Surely I'm not the first person to have an anxiety dream about a college exam, but in my case, it was a dream inflicted on me after finishing the exam and despite feeling confident I did quite well. My unease stems from one of the test questions placed on a Physical Geology exam I had just completed:
"Why is the relationship between the eruption of Thera and the plagues of Exodus not a good argument against the existence of God?"
I actually exclaimed aloud when I read the question, and I tried to answer it in a way that would get me the points I needed while still being true to my own personal values, but in the end, I'm afraid that even my own heavily reserved answer rings false in my ears. And I'm mad about it.
The subject seems much more suited to a Philosophy of Religion classroom than a physical science course like Geology. But it is the phrasing that really, in my mind, makes this question inappropriate. By asking why this physical evidence does not present an acceptable argument against God, the professor seems to be assuming a religious position for the student. The grammar itself makes it counter-intuitive to argue that the eruption of Thera does in fact provide some evidence against the existence of the Christian God.
Answering, after listing several of the more obvious arguments against a Supreme Being and noting I felt they made it unnecessary to argue any further evidence, I put down something along the lines of "If one accepts the idea that miracles exist, and constitute physical events initiated by the will of God, then the destruction of the Minoan civilization in order to initiate the events of Exodus seems reasonable for an old testament God." The test was entirely short answer, this was the last question before the essay, and I was fast running out of time. But after I walked away, I didn't feel good about that answer. In fact, this morning I literally woke up furious about the whole situation.
It seems clear to me that the modern study of the sciences depends heavily on the pillars of observation, testing, and peer analysis. Doesn't the assertion of perfectly natural physical phenomena which might have resulted in some of the fabled plagues of Exodus suggest a lack of divine involvement? If God were responsible for the eruption of Thera, would that not then call into question by extension the study of all other volcanoes? At what point did god intervene? If it was in creating the eruption, then must we now consider acts of God a potential factor in volcanology? If we assume an intervention at the dawn of time, with God creating the universe just so, and thusly implementing a divine plan that is undetectable to the wiles of the scientific method, then what scientific and educational purpose does the presentation of God into a Geology classroom serve?
In class, our professor noted that he felt Thera could have erupted both due to an increase in magma pressure, and as an act of God. It is one thing, in my mind, to state a religious opinion in the classroom; I am willing to grant the professor the same freedom of speech in intellectual discussion that I would jealously guard for myself. But in my mind, placing this question on an exam, possibly making it the criteria for the passing or failing of some hapless border line F/C student, crosses a line between just voicing his own faith harmlessly in the classroom while presenting us the facts, and making xtian faith a measurable impact on my GPA.