Localized Weather Disasters

 Natural evil is a difficult concept to define and difficult to explain. The GotQuestions.org website defines natural evil as follows: “Natural evil is that which causes pain and suffering to humanity but which is NOT due to direct human involvement. Congenital diseases, tsunamis, earthquakes, droughts, and famine are all  outcomes of natural evil.”

In the past year there have been increasing instances of natural evil publicized in the media. For this post our focus will be on tornadoes and hurricanes. Tragically, these violent weather events have caused fatalities. The danger of tornadoes in the United States frequently occurs in springtime when tornadoes are generated on the Great Plains of the United States while hurricanes are generated over warm oceans from early summer to late autumn. 

This country has a geographic region sometimes dubbed “tornado alley” where  tornadoes commonly occur from March to June.  Cold, dry air masses from the north funnel south and collide with warm, moist air masses from southern water bodies producing conditions favorable to tornado formation. This happens on the Great Plains, a broad flatland area generally between the Rocky Mountains and the Mississippi River. More tornadoes occur in this region than in all other countries of the world combined.

There is a caveat to the nickname “tornado alley.” The Great Plains region of the United States is  known as the “breadbasket of the United States” sometimes even the “breadbasket of the world.” Grain crops thrive better in Great Plains alternating warm and cold seasons. Crops are widely exported to other countries of the world. The Ice Age left behind rich glacial soils when the thick layer of ice melted—ideal for agricultural production.

Planet Earth is the only satellite in the universe known to possess life. Therefore, it is the only satellite where death occurs. The implications of this fact are far-reaching in terms of the existence of natural evil. We conclude that natural evil is most meaningful in relation to the ability of living creatures to experience death, suffering, or pain. In this respect Earth is a unique planet in our universe. There are many reasons why Earth is unique as a home for humanity. A few science authors have offered plentiful justification that there may be no other planet on which human life could possibly exist, in spite of their boundless optimism that other locations in our universe provide the necessary environment for sentient humanity.

Scientists have used a humorous phrase to describe vital planetary physical conditions for human life. The conditions must be in the just right “Goldilocks Zone,” not too much, not too little: (1) just right temperature, not too hot, not too cold (2) just right quantity and phase of water, and (3) just right atmospheric composition. Our list is incomplete—many other conditions must be “fine-tuned.”

Our planetary weather system functions because heat is its driving force:

https://jasscience.blogspot.com/2019/03/weather-is-all-about-heat.html

Heat energy arrives from the sun by infrared radiation. When it arrives on Earth the thermal energy is transferred from one location to another. Conduction, convection, and radiation are methods of heat travel. Planet Earth is a water world. Without an adequate supply of water, life would not be present on our planet. When liquid water evaporates or water vapor condenses, an enormous quantity of heat is generated. Latent heat of evaporation and latent heat of condensation are terms to describe such heat transfer. Thermal heat energy fuels the formation of tornadoes and hurricanes in our atmosphere. Likewise, if we did not have an atmosphere of nitrogen and oxygen in plentiful supply, life as we know it would not exist.

In many past posts we have stated that Earth is “a place to thrive,” not “a place of brokenness and despair.” However, the operating system designed by Our Creator for the present created world allows for events such as tornadoes, hurricanes, and many other weather tragedies. Skeptics have inquired why God does not eliminate every instance of natural evil if He is the omnibenevolent Divine Creator. A statistical study of human fatalities caused by natural evil reveal that human fatalities from tornadoes and hurricanes and other tragedies are actually quite rare—a tiny fraction of 1%. We do not trivialize any human death but the description of Planet Earth as “a place to thrive” is still appropriate. Humanity is gifted with the ability to avoid many destructive outcomes of natural evil.    

Tornadoes, hurricanes, and all other manifestations of natural evil will not be evident in the New Creation described in the last two chapters of scripture—Revelation 21 and 22.      

Modern Tragedies

 Air disasters have been highlighted in our media to an unusual degree in 2025. Multiple people have lost their lives in airline disasters. Fatal weather disasters have also proliferated. Over the years this blog has reported on many current weather disasters and human-caused tragic events. These events have caused many residents to wonder if our planet is a place of brokenness and despair, or conversely, a place to thrive. 

In the past several years the phenomenon of war has been responsible for a significantly greater quantity of human deaths. The Ukrainian War beginning in 2022 and the Israel-Gaza War starting in 2023 have thrown these geographic regions into strife and chaos. At the same time many journalists have speculated that natural disasters have multiplied owing to global warming. Whatever the cause, many secular people have wondered why the Creator of humanity permits pain and death to exist on Planet Earth if He is an omnibenevolent and omnipotent God. This is a question people of faith commonly address in conversations with secular doubters.

Many tragedies are traceable to the presence of evil on our planet. A search for the definition of evil reveals wide-ranging results. Evil is recognized as something causing harm. What sort of harm are we talking about? Let us categorize two types of harm—moral harm and physical harm. These categories may help us understand categories of evil.

Moral evil is the source of most of the strife in our world. Humanity has a natural sense of what is right and what is wrong. Our world has people who commit wrong even though they betray their natural sense of what is right and what is wrong. This betrayal is a deliberate act. The natural sense of right and wrong is codified in the Old Testament by the Ten Commandments Moses received from God on Mount Sinai. Moral evil is evident in wars fought between or within nations where humans are depravedly killed. The Ten Commandments forbid many other moral evils.

Natural evil occurs in a different category of reality. Natural evil implies that the evil occurs in nature. The term natural evil connotes that physical harm results. For example, tornadoes and earthquakes occur in the world of nature. Physical harm, perhaps even death, results. Natural evil, therefore, is not the result of human behavior. Natural evil is more “multi-faceted.” Hugh Ross of the Reasons to Believe ministry prefers the term natural suffering rather than natural evil. 

An even more difficult question is why an omnibenevolent and omnipotent Creator permits suffering, premature death, and disease to occur. To this question, there is no clear answer except that God has a higher purpose unknown to humanity. The Old Testament Book of Job 42:2 relates Job’s thoughts: I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted (ESV). Many theologians have researched and discussed these topics in great detail. We encourage readers to make a serious study of these challenging issues.

  

   

Open-ended Questions

Recently we witnessed a wondrous recovery of US astronauts from the ISS (International Space Station). Two astronauts had planned to be on the orbiting space station just a few days. Technical problems prevented their return from the test mission and they were stranded on the ISS since June 2024. On March 18, 2025 they returned to Earth in a SpaceX capsule, splashing down in the Gulf of America near Tallahassee, FL. They experienced a trip in space aboard the ISS for an unexpectedly long nine-month visit.

In the 1950s US and Russian scientists started sending space vehicles into orbit around our spherical Earth. In order to inject a satellite into orbit, many laws of nature established by the Creator must be followed with great precision. For example, a satellite must achieve orbital speed of approximately 17,500 mph. The precision required for the achievements of the 1950s appear minimal compared with the currently orbiting ISS which was built starting in 1998 after being proposed by President Ronald Reagan in 1984. It is an international symbol of human cooperation as well as an outstanding human technological achievement. The modular space station was assembled in orbit but the modules were built on the surface of the Earth.

Humanity’s adventures in outer space are not directly addressed in the initial creation chapters of the Bible. Genesis 1:28 mandates humans to “have dominion over” living things. By extension, we may infer that humans are mandated to give attention to ALL aspects of God’s physical creation—light, sky, and land—as well as thousands of living plants and animals supported by the physical creation. In the thousands of years before human space travel, authors of Scripture were inspired to exult in all aspects of God’s creation. Psalm 8:6 proclaims, “You have given him dominion (authority) over the works of your hands…” Psalm 8:9 adds an appropriate benediction: “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!”

“Having dominion over” the outer space environment and our control of space vehicles operating in that environment is a challenging task. In the past century these challenges have been presented to humanity. Starting in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, scientists began proposing space flights supported by rockets. Perhaps they were inspired by Jules Verne’s science fiction novels. Before Germany surrendered to conclude World War II, they developed advanced rocket technology. The US, Russia, and other countries expanded rocket technology after World War II and used leftover German V-2 rockets to enhance their space programs. Rocket technology has morphed into satellite and space travel technology. During the Cold War following World War II, several startling events occurred such as the launching of satellites by the USSR and the USA in 1957-58 followed by manned visits to the Moon from 1969 to 1972. The Space Race had begun.

Space technology has resulted in both positive and negative outcomes. The promise of benefits from dozens of ISS projects is complicated by international ambition and competition. In an ideal world we would focus only on the benefits of the multinational space program. Do the positives outweigh the negatives?  

The startling cost of constructing the ISS was $150 billion as of 2010. The ISS has been continually occupied since 2000 at a cost of $3 billion/year. Elon Musk, founder of SpaceX, proposes de-orbiting the ISS as soon as possible, perhaps within two years. He advocates deep space probes resulting in a manned colony on the planet Mars. According to Musk, this could happen before the end of the current decade. Is this realistic? Is it probable? 

Recovery of our astronauts from the ISS has served to remind us of the early days of the US space program. We close with three personal memories from the early United States space program and link past blog posts where we discussed the events in more detail.

On Friday, October 4, 1957 I arose before dark in order not to be late for my first college class. I was a college student commuting from home. Media outlets had informed us when the newly launched Russian space vehicle, Sputnik, would pass overhead and become visible in the pre-dawn darkness. At the scheduled time, the 2nd stage rocket launch vehicle was visible. The launch vehicle and tiny satellite were traveling 17,500 mph. The satellite and the launch vehicle were in low earth orbit about 62 miles above the Earth and circled the earth every 90 minutes. This Russian scientific feat was unanticipated by United States scientists:      

https://jasscience.blogspot.com/2008/07/progressive-science-education.html

From 1957 to 1968, United States space scientists recovered from their early failure and sent astronauts to the Moon. My personal recollection is a television broadcast from three US astronauts in orbit around the Moon on Christmas Eve—December 24, 1968. From my small screen color TV, came a spectacular Christmas message. Astronauts Borman, Lovell, and Anders each took turns reading a few verses from Genesis 1:1-10. The effect on millions of people around the world watching live TV from the Moon was electric! The related blog post:

https://jasscience.blogspot.com/2010/12/blue-marble.html

We also retain memories of perhaps the most spectacular scientific achievement of humanity—astronauts landing on Earth’s Moon and returning safely to our planet. In July 1969, my uncle, my cousin, and I travelled to the western states on a three week trip. After visits to many US national parks, we were returning home through the state of New Mexico. Our automobile radio had kept us informed of the progress of the Apollo 11 crew. We stopped at a New Mexico motel in the early evening of July 20, 1969 just in time to view the TV screen with two of our nation’s astronauts walking on the Moon’s surface:

https://jasscience.blogspot.com/2009/07/to-moon-and-back.html

We close with an open-ended question from Job 38:33: Do you know the ordinances of the heavens? Can you establish their rule on the earth? (ESV) 

   

 

Science and Faith--Allies, not Enemies

 Science makes human life more enjoyable and fulfilling. Faith, our religious belief system, imparts future and eternal significance to our lives. Individually, each entity is valuable, but linked together, they create synergy. One need not be a member of the clergy, a scientist, or a science educator to understand and benefit from the science/faith relationship. 

Scientific knowledge has increased dramatically since the beginning of the Scientific Revolution in the 16th century. In like manner, theological knowledge has also expanded as scholars have studied Scripture and the physical world to deepen their knowledge of the Christian faith. In our day It should be easy to discover how science and faith affirm one another. Unfortunately, many secular scientists do not perceive the relationship of the two realms.

The purpose of our blog is to demonstrate the linkage of science and faith. Some  challenge the validity of this linkage. They subscribe to the proposal of a well known scientist who popularized the acronym NOMA—non-overlapping magisteria—areas of inquiry. The scientist, Stephen Jay Gould (1941-2002) was an evolutionary biologist who may have strengthened popular doubt about whether topics of faith and science affirm each other. Gould’s NOMA acronym may have affirmed the common belief that science and faith are not related.

Even scientists who believe science and faith are mutually supportive do not propose that science discoveries prove God’s existence. Rather, they may cite a preponderance of evidence—a legal term defined as “a high level of likelihood.” Other legal terms such as beyond a reasonable doubt may apply to topics such as God’s existence, the creative activity of God, the issue of evolution, and the subject of miracles. The relationship of science and faith is a complex issue in our society. It is not enough to merely state that science and faith are mutually supportive. That proposal cries out for a vigorous defense.

We illustrate with a past post:

https://jasscience.blogspot.com/2010/06/intuition-and-induction.html

We exercise our intuition and powers of induction when we affirm characteristics of God, the Creator. Do we intuitively detect the existence of God by observing complex design features in the natural world wherever we look? Do we use inductive science to fortify our faith and belief in the reality of the Creator? 

We close by citing a 2025 volume published by RTB Press, Revealing God in Science. Reasons to Believe is an evangelical apologetics ministry dedicated to promoting the principle that Science and the Christian faith are allies, not enemies.

Revealing God in Science is an outstanding work on the relationship of science and faith. Reasons to Believe founder, Hugh Ross has stated that the Bible expresses accurate scientific claims. Ross is only one of twelve scientists of diverse backgrounds making a powerful case for the alliance of science and faith in this volume.     

   

    

AI and Automation

 A strange, unfamiliar term has recently entered our lexicon. The term is artificial intelligence (AI). How and when did this term first enter our awareness? In 1956 a small group of mathematicians at Dartmouth College held a workshop to focus on the possibility of “thinking machines.” This group is credited with founding the field of artificial intelligence, currently known as AI. Not only is AI an unfamiliar term, but nomenclature related to AI is also unfamiliar to many people. There are many terms related to AI which must be defined and studied in order to understand the benefits and drawbacks of AI.

Acquaintances have joined our personal quest to discover the potentialities of AI. My inquiry took me back to my high school graduation ceremony. I was honored to deliver a student address at my graduation. The topic—Industry—was selected for me by my class adviser. Not only did my adviser assist me in selecting my overall topic but he also suggested I should discuss automation in my address. The term was unfamiliar to me and most of my high school classmates in the mid-20th century. 

Industrialists still practice automation, the technology to perform repetitive tasks without human intervention. The term automation was first used in 1946 by executives in the automotive industry. Automation and AI are sometimes mistakenly used interchangeably. AI creates systems able to learn, reason, and make decisions like a human. Even young children use their intelligence to learn from their experience. For example, toddlers learn to walk by observing the effects of gravity on their bodies and making decisions to adjust their muscle movements. The action of children manipulating toys and games is based on their decision-making capabilities. Artificial intelligence, therefore, is not really artificial in the sense that artificial sometimes means “not genuine.” AI is clearly a genuine phenomenon in today’s world.

AI is of genuine concern to many people. When automation became a social issue during the mid-20th century some folks became uneasy. The same is even more true of AI, an exceedingly recent societal phenomenon of the 20th/21st century. It remains to be seen how modern societies ultimately respond to AI, driven as it is by the Information Age in which we are embedded. In particular, cell phones and personal computers affording access to the Internet have proliferated exponentially since 1990. The Information Age commenced at approximately mid-20th century.

Should modern man be fearful of a surfeit of information as members of society living in the Information Age? Our answer,—Yes, and No. We quote from an ACRT Journal article (ACRT stands for AI, Computer Science, and Robotic Technology): “AI is improving the quality of human life, but poses dangers from unintended disastrous and undesirable outcomes if unregulated.” 

There are many beneficial aspects of AI relating to efficiency and productivity. Healthcare practices could benefit from AI. Self-driving cars could supply advantages if we convince traditional drivers of their safety. Most residents have been connected to chat rooms at our banks or businesses. Some folks still must be persuaded that the helpful person who chats with us on the other end of the line is not an actual person.  

We have encountered several undesirable dimensions of AI. The term AI Agent describes a software program which autonomously performs tasks for the user by perceiving their environment, making decisions, and taking actions to achieve specific goals. These are not personal, human goals. They are the goals of the AI Agent! The software could write an “original” essay, or generate a video which pictures human beings who do not actually exist performing tasks which do not actually happen. A recent example is a video of Barron Trump giving a speech. These outcomes could be the result of algorithms capable of producing novel, original content. These outcomes  may be described under the heading of “Generative AI” a term that is largely self-explanatory. Generative AI and machine learning are related concepts.

Intelligence is a gift of The Creator. Likewise, consciousness is God’s gift to advanced forms of living entities. The two concepts are related. We propose that AI mimics the intelligent abilities of humanity. Perceived this way, we propose that bio-scientists inadvertently acknowledge amazing gifts endowed to living beings by The Creator of All Things. 

Our previous post from 2-18-23 deals with similar issues. I recommend readers access this link as an addendum to the current post:

https://jasscience.blogspot.com/2023/02/artificial-intelligence-or-human.html

   

     

      

  

Earth/Moon System

 Searching through past posts we encounter the term system many times. Examples are body systems such as visual and auditory systems. We have also dealt with wonders of the Solar System. The above-mentioned systems are composed of many sub-systems. Any system or sub-system is defined as “a group of interrelated, interacting components forming a complex entity.” Our physical universe is composed of many complex systems. When we make detailed studies of such systems we reinforce the concept that our universe has many hallmarks of being designed by a divine, intelligent Agent. We observe those hallmarks each day of our lives.

Scientists often describe the characteristics of Earth without reminding us that Earth is intrinsically part of a system—the Earth/Moon System. Our universe contains trillions of lifeless, ordinary planets. No other Solar System planet possesses such a sizable moon in relation to its own size. Planet Earth is special owing to the presence of our large satellite. The presence of our Moon is only one factor making Earth a habitable planet. Most astronomers agree that without the Moon, Earth would not be a habitable planet. Hugh Ross, founder of Reasons to Believe (RTB), produced a volume entitled The Genesis Question in 2001. He discusses (p. 31) how the Moon affects Earth in life-sustaining ways, including crustal iron abundance, tectonics, rotation rate, and vital axis tilt, among other processes. Ross states, “To those who express the desire to see a miracle, we can assure them they are looking at one whenever they gaze up at the Moon.”

There’s general agreement that Planet Earth without its Moon would experience changes in Earth’s climate and other conditions which preclude human life as we know it. Most especially, Earth residents would experience NO seasons. A previous post deals with the effects on humanity of an Earth without seasons. Our message in the post linked below is that Earth without seasons may result in undesirable health outcomes for humanity. In contrast, research has revealed that there are many positive outcomes when people experience seasonal changes. We link a past post:

https://jasscience.blogspot.com/2017/10/earth-without-seasons.html

The Bible lists examples of the benefits of seasonal change. Earth’s Moon is responsible for these seasonal changes. The popular scientific hypothesis of a giant impactor, protoplanet Theia, ultimately produced the Moon when it struck Planet Earth eons ago. The Theia impact created Earth’s 23.5 degree axis tilt which is responsible for Earth’s current seasons. Our current Moon stabilizes Earth’s axis tilt. Life-sustaining conditions on Earth result from the season-producing axis tilt of our home planet. 

Most astrophysicists subscribe to the hypothesis of a giant impactor—an example of a divine transformational miracle. God has performed many transformational miracles when He created our life-sustaining Earth/Moon System. Hugh Ross has published his ideas concerning different types of miracles, including the transformational miracle of the giant impactor which produced Earth’s Moon:

https://jasscience.blogspot.com/2017/11/our-miracle-immersed-planet.html

Geophysicists have produced lengthy treatises on many Moon related phenomena within our Earth/Moon system. Ocean tides are caused by the force of gravitation between Earth and Moon. Earth’s oceans are gravitationally drawn toward the Moon. The solid Earth is drawn away from Earth’s ocean water on the opposite side of the Earth. Each of the bodies revolves around a barycenter—the center of mass of two or more objects. Over many eons the Moon has been responsible for reducing the speed of rotation of the Earth because of the friction of tidal “bulges” as the planet rotates through them. A slower rotating Earth produces ideal daytime illumination appropriate for agricultural productivity and human comfort. We observe the Creator’s power in the things we perceive within our Earth/Moon System:

For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made…(Romans 1:20 ESV)