Ten Plagues were just natural imbalances says scientist

[Sarah]

The Ten Plagues of Egypt recounted in the Bible and which caused Pharaoh to let the Israelite slaves go free were nothing more than natural “population imbalances” caused by environmental factors, a leading scientist has claimed.

Professor Roger Wotton, a biologist at University College London, says in the student academic journal Opticon 1826 says the dramatic series of events, that included the Nile turning to blood and a plague of frogs, are explicable as natural phenomena.

He does not deny that God could have instigated the events - if God does indeed exist. But he concludes: “Perhaps the Ten Plagues teach us that many explanations are possible for one series of events, and warn against allowing belief in the truth of one explanation to inspire fundamentalism.”

Professor Wotton, who specialises in zoology and aquatic biology, says the plagues, described in the Book of Exodus, were central to the liberation of the Jewish people from the oppression of the Egyptians.

“The succession of disasters demoralised the Egyptians and were seen as a victory for Jewish monotheistic beliefs,” he argues, going on to propose a series of natural explanations.

He supports his thesis by using the example such as the explosion in the rabbit population in Australia caused after they were introduced there with no natural predators, and aided by their high rate of reproduction. He also describes the proliferation of ladybirds in parts of Europe in the dry summer of 1976.

“It was difficult to drive through some parts of Europe without encountering swarms of ladybirds that required windscreen wipers and washers to be operated at maximum,” he says.

“Tabloid newspapers in the 80s referred to AIDS as the ‘Gay Plague’,” he says. “It is not easy to be rational when faced with a plague and mythical accounts, often focusing on divine retribution and the supernatural, are common.”

“Myths” arise around natural events when no rational explanation is immediately apparent, he argues. Christians and Jews accept the stories of the Ten Plagues of Egypt.

The events described in Exodus precipitated the triumph of monotheism over polytheism in the ancient world, and that in turn led to the foundation of Islam.

Professor Wotton says the plagues probably did happen, but argues they have been “embellished, ordered and described through the lens of religious mythology.”

The “rivers of blood” could have been caused by heavy rainfall on baked soil, leading to sediment-rich water flowing into the Nile from tributaries where the underlying soil and rocks are red. Egyptians often spoke of the “red lands” surrounding the fertile, “black lands” they occupied. The sediments would also have killed the fish, as described in the Bible, he says.

The plague of frogs could have been migrating frogs, or the sudden appearance of the froglike Spadefoot toads from hiding places in damp undersoil after a sudden rainfall.

Similarly, the plague of lice could have been merely the sudden hatching of lice throughout Egypt after rain that followed unusually hot and dry weather.

The description of swarms of flies match the behaviour of dancing midges, which can sometimes be so dense that livestock have to be taken indoors to avoid asphyxiation, he says. Again, unusual weather conditions could have led them to the Nile.

An abundance of biting insects would also have led to the “pestilence” that caused the death of the country’s cattle. Similarly, the boils on the human population could have been caused by insect bites.

The “fiery hail” could have been the large hailstones accompanied by ball lightning that sometimes appears during severe, dramatic storms. The locust swarms would also have been caused by severe environmental conditions, and a dense storm could also have produced the darkening of the skies described in the Bible.

But Professor Wotton ducks out of explaining the most difficult plague, where God caused the “death of the firstborn”, “Perhaps it relates to some infectious disease, but why the effect on the first born?” he asks.

He says the chronology as set down in the Bible can be explained by the probable weather conditions but the impact of the plagues upon religious belief was profound.

“The victory of Jewish monotheism also became the victory of Christian monotheism as the origins of both religious groups are shared,” he said. “Islam then developed from the same roots in the first Millennium and it, too, is strongly monotheistic. It was Islam that resulted in the final overthrow of widespread polytheism in Egypt,” he said.


Crazy Professor.
Why is this allowed to be news?

[newman]

They also claim that a stiff breeze would cause the Red Sea to part.

[Trumpeldor]

The Ten Plagues occurred because of 'Global Warming', according to Al Gore.

[Sarah]

They also claim that a stiff breeze would cause the Red Sea to part.

Thats plausible.

The Ten Plagues occurred because of 'Global Warming', according to Al Gore.

What is wrong with that man.

[Trumpeldor]

What is wrong with that man.

He doesn't actually care about the environment. He's found an easy way to make a buck, by telling the world that the United States is the biggest polluter, which is a lie.

I have no problem with eco-friendly policies, but why doesn't he tell Russia and China what to do? What about all the developing nations/third-world countries that are destroying this planet?

What about terrorists who want to set off a nuclear bomb? He doesn't believe terrorism is the biggest threat to mankind...that joker.

The degree to which man is responsible for affecting the climate has been debated by climatologists and geologists for a very long time. Al Gore claims to have found a consensus while prominent scientists disagree and even the ones who agree argue that there is gray area.

[Sarah]

Trumpeldor, did you want Bush or Al Gore to win when it were between them in the previous election?

[Trumpeldor]

Trumpeldor, did you want Bush or Al Gore to win when it were between them in the previous election?

In the 2000 primaries, I supported Republican candidate Alan Keyes.

When Bush won the nomination, I had to support him because Al Gore meant a continuation of Clintonian slime. Also, Bush showed less symptoms of being the dry drunk that he currently is.

[Sarah]

Al Gore:" Be worried, be very worried….and vote for me (and my people)”

[Christian Zionist]

Exodus 12:12 states that the punishments were related to the heathen gods worshipped by the Egyptians (9 gods and Pharoh himself)

For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD

Nile River (Exodus 7:14-25):

The Nile River was changed to blood. This plague was against the god Hapi, spirit of the Nile in flood and "giver of life to all men."  The annual innundation was called "the arrival of Hapi" (57). He was especially worshipped at Gebel Silsileh and Elephantine. The Nile water was the transformed life-blood of Osiris. The fact that the Nile turned to blood, which was abominable to Egyptians, was a direct affront to one of their chief gods. Although the fish-goddess was Hatmeyt, all the fish in the Nile River died!

To illustrate the fact that the plagues of the Exodus were directed against the gods of Egypt, we note some Egyptian prayers to those gods. (The reference to "Nine Gods" apparently did not include pharaoh. It may be of interest that there were just nine plagues before God killed the first son of pharaoh.)

Praise to thee, 0 Nile, that issueth from the earth and cometh to nourish Egypt . . . That watereth the meadows, he that Ra hath created to nourish all cattle. That giveth drink to the desert places, which are far from water . . . When the Nile floodeth, offering is made to thee, cattle are slaughtered for thee, a great oblation is made for thee . . . Offering is also made to every other god, even as is done for the Nile, with incense, oxen, cattle, and birds upon the flame . . . All ye men, extol the Nine Gods, and stand in awe of the might which his son, the Lord of All, hath displayed, even he that maketh green the Two Riverbanks. Thou art verdant, 0 Nile, thou art verdant. He that maketh man to live on this cattle, and his cattle on the meadow . . ." (Adolph Erman, The Ancient Egyptians, 1966, p. 146.)
The Nile flooded every year, making the land fertile. If the Nile did not flood enough there was famine; if it flooded too much there was famine. The Nile was the lifeblood of Egypt, and thus it became one of their gods. Heathen gods often have some connection with the economics of daily life.

Frogs (Exodus 8:1-15):

The land was filled with them so that they became objects of loathing. The frog-headed goddess, Hekt (52, 62), played a part in "creation."  Hers was one of the oldest fertility cults in Egypt. But she could not control the fertility of a these frogs! Through this plague they became a stench to the Egyptians.

Lice (Exodus 8:16-19):

At present there is no known link between this plague and a god of the Egyptian pantheon. However, the Egyptian magicians, unable to duplicate this plague, attribute it to "the finger of God" (Exodus 8:19), and they withdraw.

Underside of a heart scarab from the New Kingdom. It was laid on the heart of a mummy to ensure favorable testimony at the Judgment.

Flies, or Beetles ("insects" -- Exodus 20 - 32):

This plague may have been against Khephera, a scarab-headed (god regarded as a manifestation of Atum or Ra. It was supposed to be god of the resurrection, perhaps because the dung ball it rolled around, and in which it laid its egg, produced a "new creation." Priests wore scarabs as charms.

Or It may have been against the fly-god. One sorcerer in the New Kingdom threatened, "I will enter your body as a fly and see your body from the inside." As a symbol of bravery, soldiers who had proven themselves were decorated with the golden fly (52).


Murrain, or Anthrax (Exodus 9:1-7):

This judgment was against the bull god (revered as early as the Archaic Period (35), and the sacred cattle of Hathor, the cow-headed love goddess. It was a special reproach to pharaoh who worshipped Hathor. Hathor, whose name means "house of Horus,"  was sacred as early as the Old Kingdom (41, 58). Other gods associated with cattle were Ptah and Amon.

Great cemeteries of embalmed cattle have been excavated. The symbol of the bull was the symbol of pharaoh himself. In the "Hymn to Amon," it is difficult to distinguish the Pharaoh from the bull. The title is: "Adoration of Amunre (Amon-Ra), Bull of Heliopolus, chiefest of all gods, the good god, the beloved, who giveth life to all that is warm, and to every good herd."

Praise be to thee, Amunre, Lord of Karnak, who presideth in Thebes. Bull of his Mother, the first on his field! Wide of stride, first in Upper Egypt. . . . Greatest of heaven, eldest of earth, lord of what existeth, who abideth in all things. Unique in his nature among the gods, goodly bull of the Nine Gods, chiefest of all gods. Lord of Truth, father of the gods, who maketh mankind, and createth beast. (Erman, p. 283.)

Boils (Exodus 9:8-12):
Against the god of healing, Im-Hotep (69), an outstanding nobleman of the Old Kingdom. Although not actually deified until later than the time of the Exodus, he was no doubt revered at this time. But he could do nothing to help the Egyptians. The goddess Sekhmet was also known for her healing ability (106).

Hail (Exodus 9:13-15):

The sky goddess Nut was "the mother of the sun-god Ra, whom she swallowed in the evening and gave birth to again in the morning" (90). She was especially culpable in this plague in that she was supposed to protect the land from destructions which came down from heaven. Exodus 9:31 mentions that the flax and barley were hit. Destruction of the flax was trying because it was used to wrap mummies and to make clothes.

Grasshoppers, or Locusts (Exodus 10:1-20):
The locust-headed god was Senehem. During the plague, the locusts were so thick that the "eye of the earth" was darkened (Exodus 10:5). One of the epithets of the sun-god Ra was "the eye of Ra." By causing darkness while the sun was shining, Ra was discredited.


Darkness (Exodus 10:21-27):
One of the greatest gods of Egypt, next to the pharaoh, was the sun (65, 100, 118). The sun-god Amon-Ra was the principle deity of the pantheon. He made all growth possible. Pharaoh called himself "son of the sun." With three days of darkness, the principle deity was scorned. One of many hymns to the sun may help us feel their devotion to this deity:

Beautiful is thine appearing in the horizon of heaven, thou living sun, the first who lived. Thou risest in the eastern horizon, and fillest every land with thy beauty. Thou art beautiful and great, and glistenest, and art high above every land. Thy rays, they encompass the lands, so far as all that thou hast created. Thou art Ra, and thou reachest unto their end and subduest them for thy dear son [the Pharaoh]. Thou art afar, yet are thy rays upon the earth . . . etc., ad nauseum. (Erman, p. 289.)
In all the above, many other gods could have been named which were denigrated by the various plagues. But this sampling demonstrates that the Lord God Israel openly and violently, through his servants, put every one of them to shame.


Pharaoh (Exodus 11-12):
The last plague was not only against the supreme god of Egypt, Pharaoh himself, but also against the future pharaoh, his son, the very next god (Horus) of Egypt.  He was to die on the same level as animals (not as a god), for the prophecy was that the firstborn of man and cattle would die.

Hymns of worship to many pharaohs have been found. Here is one to Rameses II:

The good god, the strong one, whom men praise, the lord, in whom men make their boast; who protecteth his soldiers, who maketh his boundaries on earth as he will. . . . (Erman, p. 258.)
Concerning the divinity of the pharaohs, William Edgerton notes:

As for the organization and powers of the government, everyone knows that the Pharaoh was an absolute monarch and that his authority rested theoretically on his supposed divinity. He is constantly called"the good god." One of his most frequent titles designates him as the son of the sun-god Ra, and we know that his claim of divine parentage was not a mere figure of speech; it was meant to be taken literally. Theoretically, of course, the Pharaoh's right-to-rule rested on his divinity. He was begotten by the sun-god Amon-Ra, who took the form of the previous king for this purpose, and Amon-Ra with the enthusiastic approval of the other gods placed him on the throne and decreed a long and brilliant reign for him. No doubt those theological fictions helped to strengthen the Pharaoh's position. But the really solid basis of his power was his control of the machinery of government, including the army and police. (Edgerton, Journal of Near Eastern Studies: 6, 1967, pp. 153-4.)