With Easter and Passover coming soon, it's time to look at what scientists have to say about the stories in the Bible. British scientist Colin J. Humphrey says Mount Sinai, where Moses received God's Law, is really in Saudi Arabia, and not in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, because the mountain must have been an active volcano, since it shook and emitted fire and smoke (Exodus 19:18). He thinks the site is Mount Bedr in northwestern Saudi Arabia, since there were no ancient volcanoes in what was later named the Sinai Peninsula. And he thinks the "burning bush" was caused by flammable natural gas or volcanic gas escaping from a small vent in the ground. Another scientist thinks Christ didn't die on the cross, but was drugged instead.
Some scholars say Exodus couldn't have happened because the arid wilderness couldn't have provided food and water for 603,550 men (the usual translation of Numbers 1:46), or 2 million people, counting women and children. But Humphreys says the Hebrew word often translated "thousand" also means "clan" or "troop," which could reduce the number to 20,000.
He thinks the Red Sea crossing occurred at the Gulf of Aqaba, near present-day Eilat. The Israelites could have escaped thanks to a powerful "wind tide" or "wind setdown," a natural phenomenon that would allow people to hurry across the sea floor. Then the sea water returned through a "wind setup" and drowned the Egyptians.
He thinks that escalating natural disasters explain each of the 10 "plagues" that convinced Pharaoh to let the Israelite slaves leave. The Nile "turned to blood" means that toxic red algae killed fish; the dead fish forced frogs ashore; gnats and flies were drawn to the dead fish and frogs; then insects transmitted a virus that killed livestock, etc.
Canadian neuroscientist Michael Persinger has an explanation for the Resurrection. He performed experiments with rats studying temporal-lobe epilepsy. Patients with temporal-lobe epilepsy temporarily lose consciousness but don't suffer grand mal seizures. Some people think this disease can explain UFO and religious experiences. He discovered that when rats are injected with the certain drugs while being physically restrained, their body temperature plummets and they appeared to have died. But three days later the rats revived, although their brains were extensively damaged and they had lost their memories.
Persinger says Christ may have had temporal-lobe sensitivity, which could explain his religious experiences (such as being tempted by Satan). He was immobilized on the cross. But how would he have gotten the right drug? He was given a sponge of what is described as "vinegar" to drink; maybe this was actually a plant extract that induced a trance-like state. He thinks Christ may not have been recognized after death by the disciples and others who had known him, due to his brain damage.
Of course, it could be that the resurrection simply happened. Learn the suppressed secret behind the Middle East conflict?a secret that dates back to Biblical times.
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