Why is God only called when we cannot explain something?

[Umaro]

I learned yesterday that Issac Newton, after reaching a dead end in his calculations regarding the planet concluded that God must occasionally intervene to keep them in orbit. Everyone just accepted this, and a few hundred years later a German scientist solved the problem and there is now a scientific explanation with no reference to God.

This made me realize that it works this way with all things. Before we could explain weather, all peoples just called it an act of God. Before we could explain why the sun revolved around the earth, it was Gods that carried it across the sky. The list goes on and on.

Does that mean that what we are now saying has no solution except for the divine could follow this same path? What if 50 years from now we discover where the universe came from scientifically? Am I wrong in assuming God's power is only called for what we cannot yet explain?

 

[WashedClean]

Are you talking about science, or human behavior? Because although we may be able to explain scientifically a lot of things down the road that we cannot explain now, I don't think we will ever be able to explain human behavior (morals) without God.

 

[Shubunkin]

Well, how were the scientific laws put into place? Why is the universe set into order instead of chaos? Those are questions that can be answered from a Christian perspective.

 

[dvd_holc]

Whether nature is explained or un-explained, God is the one who created all of it, is the Ruler over all of it, is through all of it, and dwells in all of it. The things that appear chaotic from our limited human perceptions are not. We can't explain it all but there is a faith that all things work for good by the Hand of God. After all with this huge dynamic of the universe, in it the precise actions of it produce a repeatable cycle of life on Earth. So whether you think that the nature of gravity anchors us to the planet and also controls position of the planets and such...it all has harmony that produces cycles of life.

 

[Key]

I learned yesterday that Issac Newton, after reaching a dead end in his calculations regarding the planet concluded that God must occasionally intervene to keep them in orbit. Everyone just accepted this, and a few hundred years later a German scientist solved the problem and there is now a scientific explanation with no reference to God.

This made me realize that it works this way with all things. Before we could explain weather, all peoples just called it an act of God. Before we could explain why the sun revolved around the earth, it was Gods that carried it across the sky. The list goes on and on.

Does that mean that what we are now saying has no solution except for the divine could follow this same path? What if 50 years from now we discover where the universe came from scientifically? Am I wrong in assuming God's power is only called for what we cannot yet explain?

Well yes, and no.

to some.. it might be God, to others "Luck", to others, the idea of "I don't know" works.

As for the Universe, well, Good Luck with that. If they figure it out, great, if not, fine. No loss either way.

God Bless

Key

 

[ebia]

I learned yesterday that Issac Newton, after reaching a dead end in his calculations regarding the planet concluded that God must occasionally intervene to keep them in orbit. Everyone just accepted this, and a few hundred years later a German scientist solved the problem and there is now a scientific explanation with no reference to God.

This made me realize that it works this way with all things. Before we could explain weather, all peoples just called it an act of God. Before we could explain why the sun revolved around the earth, it was Gods that carried it across the sky. The list goes on and on.

People's desire for an explanation for anything - their unwillingness to say "we do not [yet] know..." means they tend to make things up. Goddidit is a reliable fallback in that situation.

Does that mean that what we are now saying has no solution except for the divine could follow this same path? What if 50 years from now we discover where the universe came from scientifically? Am I wrong in assuming God's power is only called for what we cannot yet explain?

God is in everything we can explain, as well as what we can't. "We can explain it OR God is involved" is a completely false dichotomy.

 

[eb693]

"Well, still how do you know it's 'your' God. Because any diety can be intellgent, and even if their is a 'God' who created 'God'"

Such is the nature of faith. We believe that it is our God because it feels right to believe it. Or, at least, I do

The definition of 'God' precludes 'God' having a creator, because God *is* the Creator - he is, was, and always shall be.

 

[TheSource]

I learned yesterday that Issac Newton, after reaching a dead end in his calculations regarding the planet concluded that God must occasionally intervene to keep them in orbit. Everyone just accepted this, and a few hundred years later a German scientist solved the problem and there is now a scientific explanation with no reference to God.

This made me realize that it works this way with all things. Before we could explain weather, all peoples just called it an act of God. Before we could explain why the sun revolved around the earth, it was Gods that carried it across the sky. The list goes on and on.

Does that mean that what we are now saying has no solution except for the divine could follow this same path? What if 50 years from now we discover where the universe came from scientifically? Am I wrong in assuming God's power is only called for what we cannot yet explain?

Science is a factors, but not on the level we can comprehend nor create, because the universe is a supernatrual creation. Now the science involves functionality, but the actual creation of universal contents is totally different.

I'm not sure if you're leaning toward the "big bang" theory, but I still want to interject how seriously flawed this theory is. The sun at a perfect distance, the planets arranged in a way that support planet earth, the ocean, land and vegetation to support life. It's just too neat of a package to not have been orchestrated. If the universe "just happened" there would be so much chaos that the universe would be a field of debris.

Even Leonardo de Vinci, who spent his life trying to prove otherwise, concluded that a superior Being had to be responsible for earth's creation.

If I'm off base about where you're going with your post, please forgive me.

May God bless you with the wisdom you seek,

The Source

 

[Rafael]

I learned yesterday that Issac Newton, after reaching a dead end in his calculations regarding the planet concluded that God must occasionally intervene to keep them in orbit. Everyone just accepted this, and a few hundred years later a German scientist solved the problem and there is now a scientific explanation with no reference to God.

I highly doubt that everyone accepted that, nor did Newton or he would have started out by saying it was unexplainable. Newton searched as a scientist and came to an end of his investigative abilites and just admitted that only God knew for the time being - nothing more, and he did not make this a doctrine of the Church or anything like that. Because God did make everything in the first place and man is still finding out how, it would not mean that men should not seek to know more about God and His revelation that is meant to be found. Perhaps that is why God placed mankind in the perfect position in the galaxy in order to observe the rest of the universe - so that we would seek to know more of Him in whom we have our very being. Afterall, being made in the very image of God, wouldn't part of that creative character in us want to seek and know more by nature?

This made me realize that it works this way with all things. Before we could explain weather, all peoples just called it an act of God. Before we could explain why the sun revolved around the earth, it was Gods that carried it across the sky. The list goes on and on.

No, it doesn't work that way with all things on man's part as the Christian. Somethings cannot be explained by man because of our limited knowledge and vision, being blind to the greater part of the dimensions and reality, but that does not mean Chritians lie down in ignorance just by acknowledging God - which is what you seem to imply. Why was Newton called a scientist if being a Christian would not search for answers and just say God only knew?? I would say the list goes on and on with false assumptions about Christians that mislead and twist what is actually true about them. By your portrait, we, Newton, Einstein, or any that have a belief in God are lazy and stupid..

Does that mean that what we are now saying has no solution except for the divine could follow this same path?

No. did Newton, regarded by many as the greatest figure in the history of science, display that kind of attitude applying himself in his life's work as scientist to the point where he described universal gravitation and the three laws of motion, laying the groundwork for classical mechanics? No he did not just explain things that way,but he did not know everything - even that which other men would contribute to the knowledge base of mankind. which you seem to think he should have.

What if 50 years from now we discover where the universe came from scientifically?

Great! Perhaps the black hole at the center of the Milky Way will convince a few more that eternity is more than theory, but reality. Someday we will know as we are known, but it doesn't mean to not seek knowledge - especially in this short temporal life.

Am I wrong in assuming God's power is only called for what we cannot yet explain?

Yes you are, and nobody would have such a narrow view of other people unless they thought them inferior. There is always a danger in having a superiority complex over other groups of poeple The Nazis thought themselve the superior race, too, and was soon able to forget conscience and write off millions of people of faith in God and think it a good thing. They misrepresented them as no better than stupid beasts, lumping them all together as one group of people not worthy of even life. Trying to make other people seem to be alike and twisting the truth about them as a whole is not good. When even distinguished scientists who had belief in God are looked back on with disdain, I can only wonder.

 

[salida]

Umaro--

Go to: www.reasons.org
It discusses science and faith.

If they can't explain it then its God - because they are telling the truth. God is all knowing they arn't.

 

[BelindaP]

It is a very common human practice when confronted with the unknown to hand-wave away an explanation. Everyone does it, including scientists. I have, all to often, read reports by colleagues that hand-wave an explanation to one theory or another. That's because humans hate any kind of uncertainty.

I am one of those people who believes that God did not create all the laws of physics to go around routinely violating them. Every miracle that has ever occurred fits within the laws of physics. It's just that we don't fully understand all the laws yet.

By putting off things we don't understand to God's influence, we are acknowledging that we don't understand while accepting God's supremacy in the matter. After all, He is the only one who has all the answers.

When Isaac Newton failed to fully explain all the orbits of the planets, he did give up and ascribe it to God. However, it was just an acknowledgment that at that point in history, only God knew. Much later, another scientist figured it out, so now we all know.

 

[BelindaP]

Yes, they are. They will believe everything they hear. But then they have millions of questions to try to fit things into their framework. If things don't work, they ask questions. I know from experience that the "because I told you so" doesn't work. A thinking Christian should be the same way as the child.

Hand waving something with the idea that only God knows isn't what God wants. He would like for us to learn about our universe and how it works. Otherwise, He wouldn't have given us the brains that He did.

 

[BelindaP]

Faith isn't incompatible with that. I'm always trying to find out more. If one never challenges his/her faith, he/she will never know how strong it is.

 

[Umaro]

You all are getting confused on one important aspect. Newton did not say that only God knew the answer, and that he himself was just unable to find it. Newton claimed that God physically restarted and reset the planets in their orbits every so often. This would be direct intervention, equivalent to Zeus being the one who throws the lightning bolts. Understanding that, how would you explain it?

 

[BelindaP]

You all are getting confused on one important aspect. Newton did not say that only God knew the answer, and that he himself was just unable to find it. Newton claimed that God physically restarted and reset the planets in their orbits every so often. This would be direct intervention, equivalent to Zeus being the one who throws the lightning bolts. Understanding that, how would you explain it?

I would say that he succumbed to the human trait of thinking that if you can't figure it out, then somebody has to be messing with it.

 

[BelindaP]

If just about any Christian is honest with themselves, they question from time to time. Some of us do it more often than others. For me, I haven't found anything incompatible between what science knows about the universe and what the Bible says. However, we shouldn't go into that here. It would be off-topic.

 

[Umaro]

I would say that he succumbed to the human trait of thinking that if you can't figure it out, then somebody has to be messing with it.

So is God directly creating the Universe somehow different then?

 

[BelindaP]

Invite me over to one of the debate forums when you get enough posts. I should warn you I have a hard time arguing with athiests and agnostics because I agree with them on a lot of things, though.

 

[BelindaP]

Yes, it is. Nobody knows what initiated the Big Bang, but something had to have made it happen. Where we disagree is on what made it happen. I am open to a different answer when and if anyone figures out what that was. Until then, I have as much evidence for my view as the next guy.

 

[Adoniram]

I learned yesterday that Issac Newton, after reaching a dead end in his calculations regarding the planet concluded that God must occasionally intervene to keep them in orbit. Everyone just accepted this, and a few hundred years later a German scientist solved the problem and there is now a scientific explanation with no reference to God.

This made me realize that it works this way with all things. Before we could explain weather, all peoples just called it an act of God. Before we could explain why the sun revolved around the earth, it was Gods that carried it across the sky. The list goes on and on.

Does that mean that what we are now saying has no solution except for the divine could follow this same path? What if 50 years from now we discover where the universe came from scientifically? Am I wrong in assuming God's power is only called for what we cannot yet explain?

It's really quite simple. God is responsible for all that we see. Even though we have made many discoveries in the way things work, the physical laws by which the universe is held together, God is still responsible.

Heb. 11:3 "By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible."

After he created man, God instructed him to exercise dominion over all the earth. That includes learning all we can about it. God gave us intelligence and he expects us to use it. Of course, it was a long, slow process, and is still on-going. What we call "scientific knowledge" was particularly slow. But in the book of Daniel, he was told by God's messenger that toward the end of time, the pace of the world would become frenetic, and knowledge would increase. (Dan. 12:4) We have seen this happen in the last couple of hundred years. Knowledge has increased exponentially in the last century, doubling over and over again. Relating to the verse above, we are now discovering some of the things that were previously unseen. This is all according to God's design and in no way disavows him.

Of course, there are many that refuse the idea of a God, and his role in the whole of creation. And this too was predicted in God's Word.

2 Peter 3:3-7 "knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, 4 and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.” 5 For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, 6 by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. 7 But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men."

Christians recognize that even in the light of new discoveries being made every day, God is still in control, and it is by his power that all these things work. God is the author of all physical laws, and without him, nothing would exist.

Just to add to the question, if I'm allowed to...How do you know that it was your God that put those scientific laws in place? How do you know it is your God that set the universe in order instead of chaos? Those are questions an atheist would counter with, regarding your questions.

Because the Christian God that we worship is the living God. He has made his presence known to us and given us the means to know him. He exhibits his power through His Word, creation, and in our lives. The life of Jesus Christ was a testimony to God, and not many people deny that Jesus lived anymore. "All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made." (John 1:3) Science cannot give us a reasonable explanation for the existence of the universe, although it does explain the relationships of bodies within it. God tells us in the Bible that he is responsible, and he is still and forever will be the only reasonable explanation.