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The
Sahara: An Act of God?
by John P.
Pratt
Only
a few thousand years ago, the Sahara Desert was a fertile savanna
teeming with animals and people. Was it an "act of God" that transformed
it so dramatically into a barren sea of sand? Just what constitutes
an act of God? Was the Sahara the valley of Shum which Enoch saw
in vision that would be cursed with much heat and barrenness forever?
The
Sahara was once an Eden.
An article entitled
"Exit From
Eden" in Discover magazine focuses on what has been a
mystery to scientists: How could the now totally barren and virtually
uninhabitable Sahara Desert have once been like a lush garden of
Eden? The article points out that in March of 1999 at Murzuq Sand
Sea of southwestern Libya, scientists have
".
. . found bones of crocodiles, hippopotamuses, elephants, and gazelles
as well as wind-blown ridges of lake-bed chalkevidence that
the region had been dotted with bodies of fresh water. Years ago
in the northern Sudan, Pachur found traces of a lake that may have
been as large as Erie. In that same region he traced the course
of a river that once flowed east into the upper Nile, crossing several
hundred miles of what is now utter desert. He has found other rivers
that flowed from the Tibesti Mountains 600 miles north to the Mediterranean
Sea, through the core of the Sahara. That region now gets less than
two-tenths of an inch of rain each year.
"Along
those lost rivers, between 6,000 and 9,000 years ago, giraffes munched
on acacia trees, elephants sprayed water from their trunks, hippos
wallowed in the mud. And people lived there too. They were shepherds
and cowherds, hunters and fishers, and they were starting to settle
down in small villages and cultivate grains such as sorghum and
millet. Pachur believes that Sahara then was an Eden."[1]
The article goes
on to point out that there is evidence that the spectacular climatic
reversal occurred within "just a few centuries," which until now has
defied explanation by meteorological computer simulations. Following
this introduction of the problem came the surprising transition sentence,
which seemed incongruous in a scientific article:
"Miracle
or catastrophe, the birth of the Sahara was not an act of God."
The article then
goes on to say that finally the computer models have been fine-tuned
enough to show that such a rapid change is within our comprehension
after all. It concludes that the most recent calculations can explain
the change in terms of astronomical cycles and that the reversal could
have predicted it ahead of time. Anyone interested in details can
find the entire
text of the article on the Internet.
The sentence
that jumped out at me was the inference that this discovery proved
that the climatic reversal was not an "act of God." Thinking of
a literal interpretation of that phrase, I wondered about the implications.
Had the author been afraid that anything that could not be explained
by our modern science must indicate that there is a God, and hence
felt obligated to announce that atheists need not fear that this
is evidence supporting the existence of God? Or was I overreacting,
and he was simply using "act of God" as a legal term that is found
in my home owner's insurance policy? If the former inhabitants of
the Sahara had an insurance policy that included "acts of God,"
would they have been covered or not when their homes were buried
by sand? Just what is an "act of God" anyway?
What is
an "Act of God"?
There
are at least two dictionary definitions of "act of God". Some dictionaries
focus on forces of nature which are uncontrollable: "the operation
of uncontrollable natural forces"[2] or "a sudden action of natural
forces that could not have been prevented, as an earthquake or hurricane."[3]
Surely this is not the definition that the author had in mind because
man cannot control any of the astronomical cycles which are now
thought to have caused the climatic change.
The other definition focuses on natural events which cannot be foreseen:
"an extraordinary interruption by a natural cause (as a flood or
earthquake) of the usual course of events that experience, prescience,
or care cannot reasonably foresee or prevent."[4] This is apparently
also the legal definition, which in simple terms is "something which
no reasonable man could have expected."[5] But even this definition
could raise legal questions as more and more hurricanes and even
tornadoes and earthquakes are now being predicted. The book Acts
of God points out that Hurricane Andrew of 1992, which caused
the loss of the homes of hundreds of thousands, was predicted nearly
a year ahead in the Old Farmer's Almanac.[6] Does that disqualify
it from being an act of God? Not in the minds of the editors of
that book, who included it.
In any case,
this latter definition is clearly the one which fits the article
about the Sahara. In fact, if the author had simply used the more
pedestrian but precise word "unpredictable" instead of "an act of
God", we probably all would have been spared my tedious analysis.
Probably all that the author was saying is that the birth of the
Sahara could have been predicted, but he certainly hit a nerve with
me as I looked for potential science and religion articles.
What Does
God Think?
But now that we are this far into it, let's pursue these ideas.
What does God consider to be an "act of God?" By that I mean a third
definition: what does God take credit for doing? Is the sunrise
an act of God? What about the rain? The Lord answers these questions,
"your Father which is in heaven . . . maketh his sun to rise on
the evil and the good, and he sendeth rain on the just and the unjust"
(Mat. 5:45). In fact, he takes credit for many precise destructions
by weather:
"And
again he saith: If my people shall sow filthiness they shall reap
the east wind, which bringeth immediate destruction." (Mosiah 7:31)
"And
it shall come to pass that I will send forth hail among them, and
it shall smite them; and they shall also be smitten with the east
wind; and insects shall pester their land also, and devour their
grain." (Mosiah 12:6)
"Behold,
a whirlwind of the LORD is gone forth in fury, even a grievous whirlwind:
it shall fall grievously upon the head of the wicked." (Jeremiah
23:19)
"And
they that kill the prophets, and the saints, the depths of the earth
shall swallow them up, saith the Lord of Hosts; and mountains shall
cover them, and whirlwinds shall carry them away, and buildings
shall fall upon them and crush them to pieces and grind them to
powder." (2 Nephi 26:5)
Perhaps the best
recorded historical example of the destruction of the wicked by a
great storm was the extremely precise Nephite account at the crucifixion
of the Savior:
"And
it came to pass in the thirty and fourth year, in the first month,
on the fourth day of the month, there arose a great storm, such
an one as never had been known in all the land. And there was also
a great and terrible tempest; and there was terrible thunder, insomuch
that it did shake the whole earth as if it was about to divide asunder.
And there were exceedingly sharp lightnings, such as never had been
known in all the land. And the city of Zarahemla did take fire.
And the city of Moroni did sink into the depths of the sea, and
the inhabitants thereof were drowned. And the earth was carried
up upon the city of Moronihah, that in the place of the city there
became a great mountain. And there was a great and terrible destruction
in the land southward. But behold, there was a more great and terrible
destruction in the land northward; for behold, the whole face of
the land was changed, because of the tempest and the whirlwinds,
and the thunderings and the lightnings, and the exceedingly great
quaking of the whole earth; And the highways were broken up, and
the level roads were spoiled, and many smooth places became rough.
And many great and notable cities were sunk, and many were burned,
and many were shaken till the buildings thereof had fallen to the
earth, and the inhabitants thereof were slain, and the places were
left desolate. And there were some cities which remained; but the
damage thereof was exceedingly great, and there were many in them
who were slain. And there were some who were carried away in the
whirlwind; and whither they went no man knoweth, save they know
that they were carried away. And thus the face of the whole earth
became deformed, because of the tempests, and the thunderings, and
the lightnings, and the quaking of the earth. And behold, the rocks
were rent in twain; they were broken up upon the face of the whole
earth, insomuch that they were found in broken fragments, and in
seams and in cracks, upon all the face of the land. And it came
to pass that when the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the storm,
and the tempest, and the quakings of the earth did cease--" (3 Nephi
8:5-19).
Was all of this
destruction a case of the elements having gotten out of control? Was
it caused by Satan? Was it random, destroying everything and everyone
in its path. And were these events "acts of God"? Fortunately we have
the answers to all of these questions given by the Lord himself, as
a voice heard in the darkness by the survivors of the catastrophe:
"Behold,
that great city Zarahemla have I burned with fire, and the inhabitants
thereof. And behold, that great city Moroni have I caused to be
sunk in the depths of the sea, and the inhabitants thereof to be
drowned. And behold, that great city Moronihah have I covered with
earth, and the inhabitants thereof, to hide their iniquities and
their abominations from before my face, that the blood of the prophets
and the saints shall not come any more unto me against them. And
behold, the city of Gilgal have I caused to be sunk, and the inhabitants
thereof to be buried up in the depths of the earth; Yea, and the
city of Onihah and the inhabitants thereof, and the city of Mocum
and the inhabitants thereof, and the city of Jerusalem and the inhabitants
thereof; and waters have I caused to come up in the stead thereof,
to hide their wickedness and abominations from before my face, that
the blood of the prophets and the saints shall not come up any more
unto me against them. And behold, the city of Gadiandi, and the
city of Gadiomnah, and the city of Jacob, and the city of Gimgimno,
all these have I caused to be sunk, and made hills and valleys in
the places thereof; and the inhabitants thereof have I buried up
in the depths of the earth, to hide their wickedness and abominations
from before my face, that the blood of the prophets and the saints
should not come up any more unto me against them. And behold, that
great city Jacobugath, which was inhabited by the people of king
Jacob, have I caused to be burned with fire because of their sins
and their wickedness, which was above all the wickedness of the
whole earth, because of their secret murders and combinations; for
it was they that did destroy the peace of my people and the government
of the land; therefore I did cause them to be burned, to destroy
them from before my face, that the blood of the prophets and the
saints should not come up unto me any more against them. And behold,
the city of Laman, and the city of Josh, and the city of Gad, and
the city of Kishkumen, have I caused to be burned with fire, and
the inhabitants thereof, because of their wickedness in casting
out the prophets, and stoning those whom I did send to declare unto
them concerning their wickedness and their abominations. And because
they did cast them all out, that there were none righteous among
them, I did send down fire and destroy them, that their wickedness
and abominations might be hid from before my face, that the blood
of the prophets and the saints whom I sent among them might not
cry unto me from the ground against them. And many great destructions
have I caused to come upon this land, and upon this people, because
of their wickedness and their abominations. O all ye that are spared
because ye were more righteous than they, will ye not now return
unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal
you?" (Nephi 9:3-13)
Thus, the Lord
caused the destructions, and the demise of each city was carefully
designed with a purpose to match the sins. Cities that the Lord did
not want rebuilt were covered with mountains or sunk in the ocean.
And as for the definition of "act of God" based on predictability,
all of these events were predicted. Scientists can predict with precision
the rising of the sun, and sometimes even get the prediction of rain
right, but prophets can predict even rare disasters. After the great
Nephite destructions, the Lord pointed out that they had been predicted.
"And
now, whoso readeth, let him understand; he that hath the scriptures,
let him search them, and see and behold if all these deaths and
destructions by fire, and by smoke, and by tempests, and by whirlwinds,
and by the opening of the earth to receive them, and all these things
are not unto the fulfilling of the prophecies of many of the holy
prophets." (3 Nephi 10:14)
The catastrophes
had been predicted by Samuel the Lamanite, right down the very day
on which they would occur, being the day of the death of the Savior
(Friday, April 1, A.D. 33, Gregorian).
"Yea,
at the time that he shall yield up the ghost there shall be thunderings
and lightnings for the space of many hours, and the earth shall
shake and tremble; and the rocks which are upon the face of this
earth, which are both above the earth and beneath, which ye know
at this time are solid, or the more part of it is one solid mass,
shall be broken up; Yea, they shall be rent in twain, and shall
ever after be found in seams and in cracks, and in broken fragments
upon the face of the whole earth, yea, both above the earth and
beneath. And behold, there shall be great tempests, and there shall
be many mountains laid low, like unto a valley, and there shall
be many places which are now called valleys which shall become mountains,
whose height is great. And many highways shall be broken up, and
many cities shall become desolate." (Helaman 14:21-24)
Thus, being predictable
does not disqualify these catastrophes from being "acts of God." Now
let us consider the future. The Lord has predicted that some of the
greatest disasters are yet to come, targeted especially to the wicked.
For example,
" .
. . what will ye say when the day cometh when the thunders shall
utter their voices from the ends of the earth, speaking to the ears
of all that live, saying- Repent, and prepare for the great day
of the Lord? Yea, and again, when the lightnings shall streak forth
from the east unto the west, and shall utter forth their voices
unto all that live, and make the ears of all tingle that hear, saying
these words--Repent ye, for the great day of the Lord is come? And
again, the Lord shall utter his voice out of heaven, saying: Hearken,
O ye nations of the earth, and hear the words of that God who made
you. O, ye nations of the earth, how often would I have gathered
you together as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, but
ye would not! How oft have I called upon you by the mouth of my
servants, and by the ministering of angels, and by mine own voice,
and by the voice of thunderings, and by the voice of lightnings,
and by the voice of tempests, and by the voice of earthquakes, and
great hailstorms, and by the voice of famines and pestilences of
every kind, and by the great sound of a trump, and by the voice
of judgment, and by the voice of mercy all the day long, and by
the voice of glory and honor and the riches of eternal life, and
would have saved you with an everlasting salvation, but ye would
not!" (D&C 43:21-25)
And again:
"For
not many days hence and the earth shall tremble and reel to and
for as a drunken man; and the sun shall hide his face, and shall
refuse to give light; and the moon shall be bathed in blood; and
the stars shall become exceedingly angry, and shall cast themselves
down as a fig that falleth from off a fig-tree. And after your testimony
cometh wrath and indignation upon the people. For after your testimony
cometh the testimony of earthquakes, that shall cause groanings
in the midst of her, and men shall fall upon the ground and shall
not be able to stand. And also cometh the testimony of the voice
of thunderings, and the voice of lightnings, and the voice of tempests,
and the voice of the waves of the sea heaving themselves beyond
their bounds." (D&C 88:87-90)
These scriptures
make it clear that not only are the coming destructions acts of God,
but they are meant to be recognized as God preaching his own sermon
with the voice of tempests and earthquakes. We are supposed to confess
the hand of God in all things (D.C. 59:21).
What about
the Sahara?
Now let's get back to the Sahara. Was the transformation of savanna
to Sahara an act of God or not? The scriptures may answer that very
question for us. Enoch had a vision far into the future in which
he might have actually seen the valley of Shum be changed into the
Sahara Desert. If that identification of Shum is correct, then we
are not only told it was an act of God, but also that it was a result
of wickedness, which follows the pattern of the other destructions
caused by the Lord. Consider the following account:
"And
I saw the Lord; and he stood before my face, and he talked with
me, even as a man talketh one with another, face to face; and he
said unto me: Look, and I will show unto thee the world for the
space of many generations.
"And
it came to pass that I beheld in the valley of Shum, and lo, a great
people which dwelt in tents, which were the people of Shum.
"And
again the Lord said unto me: Look; and I looked towards the north,
and I beheld the people of Canaan, which dwelt in tents.
"And
the Lord said unto me: Prophesy; and I prophesied, saying: Behold
the people of Canaan, which are numerous, shall go forth in battle
array against the people of Shum, and shall slay them that they
shall utterly be destroyed; and the people of Canaan shall divide
themselves in the land, and the land shall be barren and unfruitful,
and none other people shall dwell there but the people of Canaan;
"For
behold, the Lord shall curse the land with much heat, and the barrenness
thereof shall go forth forever . . ." (Moses 7:4-8)
The identification
of Shum with the Sahara Desert is only speculation at this point,
which would require much more research to substantiate. I'm not aware
of any scholarly work devoted to identifying the valley of Shum, but
Hugh Nibley does compare these verses with some from 1 Enoch.[7] The
best evidence for the Sahara being Shum is probably the discovery
that the Sahara used to be a fertile, inhabited land, and is now the
largest desert in the world. It is tempting to note that the Sahara
also seems to fit very well with being somewhat south of what the
scriptures call the land of Canaan (Israel and Palestine), but it
must be remembered that Enoch is prophesying before the Flood, before
the continents were divided. Moreover, the people of Canaan to whom
he refers are not the descendants of Canaan, Noah's grandson. They
are the descendants of another Canaan who lived in the time of Enoch,
because we are later told that "it came to pass that Enoch continued
to call upon all the people, save it were the people of Canaan, to
repent" (Moses 7:12). Note also that Canaan is spelled differently
from the great patriarch Cainan, Enoch's great-grandfather (Gen. 5:12-18),
whose people were righteous (Moses 6:41). The main point for this
article is the irony that the transformation of the Sahara might actually
be explicitly mentioned in the scriptures as having been an act of
God.
In conclusion,
the real acts of God are much more inclusive than the dictionary
definition. He preaches his sermons with the tempest, earthquake
and whirlwind, hoping to induce the wicked to repent. We might all
do well to recognize the hand of God in all the events of nature,
because "any man who hath see any or the least of these hath seen
God moving in his majesty and power" (D & C 88:47).
Notes
1. Kunzig, Robert, "Exit
from Eden", Discover 21: 1(Jan. 2000), pp. 84-91.
2. The Oxford American Dictionary of Current English, Oxford,
1999.
3. Random House Webster's Electronic Dictionary and Thesaurus,
College Edition, 1992.
4. Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Edition,
1999.
5. A.P. Herbert, Uncommon Law, 1935, quoted in Benjamin Watson,
Acts of God, Random House, New York, 1993.
6. Quoted in Acts of God, op. cit., p. 45.
7. Collected Works of Hugh Nibley, Vol.2, Ch.4, p.197 - p.198.
He compares Moses 7:5 to 1 Enoch 56:6, which refers to the Parthians
and Medes being to the east of Canaan, whereas the valley of Shum
was to the south.
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