds like a question. Hypothesis should be an educated guess. Are you testing that it could be true, or that could not be true?

 

[pitabread]

A better hypothesis would be a start, your hypothesis sounds like a question. Hypothesis should be an educated guess. Are you testing that it could be true, or that could not be true?

Good point. I have re-worded the post.

 

[SkyWriting]

I have the following hypothesis: God's intervention is actively required for healthy plant growth.

Can anyone describe a method by which this hypothesis could be tested scientifically?

God is Spirit.
You have to measure spiritual growth.
Plants work with natural intervention. Use more water. Keep well drained.
Think Christianity is dying? No, Christianity is shifting dramatically

 

[AV1611VET]

I have the following hypothesis: God's intervention is actively required for healthy plant growth.

Uproot a healthy plant and see if it continues to grow.

If so, then chances are God is intervening.

If it dies, then chances are God is no longer intervening.

Numbers 17:8 And it came to pass, that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness; and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds.

 

[pitabread]

God is Spirit.
You have to measure spiritual growth.
Think Christianity is dying? No, Christianity is shifting dramatically

This doesn't answer the question in the OP.

If you don't have an answer, please don't clutter the thread.

 

[pitabread]

Uproot a healthy plant and see if it continues to grow.

If so, then chances are God is intervening.

If it dies, then chances are God is no longer intervening.

Why would uprooting a plant and seeing the effect of its growth be an indication of whether God is intervening?

 

[SkyWriting]

This doesn't answer the question in the OP.

If you don't have an answer, please don't clutter the thread.

God does not wish to be tested. Your experiment is impossible.

"When standing on the sun, how far do I turn up the gas before water boils?"

 

[pitabread]

God does not wish to be tested. Your experiment is impossible.

Certain folks on this forum have been complaining about science's scope being limited to the natural. I started this thread to see if anyone can proffer how we could include God in the mix.

 

[AV1611VET]

Why would uprooting a plant and seeing the effect of its growth be an indication of whether God is intervening?

Please don't tell me that if you uproot a plant and it continues to grow healthily, that nothing's going on "under the hood"?

 

[pitabread]

Please don't tell me that if you uproot a plant and it continues to grow healthily, that nothing's going on "under the hood"?

That's what I'm asking. I'm asking people to describe a scientific methodology by which I can test the hypothesis in the OP.

Now what would lead you to believe that God is intervening in an unrooted plant if it continues to grow? For that matter, is God also intervening with a rooted plant? How would you tell?

(FWIW, I've actually already done just this with aquarium plants. I used to have a couple heavily planted aquariums and plants would sometimes come unrooted but continue to grow just fine.)

 

[essentialsaltes]

If you believe that people can influence the gods with prayer or burnt offerings, then you could have a control group of plants that received no prayer or burnt offerings, and the test plants that were prayed for and/or had burnt offerings dedicated to them. It would be important for the study to be blinded, so that the people who watered and cared for the plants didn't know which group was which.

 

[salt-n-light]

You would have to define “God’s intervention”. One can make the argument that using resources that God created is an act of intervention.

That would mean that in order to accurately test out a group that lacks God’s intervention against a group that does, it would have to be in an environment void of God, which is impossible.

So based on the hypothesis, the experiment would most likely come out as inconclusive.

 

[tas8831]

Please don't tell me that if you uproot a plant and it continues to grow healthily, that nothing's going on "under the hood"?

Creationists have such low bars...

 

[Job 33:6]

I have the following hypothesis: God's intervention is actively required for healthy plant growth.

Can anyone describe a method by which this hypothesis could be tested scientifically?

To test this hypothesis, you would have to have some clear definition for God and the means by which God would operate.

For example, does God produce sunlight? If so, then perhaps God is required, as we know that plants require sunlight. So it would become a question of the source of sunlight.

The supernatural though, could be tested. For example, if the waters of the ocean split, in a way that couldnt be caused by any natural phenomena that we are aware of, then one could argue that the source was supernatural.

If a map took a single loaf of bread and infinitely split it into millions of loaves, this would be a supernatural occurrence (as far as we know), as it would defy conservation of matter. And in recording this, one could at least observe the existence of the supernatural.

This could also be tested. A non supernatural being, like a you or me, could try breaking the loaf into millions of loaves, and if only a divine being, such as God, can do that, then you are performing tests to determine who has supernatural powers and who doesnt.

So there are ways of observing, testing, and operating with supernatural occurrences. But, it all comes down to the question of if these supernatural occurrences actually occur. We have never seen a person defy conservation of matter, so its hard to observe or test something when such a thing, as far as we are aware, doesnt happen.

 

[Sanoy]

I don't think you could Pita, for two reasons.

1. The hypothesis, and it's negating hypothesis, are empirically equivalent theories.
2. Science excludes the hypothesis of the supernatural. So by definition the supernatural cannot be discovered by science. Science can be used as a premise for the supernatural, but that wouldn't be a scientific argument.

 

[pitabread]

You would have to define “God’s intervention”.

I'm deliberately leaving it open ended so others can use their own criteria.

One can make the argument that using resources that God created is an act of intervention.

That would mean that in order to accurately test out a group that lacks God’s intervention against a group that does, it would have to be in an environment void of God, which is impossible.

If that were such a case that would be an unfalsifiable proposition. Thus, it wouldn't be testable to begin with.

 

[pitabread]

To test this hypothesis, you would have to have some clear definition for God and the means by which God would operate.

For example, does God produce sunlight? If so, then perhaps God is required, as we know that plants require sunlight. So it would become a question of the source of sunlight.

Well, does God produce sunlight?

So there are ways of observing, testing, and operating with supernatural occurrences.

Can it be tested with respect to the hypothesis listed in the OP?

 

[pitabread]

2. Science excludes the hypothesis of the supernatural. So by definition the supernatural cannot be discovered by science. Science can be used as a premise for the supernatural, but that wouldn't be a scientific argument.

Oh I know, but there are others in this forum that have a problem with that. Thus, I'm trying to suss out if anyone can explain how to scientifically test the supernatural using the hypothesis listed in the OP.

 

[Job3315]

I have the following hypothesis: God's intervention is actively required for healthy plant growth.

Can anyone describe a method by which this hypothesis could be tested scientifically?

I don't think there's a scientific way of proving God’s intervention in nature because to humans we somewhat can explain natures process and we find it normal even if we see a daily miracle like plants growing, humans giving birth or the sun rising in the morning and we being able to see reflect its light on the moon at night. You can see and prove to yourself His intervention by witnessing an instant miracle, but God doesn't show that to everyone; we must come by faith. That’s why Christians seem crazy to the world. Even our first encounters with Him can be “explained” by science; drugs, alcohol, psychosis. The only way to prove God’s intervention will be by seeing the first seed, animal, human, etc. and we obviously can't.

I found this on my facebook feed today, thought my help.