Last week it was reported by ABC, BBC, and NPR and others that a research study conducted by the U.S. National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) shows how wind could have parted the Red Sea. Could this be just another whacky U.S. government research program like that depicted in The Men Who Stare At Goats? Nope. NCAR is actually a very credible research institution located in Boulder, Colorado. NCAR’s mission is to “understand the behavior of the atmosphere and related physical, biological and social systems; to support, enhance and extend the capabilities of the university community and the broader scientific community – nationally and internationally; and to foster transfer of knowledge and technology for the betterment of life on Earth.”
NCAR’s latest finding is part of a larger study that looked at how wind affects water. ABC quotes the researchers as asserting, "The simulations match fairly closely with the account in Exodus. The parting of the waters can be understood through fluid dynamics. The wind moves the water in a way that's in accordance with physical laws, creating a safe passage with water on two sides and then abruptly allowing the water to rush back in."
The parting of the Red Sea is described in both the New Testament and the Koran. As the tale goes, Moses leads the Israelites away from the pharaoh and his advancing army. When Moses reaches the Red Sea, its waters part to let Moses and his followers pass without harm then crash back down, drowning the pharaoh’s army. The water parts, “by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided."
The modeling study supports a previous observation made by Alexander Tulloch, a British general who, in 1882, saw a strong nighttime wind blow a lake almost 4-1/2 miles.
Like the theory of the Missoula Flood, this finding provides scientific evidence in support of events described in ancient religious texts, showing again that literal interpretations of religious texts aren’t necessarily at odds with science. However, not all research studies that support events in the Old Testament are created equal. Last year, Noah's Ark Ministries International, a team of evangelical Christian explorers claimed that they had found remains of Noah’s ark on top of a mountain in Turkey1. The mainstream scientific community was dubious of the finding, at best. This is an example of a group taking their religious text as literal and then going out in search of evidence to support it. This is not sound science - they aren’t willing to modify or reject their hypothesis based on the evidence they discover. Another approach is to search for scientific evidence and determine, through the scientific method, whether the evidence might support their hypothesis of a biblical event truly occurring in our distant past.
Yet, although multiple modes of evidence, a personal account and a scientific modeling study, support the hypothesis of the Red Sea parting, the scientific debate is still open. As pointed out in the NPR article, we’ll never be, “100 percent sure until someone actually finds pieces of a chariot in the area.”
