Jesus Walked on Water . . . Technically

Doron Nof, a professor of oceanography at Florida State University, has finally figured out how Jesus managed to "walk on water." Here's his explanation, which will be published in the April edition of the Journal of Paleolimnology (has your copy come in the mail yet???):

An unusual combination of water and atmospheric conditions in what is now northern Israel could have led to ice formation on the Sea of Galilee.

Nof used records of the Mediterranean Sea's surface temperatures and statistical models to examine the dynamics of the Sea of Galilee, which Israelis know now as Lake Kinneret.

The study found that a period of cooler temperatures in the area between 1,500 and 2,600 years ago could have included the decades in which Jesus lived.

A drop in temperature below freezing could have caused ice -- thick enough to support a human -- to form on the surface of the freshwater lake near the western shore, Nof said. It might have been nearly impossible for distant observers to see a piece of floating ice surrounded by water.

Later in the article, he said, "If you ask me if I believe someone walked on water, no, I don't," Nof said. "Maybe somebody walked on the ice, I don't know. I believe that something natural was there that explains it."

So, his BELIEF led him to find a natural solution - ANY natural solution - to dispel any semblance of supernaturalism. Is that how science is done these days? Start with a faith-based supposition and work until the evidence you "discover" supports that belief?

Jim Bublitz over at Laodicea has an interesting take on that, writing, "That reminds me of the story of the little old lady who taught Sunday school. She was told by one of her students that the crossing was really 'no big deal' because the Red Sea was only waist deep. Her response was 'Glory to God! How amazing!' When the students questioned her response, she said 'I just think it's so amazing that God was able to drown all of Pharaoh's men in such shallow water.'"