YouTube / iTunes / Spotify / Radio Public / Pocket Casts / Google Podcasts / Breaker / Overcast
Listen to ArtisanEnglish.jp posts & lesson intros here.
Idiom: Act of God
The phrase act of God is often used in legal and business contexts.
An act of God means a natural event that humans cannot control or prevent.
Examples of acts of God include earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, and other extreme natural disasters.
These events are not caused by people and cannot be stopped by human actions.
War is not an act of God.
If it were, then Trump would be a god.
God help us!
The term act of God is important in contracts and insurance policies.
Many companies use the phrase to explain situations in which they cannot fulfill their promises due to unexpected natural events.
For example, if a business cannot deliver goods on time because a hurricane knocks down trees that block the roads, they may say it was due to an act of God.
Sometimes, an act of God can lead companies to declare force majeure.
Force majeure is a contractual provision that allows parties to avoid penalties when events beyond their control occur.
For example, if a war breaks out in the Middle East and stops oil shipments, companies may argue that this is an act of God or a similar event.
I’m sure Trump would love to hear his war declared as an act of God.
However, it is important to understand that an act of God only means natural disasters, not wars.
So, Hegseth may think he is the Secretary of War, but he is definitely not the God of War.
When writing or reading contracts, always check how act of God is defined.
Not all contracts use the exact same definition.
Some may include only weather events, while others may include war or terrorism.
If you are unsure whether something is an act of God, it is best to ask a legal expert.
In summary, an act of God is a powerful event beyond human control.
Knowing this term helps you understand contracts and business decisions when unexpected events happen.
Flesch-Kincaid Readability Test
This post is understandable by someone with at least an 8th-grade education (age 14).
On the Flesch-Kincaid reading-ease test, this post scores 70.
The easier a passage is to read, the higher the score on a scale of 0 – 100.
