The God Squad: An apology to my high school physics teacher

Thanks for the enthusiastic responses to my column on how to fit miracles into a faith that does not require you to be ignorant of science.

Q: I certainly sympathize with those attempting to explain apparent biblical miracles with naturally occurring cosmic events such as you proposed for the "crossing of the Red Sea." Unfortunately, this will only get you so far until it collapses of its own weight, e.g., the description in Exodus 17 of Moses holding his arms up with support that prevented the sun from setting, thus allowing Joshua's army to prevail over the Amalekites (I think). Can you imagine the cosmic disruption of the planets that would have occurred? Even more problematic (for us Christians) are the NT miracles that defy logic, e.g., the raising of Lazarus from the dead after several days in the tomb, even noting that he had begun to be odoriferous (John's Gospel and only in this Gospel).

If there were so many witnesses of this rather spectacular event, where was the Hebrew chronicler of events of the time, Josephus, and how did he not find it sufficiently important to mention? I prefer to think of all these faith stories, myths (?), as just that -- stories of faith that attest to the depth of conviction of the reality of God. Certainly this concept is more easily applied to the Hebrew Bible since thousands of years passed between the events and their recording in probably 500-600 BCE, relying on word-of-mouth communication of these events.

I prefer to believe some imaginative descriptions were applied in the misguided attempt to convince others of the existence of God in these events, perhaps a bit easier for the Hebrew Bible than the Gospels of the NT, but, nonetheless, a satisfactory explanation for me.

Many contemporaries today describe events that defy logic and have been carefully described in any number of books that I am not willing to discount out of hand simply because they did not happen to me, even though I am schooled in the medical sciences and most of them concern spectacular healing events. Just my thoughts, and I look forward to reading your column weekly. -- (From O)

A: I agree, dear O, that the problem of miracles is more difficult for Christianity, which is based upon the historical truth of the gospel accounts of the miracles surrounding 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 real and is working in the world to save us from sin and ignorance. How God works must remain a mystery.

MG: Errata (or oops!)

Q: I am an old man and a relatively new Christian. I always love your "GOD SQUAD" column because of it's common sense and wonderful inclusiveness as demonstrated by the years of your relationship with Father Tom Hartman. I believe you got it wrong, however, in your "How Do Miracles Fit Into our Lives" discussion. I agree with your message, but you got the gravity explanation backward. The earth spinning does not create gravity. It is created by the dense iron core at the center of the earth. Earth's spinning reduces the effects of gravity. If it spun fast enough, we would "fly off" its surface. Just think of a pail of water that you hold at arm’s length and spin over your head. Centrifugal force (the spinning) keeps the water from falling out when it's over your head. If not for the spin, gravity would cause the water to fall out on your head. Keep up the good work but be careful on merry-go-rounds. -- (From Dr. K in Ocala, FL)

MG: Well, this just proves that most people read my column for theology lessons not physics lessons. My point was that all sorts of really spooky and basically impossible things would happen if gravity was actually suspended at the shore of the Red Sea. Those spooky and impossible things just can’t fit neatly into a world of constant and ordered natural laws. That was my main point and that point is true.

There was, however, one anonymous reader who slammed me pretty hard: Did you never take physics in school? Your writing that the Earth "spinning on its axis ... causes gravity" and the more outrageous "If it stopped spinning it would explode" made a dunce of you -- and has a tendency to undercut the value of anything else you write. Try a brief Google visit to "gravity," where you will learn that gravity is caused by mass, and not the kind Father Tom celebrated. The moon neither spins nor explodes.

Hey, now you know. I am a very good rabbi, but a very bad physicist.

(Send ALL QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS to The God Squad via email at godsquadquestion@aol.com. Rabbi Gellman is the author of several books, including “Religion for Dummies,” co-written with Fr. Tom Hartman. Also, the new God Squad podcast is now available.)