Of God?

[ChrisWins]

Greetings.

Aurora Borealis aka the Northern Lights: act of God or scientifically occuring such as photosynthesis. I understand the sun is made by God and plants were made by God but does God direct photosynthesis to happen and does God direct the Northern Lights to happen? Or is this just a naturally occuring process as a result of God's creation?

Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

Thanks

 

[Yamialpha]

I personally believe that God created photosynthesis as means by which a plant can survive. I also believe that the Northern Lights, however, are just a coincidence unless they are means of survival for a species and we are unaware.

 

[Illuminatus]

Very basic explanation: Solar wind hits magnetosphere, creates light. Nothing supernatural about it, just simple astrophysics. There's a good article here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurora_borealis

 

[ChrisWins]

Very basic explanation: Solar wind hits magnetosphere, creates light. Nothing supernatural about it, just simple astrophysics. There's a good article here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurora_borealis

Living in Alaska and seeing the lights almost every week Fall->Spring I've looked up the hows and whys of the Aurora. I know the basics of what happens... but I read a statement by someone describing it as "God painting the heavens" so I got to wondering and that's why I asked. I'm not sure if I want to tell the person who made the statement that she's probably wrong and that the lights are just naturally occuring.

 

[Suffolk Sean]

Living in Alaska and seeing the lights almost every week Fall->Spring I've looked up the hows and whys of the Aurora. I know the basics of what happens... but I read a statement by someone describing it as "God painting the heavens" so I got to wondering and that's why I asked. I'm not sure if I want to tell the person who made the statement that she's probably wrong and that the lights are just naturally occuring.

Matthew 5:45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

Here it states God sends rain. We all know this is a natural process but the point being that God has set up a process (a law for the rain it says in Job). So why would it be bad to say that even though it is a natural process it is not of God?

 

[ChrisWins]

Matthew 5:45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

Here it states God sends rain. We all know this is a natural process but the point being that God has set up a process (a law for the rain it says in Job). So why would it be bad to say that even though it is a natural process it is not of God?

Well, I guess I am not going to say that the Aurora is not directed by God nor will I say it is. I just don't know. I wonder if scientifically some things just happen not directed by God but as an inevitable result of his creation. Does God direct an eclipse or does that just happen because of the way He set things up? Does God direct the Aurora or is it just an effect of the way He set things up?

I'm not deciding either way. It's a beautiful thought that God directs the lights but why only over mainly just the polar regions? I dunno.

 

[keliezimmer]

I believe the Northern Lights are the result of the processes that God set up when he created the Universe. This is a question that each individual has to decide for themselves and that no can answer for you, because it depends on your definition of God's role in the physical processes of our world. Does God set up the physical rules that govern the behavior of our world and just sit back and watch (like a computer)?? Or does God play an active role in his creations, say, sculpting the very direction and choosing the color and intensity of the lights for our benefit?? It's for you to decide how you define it.

Personally, I think God is everything and everywhere. I believe he designed a physical world and set up processes to make it go and then created us and gave us the senses with which to experience it. Everything that exists is his handiwork, so anything that occurs as a result of the things that exist are his handiwork as well, not only by natural default, but because he is his creation. For example, in the beginning there was nothing - void - and then there was an explosion of matter that produced our universe and the elements that make up everything that ever has or does exist. Most intelligent scientists would never try to convince you that they even have the tiniest fraction of an inkling as to what happened before or what caused this "Big Bang", all they can measure and dissect are the results of it. I personally believe it was the creation event. God created the universe from himself, because he is the only thing that existed, or exists. Before creation, during creation, and after, there is nothing but God. Wrapping my mind around that concept causes me a whole lot more awe and humility than a couple of pretty lights ! Although they are fantastic to watch!

 

[Andy Broadley]

Very basic explanation: Solar wind hits magnetosphere, creates light. Nothing supernatural about it, just simple astrophysics. There's a good article here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurora_borealis

If there are two words I would struggle to use together it would be 'simple' and 'astrophysics'!!

Seriously though, I'm sure God new what He was doing when he put this process in the design.