Ben Carson Says God Helped Him Ace College Chemistry Exam by Giving Answers in Dream

Another candidate I hope doesn’t get nominated…. Do we want a Pres who might make a foreign policy crisis decision based on an answer “from God” that came in a dream the night before?

It would be far more appealing to hear him talk about the principles he reasons from.

This sure would have been helpful at Detroit Seminary when I took both Greek exegetical methods and Hebrew exegetical methods……..in the same semester! oh well………..Straight Ahead! jt

Either the experience happened or it didn’t happen as Carson relates. The only other option is that he made it up. In any case, the facts of the story might be possible to check by his records in the chemistry class. Was he failing chemistry? Did the professor have a final exam double credit policy? Did Carson “ace” the exam? Did he pass the course? If he did, how else might it be explained that he was fully prepared for exactly that exam aside from some unexplainable reason when he had not prepared himself for it? Strange and mystical experiences are not uncommon to Scripture where subjects who were wholly incapable of a challenge put before them nevertheless were miraculously capacitated to fulfill the divine purpose. Case in point: the story of Gideon, the divine miracle at Pentecost of speaking languages never before learned. These cases would be ridiculed by the media also. Gideon would have been highly disqualified for any run for office if he had related a story about an angel appearing to him to call him to leadership. Whether it was wise for Carson to relate that very personal story may be questioned. It appears Carson himself recognized the highly unusual nature of the experience and determined he would never again tempt the Lord in that way, and instead would always be prepared in the future for his academic tests. Apparently, this experience taught him a valuable lesson. His later successes were determined by his gifts, his abilities, and his hard work. His successes cannot be questioned. He confesses to divine deliverance from his predicament. One could conclude that God taught him a lesson in grace — “receiving what one doesn’t deserve,” and mercy — “not receivng what one does deserve” — all at the same time. If I were going to question anything about Carson’s religious positions, it would relate to doctrines held by his Seventh Day Adventist Church affiliation. It seems, however, that we have learned that a legal qualification for political office in America is not contingent on religious beliefs.