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Supernatural explanations in the (post)modern age

Christ_empowered

Christ_empowered

Member
I just read a website recently (lost the link though) that said that Christians need to rediscover the supernatural roots of what happens around us. That website used the example of earthquakes. Lots of Christians--including me--look at that and go "oh, yeah, the Earth is going haywire because of XYZ," and we totally ignore that God makes things happen. We'll look at the economies around the world and say "oh, well, country X made these mistakes, and this affected countries Y and Z," totally ignoring the fact that both prosperity and hardship come from our God.

So, of course, I had to think about this one. Its true, isn't it? I mean, its hard to believe that God is making everything all around you happen when the secular world has hammered into you that there's a rational explanation. I guess its like saying we're allowed to have our God, as long as our God doesn't actually *do* anything, you know?

But how far do we take it? We can't know the mind of God, obviously, so it seems a bit dangerous to say, for instance "disaster came upon country Y because of their pagan ways," when the rain falls and sun shines on good and bad alike--there's a certain amount of both joy and suffering given to everyone simply because they're alive on God's earth.

Still, I think I'm personally going to have to re-evaluate how I look at things around me. I guess its part of my ongoing project to develop a Christian Worldview. Also, the truly human part in me needs to "re-enchant" the world. In Sociology, there's a term--"dis-enchantment of the world"--that describes the process by which eventually everything becomes explained in terms of science and modern thought. Fairies, elves, demons, even God are replaced by tectonic plates, global warming, neurology, and psychology (even if these explanations are later found to be lacking, the message is clear: the supernatural has no place in the modern world).

What do you all think? How do you recapture the supernatural as you look at the world around you without ignoring meaningful modern insights?
 
I hear what you're saying.

I watched a documentary on Sodom and Gomorrah. It seems as if they're pretty certain that they have found what very well might have been the twin sin cities. And, lo and behold, they were destroyed by fire and brimstone...aka a volcanic eruption.

The documentary commentators viewed it as: Volcano erupts, cities are destroyed, ignorant people say it's God's judgement.

I looked at it as: Cities are judged, God poured out His wrath by causing a local volcano to erupt.

The trick is to not think that every time something bad happens it's "God's Judgement" This crops up all the time...Katrina (judgement against the corrupt people of New Orleans), Haiti (judgement against the demon worshipers there), Japan (judgement against the pagan worshipers).

I wonder what the people think off all the folks living firmly in the Bible Belt that got hammered by the tornadoes? :confused:

We know that God does pour out His wrath at times... He did so with Sodom and Gomorrah, with Egypt, even with Jerusalem.

The way to separate the naturally occurring disasters prevelent in our fallen world and God pouring His wrath out that the former just happen. The latter: God sends out warnings first.
 
Christian - Look at what God can do.
|
Modernist - God does not matter look what I can do.
|
Collectivist - God does not matter look what we can do.
|
Progressivist - God does not matter look at what we are going to do.
|
Liberal - God does not matter look at what the government can do.
|
Post modernist - God does not matter because I feel good.
|
Hedonist - Can you loan me some more money so I can keep feeling good?
|
Debased wreck - Who can help me?
|
Christian - Look at what God has done.

To penetrate the depths of self-focus with the saving light of grace is one of the greatest supernatural acts I have seen.
 
From the OP - the supernatural has no place in the modern world).

The Supernatural has everything to do with this world, but the lack of the Supernatural, which is God, has been replaced by self and what self has caused in this world and their own lives. Separation from the one (God) who created everything and said it was good has lead to the creations own self destruction. Remember, when you point a finger three of those fingers point back to you.
 
Timf:
Great summation. Thank you!

Handy:
In my part of the country, people are muttering that the reason the Bible Belt was hammered by tornadoes recently was due to their misguided evangelical conservatism as well as their racist view on liberals. One person addressed this issue to me .... I countered with, since we also live in a stretch called 'tornado alley', then it must be because of the lack of true faith and all the hot air of liberal professors at the local & large university that cause this area to occasionally experience tornadoes, destructively high winds, and power outages. (The person quieted almost immediately.)

Without God (the Supernatural) in our lives, we really don't have anything except self. And, as Three Dog Night sang: "...One is the loneliest number....."
 
Christ_empowered said:
I just read a website recently (lost the link though) that said that Christians need to rediscover the supernatural roots of what happens around us. That website used the example of earthquakes. Lots of Christians--including me--look at that and go "oh, yeah, the Earth is going haywire because of XYZ," and we totally ignore that God makes things happen. We'll look at the economies around the world and say "oh, well, country X made these mistakes, and this affected countries Y and Z," totally ignoring the fact that both prosperity and hardship come from our God.

So, of course, I had to think about this one. Its true, isn't it? I mean, its hard to believe that God is making everything all around you happen when the secular world has hammered into you that there's a rational explanation. I guess its like saying we're allowed to have our God, as long as our God doesn't actually *do* anything, you know?

But how far do we take it? We can't know the mind of God, obviously, so it seems a bit dangerous to say, for instance "disaster came upon country Y because of their pagan ways," when the rain falls and sun shines on good and bad alike--there's a certain amount of both joy and suffering given to everyone simply because they're alive on God's earth.

Still, I think I'm personally going to have to re-evaluate how I look at things around me. I guess its part of my ongoing project to develop a Christian Worldview. Also, the truly human part in me needs to "re-enchant" the world. In Sociology, there's a term--"dis-enchantment of the world"--that describes the process by which eventually everything becomes explained in terms of science and modern thought. Fairies, elves, demons, even God are replaced by tectonic plates, global warming, neurology, and psychology (even if these explanations are later found to be lacking, the message is clear: the supernatural has no place in the modern world).

What do you all think? How do you recapture the supernatural as you look at the world around you without ignoring meaningful modern insights?
Click to expand...

There were giants in the Bible...

Genesis 6:4:There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.

There were also ghosts....

1 Samuel 28:14-15:<sup class="versenum" id="en-KJV-7957">14</sup>And he said unto her, What form is he of? And she said, An old man cometh up; and he is covered with a mantle. And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face to the ground, and bowed himself. <sup class="versenum" id="en-KJV-7958">15</sup>And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up? And Saul answered, I am sore distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams: therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest make known unto me what I shall do.


There is divination....


Genesis 44:!5:And Joseph said unto them, What deed is this that ye have done? wot ye not that such a man as I can certainly divine?
 
While I definitely attribute many of the things we have to Gods good grace and loving hand,I dont think that its reasonable/fair to say that Hes is responsible for everything.

I agree that many of the problems we see in society are the direct result of ignoring God and disobeying his wishes.We can see that in our own country.As we step further from God and seek to erase all traces of His existence,we also see crime rates rising,corruption that knows no bounds and general stupidity increasing exponentially.

Even so,I wouldnt say that God directly sends every hardship we experience.Much of it is caused by us directly.We as individuals decide to do bad things.This in turn affects people locally and spreads to that society as a whole.Corruption is like a contagion in that regard.

I do think God does directly intervene at times.I would agree that He does allow us to experience some pretty harsh things in order to teach us a lesson,or prepare us to do work later down the line.

Moving back toward the supernatural,we still see alot of things we just cant explain.Some of us Im sure have lived in haunted houses..I know I have.Places like the bermuda triangle continue to confound the experts,though they attempt to throw explanations on the table for the sake of just having one.

There is definitely an effort to de-mystify everything.Most who have an interest in the paranormal and unexplained are seen as weirdos,even when science cannot explain what is clearly a re-occurring phenomenon.I think its just easier for people to accept even a half-baked naturalistic theory rather than admit that something strange is occurring and that they simply cannot explain it.Im sure it also helps dodge the looming question of life after death and its related implications.
 
Couldn't one make the argument that God does make everything happen, even when events seem predictable based on what we know about the world around us (probably following rules God put into place) ? I'm just wondering, for myself, if maybe I've created an artificial divide between natural vs supernatural. Something happens and it follows rules XYZ--natural; God is not involved. Something crazy happens not following rules XYZ--supernatural, God is involved. What if God is involved in everything, and its the supernatural events that just make us think more (if at all) about His existence and power?

Look at aging. Science says free radicals plus any number of other changes--slower metabolism, increased susceptibility to infection, possibly senility--cause this process, arguably the bane of our existence in a youth obsessed society. God says that death came upon us after The Fall. Could it be that "aging" is God in action? The price for our own sins, and the sins of those before us? And that maybe it just shows up in a regular pattern, in ways that science is just now beginning to understand?

I'm just thinking out loud.
 
for_his_glory said:
From the OP - the supernatural has no place in the modern world).

The Supernatural has everything to do with this world, but the lack of the Supernatural, which is God, has been replaced by self and what self has caused in this world and their own lives. Separation from the one (God) who created everything and said it was good has lead to the creations own self destruction. Remember, when you point a finger three of those fingers point back to you.[/QUOTE]

For His glory:

Yes, this is quite a thought provoking expression, isn't it?
Click to expand...
 
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