If Ever A Wiz There Was
by Sal Moriarty
“Nature is too thin a screen; the glory of the omnipresent God bursts through everywhere.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
“You know how they say you only hurt the ones you love? Well, it works both ways.” Fight Club / Chuck Palahniuk
How many times have you heard someone say if you want proof of God, just look to nature? Sunrise. Sunset. A flower. A waterfall.
For many, this little blue dot called earth, alive in the vastness of space, is the only proof needed of a higher power. You hear it from every religion on the planet. One of my heroes, George Strait, communicated the idea succinctly in his song, “I Saw God Today” (written by Rodney Clawson, Monty Criswell and Wade Kirby).
He sees Him in a flower rising up through concrete, in a mother-to-be and, of course, through his own newborn baby.
“She's a miracle, I saw God today,” he sings.
It's an age-old concept. Proof without actual proof. It is not a belief I subscribe to, but it's an intriguing idea. Of course, if you follow that form of logic, one might argue it works both ways.
If I look at a healthy newborn and see the hand of God, what do I make of a newborn with leukemia? Many will point to Satan - an intellectually lazy answer. I read somewhere all things were made by God and, without him, “was not any thing made, that was made” (John 1:3). Even cancer.
The moon quite effectively helps manage the tides. Without its influence the earth would be quite different and likely not in a good way. For many, it's part of an efficient, grand design. Not an accident.
However, if you live in Jakarta, the current capitol of Indonesia, much of your city will be underwater by the midpoint of this century. Rising tides are a contributor to the city's demise (I won't get into the impact of climate change – I know what part of the country I live in). The situation is so dire, the capitol is being relocated to a city that hasn't even been built yet. The moon giveth, and the moon taketh away.
I once observed a tornado spinning across the empty plains of the Texas panhandle. I'll wager I never again see such a majestic sight. It was awe-inspiring. That said, I was pleased to see it dissipate when it turned in the direction of a nearby town. Miracles can go off the rails in a hurry.
Virtually every tyrant who has ruled on this planet was once visited by well-wishers as he slept innocently in his crib. Undoubtedly, many ruminated on the miracle of birth and new life. Baby Stalin was a cutie.
To be clear, I'm not blaming God for the catastrophic flaws of this world. I don't blame God for anything. That said, it seems disingenuous for believers to praise God for successful heart surgery without calling Him out on the flawed aortic valve that made surgery necessary in the first place. Perhaps God is like that guy in Oz. A very good man, just a very bad wizard.
But that's not how the real world operates.
So, why such a negative Nellie? Can't I just let people enjoy whatever belief systems they choose to employ?
Yes, and I do lay pretty low. That said, it seems a worthwhile endeavor to advance a competing point of view on occasion, especially when that point of view is, essentially, a voice in the wilderness. If I'm wrong, doing the work of the devil, I'll get mine in the end.
And to think, so many years ago, I was such a little miracle.
