Believers, not Lunatics
By David Faust
Is there water on the moon? Until recently the scientific answer was no. You would be crazy to believe there is water on the moon, right? When the first Apollo astronauts visited the earth’s orbiting neighbor in 1969, they found it completely dry. But according to findings reported by NASA in October 2020, water may be distributed across the lunar surface, and not only in the moon’s cold, shadowy places, but in areas lit by the sun. The discovery was made by NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA)—a modified Boeing 747 with a large telescope that provides enhanced views of outer space.
“We had indications that H2O—the familiar water we know—might be present on the sunlit side of the moon,” said Paul Hertz, an astrophysicist at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. “Now we know it is there. This discovery challenges our understanding of the lunar surface and raises intriguing questions about resources relevant for deep space exploration.”
To be clear, no one expects to splash around in freshwater lakes on the moon’s surface. The Sahara Desert has 100 times more water than the amount detected in the lunar soil. But the presence of any lunar water is important as NASA considers sending explorers back to the moon later this decade.
WATERS ABOVE THE SKIES
Centuries before Christ, an inspired worshipper of God wrote, “Praise him, sun and moon; . . . Praise him, you highest heavens and you waters above the skies” (Psalm 148:3-4). What are these “waters above the skies”? This may simply be a poetic way of describing clouds that produce rain, but usually we think of clouds in the skies, not “above the skies.” One commentator speculates that this verse refers to an ancient belief that there was a lofty ocean in the sky where planets floated like ships in the sea, but the biblical authors didn’t have to borrow from unscientific pagan myths to make their points. To me, the discovery of lunar water fits naturally with the psalmist’s mention of “waters above the skies.”
Unfortunately, there are plenty of skeptics who consider it irrational to believe the Bible. TV personality Bill Maher scoffs, “I think religion is a neurological disorder.” Richard Dawkins, the evolutionary biologist who authored The God Delusion, considers faith in God “an insult to human dignity” that turns “untested belief into unshakable truth.”
In Jesus’ day, the powerful ruling class known as the Sadducees rejected the supernatural and considered resurrection impossible (Acts 23:8). Jesus told them, “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God” (Matthew 22:29). The Sadducees’ two foundational errors—rejecting Scripture and denying God’s power—remain with us today wherever skepticism leads to “a form of godliness” but denies its power (2 Timothy 3:5).
You’re not a lunatic if you believe in God and accept the truth of the Bible. These are reasonable positions. I still have lots of questions, but after years of examination I find the evidence for faith far more compelling than the case for unbelief. I’m not shocked when science corroborates a biblical truth. The discovery of water on the moon provides another reason to “praise the name of the Lord,” for “his splendor is above the earth and the heavens” (Psalm 148:13).
Personal Challenge: Read a book or an article that presents the reasonable evidence supporting Christian faith. Suggestions: The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel, I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist by Norman L. Geisler and Frank Turek, or Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis.
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