...What is the difference between a force of nature and an act of God?

Question

I asked a question earlier about why God would allow predators to kill and eat their prey. I received 77 answers! All of them were eye-opening, a few made a joke of the question, many gave serious well thought out answers. Some tried to insult me. However, it was a serious question and I appreciate the answers. Some of you bought up the term "Nature" ..and here is perhaps another foolish question. But people usually speak of :nature" or "mother nature" when they are describing the results of a violent storm, a tornado, a hurricane, a typhoon, tsunamis, etc.
So which is it, these deadly forces --- of "Mother Nature"? or of God? And please -- . this is a serious question - if you cannot answer without insulting me, then please don't, all right? Thank you all.

Answer 1

Of course we can see the evidences that the world and the heavens are based on intelligent design, meaning there must be a creator.

So ...God set the world in motion and many events happen as the course of nature. However, if you believe the Bible is God's word and believe what is written in it, you know that God does sometimes effect nature or other parts of His creation. How do we know which items were "acts of God"? ...only if the Bible told us it was.

So ...ANY EVENTS THAT HAPPEN TODAY, WE DO NOT KNOW IF THEY ARE ACTS OF GOD OR NOT even though we know God does have the power.

Hope this helps ... Think about it.

Answer 2

Those terms are used interchangeably these days. But there are many references to whirlwinds and earthquakes and such throughout the Bible. Remember Paul and Jesus himself were in severe storms. Many stories of God using Nature to judge. Now just because one of these pop up causing widespread destruction doesn't mean that God did it. But He can use it and has done so according to what the scriptures state. Now how do we distinguish between a natural event and an act of God? God himself will only know. But if there is persistent and heavy acts of sin occurring in a place and a glaring lack of righteousness, I would steer clear myself. Is there a better way to carry out a judgment? I think people forget that God is a God of not only love but He also will judge fearfully when the time comes. Remember the vs about All knees will bow?

Answer 3

A force of nature such as hurricane Katrina. Many bible thumpers like to point out that New Orleans was a city full of sin,blah blah blah. And the hurricane was an act of god. Yet often times hurricanes slam into places with little or no population and these hurricanes are considered acts of nature. I do not think you can have it both ways. Either it is an act of god or it is not and that would mean every time a hurricane or whatever occurred.

Answer 4

This material nature, which is one of My energies, is working under My direction, O son of ****é, producing all moving and nonmoving beings. Under its rule this manifestation is created and annihilated again and again.
PURPORT
It is clearly stated here that the Supreme Lord, although aloof from all the activities of the material world, remains the supreme director. The Supreme Lord is the supreme will and the background of this material manifestation, but the management is being conducted by material nature. Krishna also states in Bhagavad-gita that of all of the living entities in different forms and species, "I am the father." The father gives seeds to the womb of the mother for the child, and similarly the Supreme Lord by His mere glance injects all the living entities into the womb of material nature, and they come out in their different forms and species, according to their last desires and activities. All these living entities, although born under the glance of the Supreme Lord, take their different bodies according to their past deeds and desires. So the Lord is not directly attached to this material creation. He simply glances over material nature; material nature is thus activated, and everything is created immediately. Because He glances over material nature, there is undoubtedly activity on the part of the Supreme Lord, but He has nothing to do with the manifestation of the material world directly. The example is given: when there is a fragrant flower before someone, the fragrance is touched by the smelling power of the person, yet the smelling and the flower are detached from one another. There is a similar connection between the material world and the Supreme Personality of Godhead; actually He has nothing to do with this material world, but He creates by His glance and ordains. In summary, material nature, without the superintendence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, cannot do anything. Yet the Supreme Personality is detached from all material activities.

Answer 5

Mother Nature is a personification of nature. Images of women representing "mother" earth, and mother nature, are timeless. Long before history was recorded, goddesses were worshiped for their association with fertility, fecundity, and agricultural bounty. Priestesses held dominion over Incan, Assyrian, Babylonian, Slavonic, Roman, Greek, Proto-Indo-European, and Iroquoian fertility religions in the millennia prior to the inception of patriarchal religions.

Algonquin legend says that "[b]eneath the clouds [lives] the Earth-Mother from whom is derived the Water of Life, who at her bosom feeds plants, animals and men" (Larousse 428). (8) She is known as Nakomis, the Grandmother.

Although not a scientific term, the term 'mother nature' has sometimes been used in science-related papers, of either global (rarely universal) unexplained phenomena or of life-related phenomena which acquire their energy either from photosynthesis or chemosynthesis with no apparent intelligent human assistance, because it is a more neutral term than the word God.

Answer 6

The only difference is the religion or lack thereof of the person using the phrase.

An atheist would only say "act of god" if they were reading their insurance statement, or using the phrase sarcastically. Or something. In any case, it would not be used seriously.

A non-Atheist might use the phrase "force of nature" but chances are they would be silently adding "....which was caused by an act of god."

Answer 7

Act of Nature: It is visible to human eyes and also to animals. In front of us a volcano errupts, Tornado hits, a deadly accident takes placeand we are watching it helplessly and we feel the effect immediately....

But certain other things that we never see the events and feel the efects are called the act of God..A drowned man stays in sea water for about 48 hours and wakes alive on seeing the sun light. A severely wounded soldier lies in a pool of blood, the enemy gives him a support for medication and he is not unattended.

Answer 8

a force of nature has earthly origins, such as storms, eartquakes, etc.
an act of God has it's originds with God.
they may be the same type of occurance but often are not.

Answer 9

I think the difference is whether you believe in God or not, and if you believe in God, do you believe in pre-destination (that God has planned everything already). Of course there are people who believe in Gods, and many of these Gods are not necessarily benevolent.

Answer 10

God is all things, and is nature also, All natural acts are also Godly acts. Namaste the resident Taoist.