Do I Believe in Divine Protection?
John Loftus asks:
Really, do you? Then why is it that God’s divine protection is indistinguishable from chance? And why do you act as if there is none? (http://debunkingchristianity.blogspot.com/2010/08/christian-do-you-really-believe-in.html)
Yep, I do.
But here’s a good question: what is chance? One of the definitions provided by Merriam-Webster is,“the assumed impersonal purposeless determiner of unaccountable happenings”. Their other definition (which I like much better) is: “something that happens unpredictably without discernible human intention or observable cause”. As an example; if I throw a piece of dice into the air, we might ask, ‘what are the chances of it landing on six’? (1/6th) Aside from performing some basic calculations on how many sides to a die there are, we really couldn’t say (I might throw a die as many times as needed, and still not role a six). The ‘chance’ involves how the dice is thrown, how far it’s thrown, how it rotates, wind resistance, how it falls, on what angle is strikes a surface, how it bounces, the weight of the dice (including the ink), etc. It seems to me that chance, in this instance, is an umbrella term for a number of factors that we’re aware of — there may be other factors we aren’t aware of — but have no way of faithfully and / or accurately calculating. The reason I like the second definition over the first is that chance isn’t a thing-in-itself — there is no such thing as an ‘impersonal purposeless determiner of unaccountable happenings’. Especially if we’re assuming a materialistic framework; there are only physical causes.
The charge then appears to be: because we cannot determine a pattern or reason to divine protection, it is therefore indistinguishable from chance, and therefore we should not believe in it (because there are not good reasons for believing in God, and other such things). Another good question would be: if we assume God exists, and He is vastly beyond our comprehension, how would we be able to determine when divine protection occurs? For instance, is an act of divine protection a distinct and obvious event, or can it be (or is it) hidden in natural events? Furthermore, does a lack of divine protection indicate it does not happen? I don’t think so.
Unless there were some way to distinguish between divine protection, and ‘chance’, then this seems to me the wrong question to ask. Not that it’s phrased all that fairly. Perhaps we should consider an example of divine protection in the Bible (an example taken from my father-in-laws sermon, this past Sunday):
Daniel 3:8–18
8For this reason at that time certain Chaldeans came forward and brought charges against the Jews.
9They responded and said to Nebuchadnezzar the king: “O king, live forever!
10“You, O king, have made a decree that every man who hears the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery, and bagpipe and all kinds of music, is to fall down and worship the golden image.
11“But whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire.
12“There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the administration of the province of Babylon, namely Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego. These men, O king, have disregarded you; they do not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have set up.”
13Then Nebuchadnezzar in rage and anger gave orders to bring Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego; then these men were brought before the king.
14Nebuchadnezzar responded and said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up?
15“Now if you are ready, at the moment you hear the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery and bagpipe and all kinds of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, very well But if you do not worship, you will immediately be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire; and what god is there who can deliver you out of my hands?”
16Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter.
17“If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king.
18“But even if He does not, (W)let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”
We may reasonably assume that acts of divine protection align with God’s divine will, that makes it a mysterious thing. Some good questions.
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