Post by Admin on Mar 2, 2022 5:35:35 GMT
Chapter 36 - God is in the weather
Job speaks of God's power in the origination of all natural weather phenomena.
*Omni-involvement*
If God is involved in every act of weather, then it is easy to assume that he is involved in every event of suffering, as is the axiom from which Job derives all of his conclusions.
His friend makes more appeals to God's mighty power, evidenced by thunder, lightning and natural phenomena.
Based on the combination of all mentions of God's hand in natural phenomenon, God is apparently personally involved in the following:
Chapter 9
1. manipulates mountains
2. shakes the earth
3. controls the sun
4. controls the stars
5. spreads out the heaven
6. walks on the sea
7. generates the constellations
Chapter 12
1. Controls the fate of every creature
2. Controls the waters
3. Controls the fate and boundaries of nations
Chapter 26
1. spreads out the sky
2. locks water in clouds
3. hides the moon
4. directs the clouds
5. defines the horizon as a boundary between light and darkness
6. makes heaven tremble
7. calms the sea
8. defeated the great sea monster Rahab
9. clears the sky
10. defeats the serpent
Chapter 36
1. making rain
2. moving clouds
3. directing the path of lightning
4. he warns of a coming storm with his thunder
Chapter 37
1. voice creates thunder from his mouth
2. directs lightning bolts
3. directs snow to fall to the earth
4. directs rain
5. his breathe produces ice
6. directs clouds
*God of the gaps*
The "God of the gaps" argument is a term used to highlight an informal fallacy used by theists to defend their belief in God. This argument employs the moving the goal posts fallacy. The theist first claims that God is justified by natural evidences u, v, w, x, y z. As science advances, u becomes an understood scientific phenomenon - no longer within the realm of the supernatural. The theist response to scientific evidence is to move the goal post and redefine God as not including u. But then science uncovers evidence to explain w. Again, the theist redefines God to exclude u and w. The skeptic can observe this pattern of moving the goal post and conclude that as science progresses, the number of things that can be attributed to God slowly diminishes - the gap in our understanding of the universe gets smaller and smaller, and hence God's role in the universe gets smaller and smaller. If this pattern is played out to its logical conclusion, eventually there will be no phenomenon left to attribute to God, and God will be defined out of existence. The "God of the gaps" fallacy highlights the problem of assigning the gap to God - it is disingenuous to constantly change God's definition to skirt around falsifiability, and yet, it is foreseeably a dead-end argument when the gaps in our knowledge are diminished.
*The Weather Gap*
As shown above, the Book of Job is replete with instances of people attributing less understood atmospheric phenomenon to God. This is a prime example of the God of the gaps argument in action. The people living 2000+ years ago obviously didn't understand the natural laws of physics and chemistry involved in these natural phenomenon, so they attributed it all to God. Now that we know how these phenomenon work, it seems silly to say that a man in the sky is directing it all. In fact, it is so silly to our modern sensibility that I have never heard a modern theist claim that they believe God has his hand in every instance of all weather phenomena. God's hand is assumed to be a rare intervention in the natural phenomena. But we can clearly see that this modern conception of a God who rarely manipulates the weather is a redefined version of the God purported to exist by Job and his friends. The modern theists have defined away God as the source of all weather phenomena, reducing his definition and role in the world.
*Epistemic Humility*
If the Bible was able to get confused about what was attributable to God this wrong, then that is a strong evidence against its perfect veracity. If the ancients were confused about what could be attributable to God then why should modern theists be confident that they have it right? Just as the ancients incorrectly attributed weather phenomena to God, it is quite possible that modern theists incorrectly attribute healings, coincidences, spiritual feelings, voices, dreams, and guidance to God, when it actually might just be natural phenomena of the brain and body.
NEXT: Chapter 37 - Impressive equals good
Job speaks of God's power in the origination of all natural weather phenomena.
*Omni-involvement*
If God is involved in every act of weather, then it is easy to assume that he is involved in every event of suffering, as is the axiom from which Job derives all of his conclusions.
His friend makes more appeals to God's mighty power, evidenced by thunder, lightning and natural phenomena.
Based on the combination of all mentions of God's hand in natural phenomenon, God is apparently personally involved in the following:
Chapter 9
1. manipulates mountains
2. shakes the earth
3. controls the sun
4. controls the stars
5. spreads out the heaven
6. walks on the sea
7. generates the constellations
Chapter 12
1. Controls the fate of every creature
2. Controls the waters
3. Controls the fate and boundaries of nations
Chapter 26
1. spreads out the sky
2. locks water in clouds
3. hides the moon
4. directs the clouds
5. defines the horizon as a boundary between light and darkness
6. makes heaven tremble
7. calms the sea
8. defeated the great sea monster Rahab
9. clears the sky
10. defeats the serpent
Chapter 36
1. making rain
2. moving clouds
3. directing the path of lightning
4. he warns of a coming storm with his thunder
Chapter 37
1. voice creates thunder from his mouth
2. directs lightning bolts
3. directs snow to fall to the earth
4. directs rain
5. his breathe produces ice
6. directs clouds
*God of the gaps*
The "God of the gaps" argument is a term used to highlight an informal fallacy used by theists to defend their belief in God. This argument employs the moving the goal posts fallacy. The theist first claims that God is justified by natural evidences u, v, w, x, y z. As science advances, u becomes an understood scientific phenomenon - no longer within the realm of the supernatural. The theist response to scientific evidence is to move the goal post and redefine God as not including u. But then science uncovers evidence to explain w. Again, the theist redefines God to exclude u and w. The skeptic can observe this pattern of moving the goal post and conclude that as science progresses, the number of things that can be attributed to God slowly diminishes - the gap in our understanding of the universe gets smaller and smaller, and hence God's role in the universe gets smaller and smaller. If this pattern is played out to its logical conclusion, eventually there will be no phenomenon left to attribute to God, and God will be defined out of existence. The "God of the gaps" fallacy highlights the problem of assigning the gap to God - it is disingenuous to constantly change God's definition to skirt around falsifiability, and yet, it is foreseeably a dead-end argument when the gaps in our knowledge are diminished.
*The Weather Gap*
As shown above, the Book of Job is replete with instances of people attributing less understood atmospheric phenomenon to God. This is a prime example of the God of the gaps argument in action. The people living 2000+ years ago obviously didn't understand the natural laws of physics and chemistry involved in these natural phenomenon, so they attributed it all to God. Now that we know how these phenomenon work, it seems silly to say that a man in the sky is directing it all. In fact, it is so silly to our modern sensibility that I have never heard a modern theist claim that they believe God has his hand in every instance of all weather phenomena. God's hand is assumed to be a rare intervention in the natural phenomena. But we can clearly see that this modern conception of a God who rarely manipulates the weather is a redefined version of the God purported to exist by Job and his friends. The modern theists have defined away God as the source of all weather phenomena, reducing his definition and role in the world.
*Epistemic Humility*
If the Bible was able to get confused about what was attributable to God this wrong, then that is a strong evidence against its perfect veracity. If the ancients were confused about what could be attributable to God then why should modern theists be confident that they have it right? Just as the ancients incorrectly attributed weather phenomena to God, it is quite possible that modern theists incorrectly attribute healings, coincidences, spiritual feelings, voices, dreams, and guidance to God, when it actually might just be natural phenomena of the brain and body.
NEXT: Chapter 37 - Impressive equals good
