Parting the Red Sea: With Science?
Scientists in the US are working to confirm the plausibility of the circumstances described a story written over 3000 years ago.
The biblical Old Testament book of Exodus describes an event that is often familiar to people even if they have never opened a Bible: Moses parting the Red Sea. Or rather, God doing so. In the account, “Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.”
Scientists at the US National Center for Atmospheric Research are trying to discover if such an event could have occurred via known environmental phenomena:
New computer simulations have shown how the parting of the Red Sea, as described in the Bible, could have been a phenomenon caused by strong winds. Simulations by US scientists show how the movement of wind could have opened up a land bridge at one location. This would have enabled people to walk across exposed mud flats to safety. The researchers show that a strong east wind, blowing overnight, could have pushed water back at a bend where an ancient river is believed to have merged with a coastal lagoon.
(BBC News)
The idea itself is not new. I first heard about the theory in a book called The Miracles of Exodus by Sir Colin Humphreys, a professor of physics at Cambridge University. Humphreys argued something similar in this book, although in his book he argues that God used naturally occurring phenomena to accomplish the feats described … miracles of timing perhaps?
There is no way to scientifically prove or disprove what is said to occur in the ancient text. The potentiality for such a thing to occur via natural means is testable; however it is beyond the purview of scientific study to prove the historicity (or not) of a historical event. It does raise the question of the relationship between science and religion, as explored by our recent article “Science & Religion: Competitors or Companions?”
How do you see the relationship between science and religion? Are you interested in this sort of research, or do you see it as a waste of time? Is religion and/or faith a significant part of your life? Why or why not?
Other related reading:
My Search for Truth – The story of how astrophysicist Hugh Ross found faith
Can You Be an Atheist & an Environmentalist – Sure you can, but why?
Is it Possible? – Maybe you’ve never experienced the parting of a sea, but could it be that God has nevertheless been at work in your life all along?
