Q&A: God of the Gaps
God of the Gaps
Question
Hello Rabbi. There are people who try to prove that God exists by showing that there is no explanation for a certain phenomenon, and therefore one must say that God caused it. Many argue against these proofs that just because we do not know the explanation does not mean there is no explanation. What is the difference between these proofs and a proof by negation?
Thank you
Answer
This is what is called the “god of the gaps.” In my books and articles I have explained the difference. A proof based on a gap is not a proof, because it is possible that future scientific research will close the gap and find an explanation. But here we are dealing with an essential gap that cannot be closed by future research. If you do not accept proofs of this kind, you can throw quite a few scientific theories into the trash as well.