Last week, boys and girls, we closed with the mention of the Bible’s compatibility with science. If you missed the sermonette, it is preserved here on this blog with a posting date 7 days prior to this one, but for ready reference, we were expounding on this general (and, unfortunately, true) subject: The #1 cause of atheism is religion. Religious ignorance (and shenanigans like sex scandals and financial misbehavior) have turned millions away from religion. That does not mean, however, that the Bible is a book of false stories or misinformation. To put it another way, Dr. Oz does not keep me away from my doctor; drug addicts don’t turn me away from taking medicine; hacks with a brush and some paint don’t make me disillusioned with van Gogh and Matisse.
The fact that there are “Bible-based” beliefs about the universe being created in six 24-hour days should make you question the intelligence of people who believe that, not the Bible. For its part, the Bible says the universe was created in the beginning. Set the Way Back Machine all the way, Sherman. That alone marks a significant fact: ancient peoples believed the universe always existed in some chaotic state until God came along and set things in order.
The Bible says the earth is suspended in empty space, and it said so at a time when the cutting-edge science of the day held that the earth sat on the back of a turtle or was held up by a circle of elephants.
The Bible described the water cycle in both poetic and direct language numerous times, even though a complete understanding of the water cycle eluded man’s grasp until the 1700s. Likewise, Bible writers like Job described the “laws” governing meteorological and other natural events at a time when the most learned among men were blaming natural occurrences such as lightning on vengeful and vindictive gods.
In addition to erroneous statements by Bible proponents, its detractors make inaccurate statements about the Bible which few people take the time to investigate. For instance, people say the Bible states that the sun revolves around the earth. It does not. It does refer to “sun rise” and “sun set,” but so does the weatherman, and no one believes he thinks the sun revolves around the earth.
Another myth: that the Bible says the earth is flat. It does not. Unless you think the terms “the ends of the earth” or “the four corners of the earth” imply that. That might hold water if Isaiah hadn’t written about “the circle” of the earth.
And speaking of space, this space has seen previous discussion of the Bible’s observation that the stars are as numerous as the sands of the sea. With only a few thousand stars visible to the naked eye, where did that come from? It’s quite a stretch to believe that was meant as a metaphor: a few thousand grains of sand wouldn’t fill a coffee cup.
In short, while the Bible is not a science book, what it has to say that touches on the natural world is accurate, as would be expected from a book that claims to be inspired by the very creator of the natural world. The next time you hear something critical of the Bible and its accuracy, take the time to investigate what it really says. You might be surprised by what you discover.
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“Categories: Church of the Infinite Chasm”