Acts of God Is the Bible a rational basis for belief in God and our ethics?© 2007 by David Sztybel, Ph.D.
“God Creating the Stars,” painting on the ceiling
of the Sistine Chapel by Michelangelo Buonarroti (1508-12)Is the Bible of the utmost moral worth? Millions of people assume that it is. However, there is a rational procedure for evaluating this very question. We cannot evaluate the moral worth of the Bible by examining human actions depicted in its stories, for humans are imperfect. So any moral failings by humans in the Bible are to be expected, or are presumably there just to be instructive.
Acts of God, however, are another matter. God is supposed to be perfect, including perfectly moral. So it would be a rational procedure to evaluate the moral worth of the Bible by isolating the acts of God in it, and then evaluating these. These acts in turn are supposed to be perfect. To me, perfect moral goodness means creating the greatest possible good, and avoiding all avoidable bad. That may seem simplistic, but is not the best the most good and the least bad? I investigate the rational basis of ethics in other writings (see other works on my website, especially, “The Rights of Animal Persons,” for an outline of my theory, best caring ethics, which, by the way, is not a variety of utilitarianism).
I performed in full just such an evaluation of the Bible, confident that it was a rational step to take. My findings shocked even me. I found that if you sort out the acts of God, nearly 780 of them, into A. unconditional good will, B. conditional good will, and C. ill will, fully 76% of the acts of God fall into the third and worst category, and all of the rest can perhaps best be construed as falling into B. This indeed is an arresting conclusion, given that all of the acts of God are supposed to be perfectly divine and therefore should all be in A. This is the first time a comprehensive analysis of the Bible using this rational procedure has been carried out.
Is Noah’s Ark a nice story to tell children, or a report of a
near-total genocide by God of all life on Earth?Painting by Edward Hicks (1780-1849)
The Bible is full of evidence that God of the Bible by-and-large manifests an ill will. He threatens to kill all of the Jews twice because they worshipped a molten calf (Exod 32:10-14) and because they complained about life in the desert (Num 14:12-16) but Moses talks his Lord out of this plan. God commands the Jews in several books of the Old Testament (e.g., Joshua, Deuteronomy) to genocidally wipe out whole city states so that the ancient Hebrews can claim the land and resources for themselves. God consumed two sons of Aaron in flame because they burnt incense in the wrong way. (Lev 10:10-12) Crimes “meriting” capital punishment include touching Mount Sinai, (Exod 19:12-13) being judged a “false prophet” based on unspecified criteria, (Deut 13:1-5) practicing homosexuality, (Lev 20:13), failing to remain a virgin until marriage (applies to women only), (Deut 22:13-21) working on the Sabbath, (Exod 31:15) eating on the mountains, coming near a menstruating woman, not paying debts, and engaging in lending money with interest. (Ezek 18:5-9)
Is the New Testament any better? First, the New Testament repeatedly endorses the Old Testament. (1 John 2:7, Matt 5:17, John 7:19, Heb 12:20) Second, the New Testament has divine ill will all its own. Jesus said: “Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.” (Matt 10:34) Jesus also commanded: “But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me.” (Luke 19:27) However, these examples are but the tip of the iceberg. Read the full and interesting catalogue of acts of God (things God does, inspires people to say, or divinely empowers others to act out) in Acts of God. The chapters are organized by type of acts of God and together form an intriguing portrait of biblical divinity. Colorful stories are brought to life, and a clear style is used to appeal to the general reader, while a testable argument is launched which is of interest to scholars.
Relevant objections need to be considered. Is the Biblical God really to be expected to manifest perfect good will? Is this classification valid for all official versions of the Bible? Is not what is good the same as the will of God, and therefore are not all of the acts of God in the Bible automatically morally good? Are Dr. Sztybel’s classifications defensible given the evidence? Is not the Bible often meant to be metaphorical or allegorical rather than literal? Has this not been said before? All of these objections are rigorously addressed in Acts of God.
It is important to note that it is not being argued to be irrational to believe in God or ethics. On the contrary, a rational basis for ethics is supported by Dr. Sztybel and expounded more extensively in other works. Also, it is acknowledged that people believe in divinity as an explanation for the order in the universe, the seeming prevalence of good over ills, and as a result of mystical experiences. None of these and other grounds can simply be dismissed out of hand as reasons without being as dogmatic as religionists are often derided as being. However, these are not necessarily biblically based reasons for belief in the divine or ethics but rather philosophical and empirical reasons (although to some the Bible will be viewed as a record of mystical experiences). Nor is it being claimed that the Bible has no moral goodness. The injunction, “Love thy neighbor as thyself,” is found in both the Old and New Testaments, (Lev 19:18, Mark 12:31, Romans 13:9) and is perhaps unsurpassed in its moral inspiration and beauty.
Can we base our belief in God or ethics in the Bible?
“The Creation of Adam,” painting from the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel by Michelangelo Buonarroti (1508-12)
About the Author
David Sztybel completed a doctorate majoring in ethics, with a minor in the philosophy of religion, at the University of Toronto, Canada. He has also lectured in ethics at Queen’s University, Canada. He wrote the bulk of Acts of God while completing his doctorate. He has had numerous article on ethics published in scholarly journals. He now teaches Sociology at Brock University.
Acts of God Is a Not-For-Profit Book
I first wrote this book while doing my doctorate on a completely different topic that had virtually nothing to do with the Bible. It was something that grew out of the horror and upset I felt when I first seriously tried to read the Bible as a young man to see if I could reconnect with my cultural heritage, which was Jewish. Could it sit well with the philosophical ideals that I had developed? I was convinced that unconditional good will was part of the best way of life. I still believe that, although my view does not so narrowly focus on benevolence; there are other factors relevant to ethics. Indeed, religionists themselves generally mean well. But that is not enough. The harm caused by Biblical conservatism is monstrous: homophobia, racism, sexism, and other vices I explore in Part III of Acts of God. I did try to get the book published. Some major houses were very interested and then decided not to undertake the project after all. An academic publisher thought it was not multi-lingual enough. A more popular press thought it was too academic since it has many citations (which it must, since it looks at all acts of God in the Bible!). And so it went. In the end it seemed to me that these people did not have the courage to publish something that should get out there, and I have had enough of waiting. Publishing it for free will hopefully maximize its accessibility. I believe that Biblical conservatism is a social pathology that I wish to resist whole-heartedly, and holding the work back unless a fee is paid perhaps goes contrary to that end. I hope that the book will further true inquiry and do good in the world. I appeal to others to help publicize the work that it may be discussed, debated, and so that more social progress can be made. Make no mistake: this book is not an enemy of spirituality, and does not logically entail its negation. If we go by the spirit of the Biblical law, of “Love thy neighbour as thyself,” a maxim found in both Testaments as I document, perhaps we shall not go too far wrong. Following the letter of the law, though, the words of humans that are only too easily said to be divine, we shall create hardship and harm and then call that “best,” as if “best” could coherently mean anything other than the most good and the least bad for each and every individual who may be dignified with rights. So I offer the book freely, that it may help to free minds from rigid customs that have proven retrogressive. May it do justice to the Bible, and “do justice” period.
Like many, you may find this new analysis of the Bible stories to be both enlightening and entertaining. Certainly it is controversial, and invites interest from all sides of debate. Discover how the true nature of the Bible's acts of God is one of the world's best-kept secrets, hidden in plain sight! Start reading Acts of God today in order rationally to evaluate for yourself the Bible as a basis for belief in God or as the foundation of morality. Tell friends, family, and colleagues about this project as they too may be interested in joining the debate.
Advance Praise for Acts of God
"Without doubt, the long list of horrors that Sztybel extracts from the Bible and presents in unrelenting fashion will be acutely painful for many potential readers. Many will feel provoked to respond....I often do public debates on religious topics and I found the earlier draft he gave me a very useful reference book. I'm sure others will, too. Acts of God is an important and timely book."
James Robert Brown, Philosophy Professor, University of Toronto
Click here to access your free copy of Acts of God in Portable Document Format (PDF), 429 KB (154 pages).
Please be patient as it is a rather large file so it takes a while.
Someone wrote to me that they cannot handle a file that large, so:
- Acts of God 1 [188 KB; 65 pages]
- Acts of God 2 [109 KB; 40 pages]
- Acts of God 3 [140 KB; 50 pages]
Additions for Future Editions
The book is currently complete in its first edition. However, the author is interested in creating a new edition inasmuch as new material warrants it. Readers are invited to submit acts of God from the Bible that may have been accidentally missed, or reasons for alternative interpretations of the acts of God. Any new findings may be forwarded to the author at sztybel@post.queensu.ca and of course credit to any who help add to the analysis will freely be given.
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