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Originally Posted by lagtight
Why You Can Trust the Bible: Page 4 of 4
There are many scientific truths found in the Bible that we have no historical record of being discovered by scientists for many hundreds (and in some cases thousands) of years after these truths were recorded in the Bible.
The reason people aren't interested in responding is because these are such obvious post hoc arguments. You take ambiguous statements out of context and claim they mean things discovered by modern science, when the actual people reading the Bible before science got going gave no evidence of believing these things. Meanwhile you ignore the statements that can be interpreted to imply false scientific claims. And you aren't even doing the work yourself, but just copy-pasting from another source.
For example:
1 Chronicles 16:30: “He has fixed the earth firm, immovable.”
Psalm 93:1: “Thou hast fixed the earth immovable and firm ...”
Psalm 96:10: “He has fixed the earth firm, immovable ...”
Psalm 104:5: “Thou didst fix the earth on its foundation so that it never can be shaken.”
Isaiah 45:18: “...who made the earth and fashioned it, and himself fixed it fast...”
Flat Earth beliefs
are often based on literal interpretations of the Bible.
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(These examples are from the book The Bible: Is It Reliable by June Hunt.)
A. Geophysics: The earth is round - a sphere.
“It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth…” (Isaiah 40:22)
A circle is not a sphere. Also, many ancient Greeks also claimed that the earth was round. This included well-known philosophers such as Pythagoras, Plato, Aristotle, Archimedes, Eratosthenes, etc.
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B. Planetology: The earth is suspended from space.
“He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing.” (Job 26:7)
Uh...not sure how you think this either comports with modern science as it more seems to imply a stationary planet than a moving one. The earth doesn't "hang from nothing" but rather is constantly moving through space.
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C. Astronomy: The number of stars cannot be counted (from a practical point of view).
“That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore…” (Genesis 22:17)
It isn't that difficult to estimate the number of the descendants of Abraham that have so far existed and it isn't even close to the number of stars that exist.
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D. Earth Science: Mountains and canyons exist in the sea.
“I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me for ever…” (Jonah 2:6)
I think knowing that islands exists is probably sufficient to talk about mountains in the sea. However, you are ignoring the fact that Jonah is talking about some place called Sheol at the base of these mountains. What is that?
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E. Oceanography:
1. Water paths/ocean currents exist in the sea.
“The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.” (Psalm 8:8)
.
2. Springs and fountains exist in the sea.
“When he established the clouds above: when he strengthened the fountains of the deep.” (Proverbs 8:28)
You think ancient seafaring peoples such as the Phoenicians were unaware that the ocean has currents?
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F. Hydrology: Precipitation and evaporation cycles exist.
“He bindeth up the waters in his thick clouds; and the cloud is not rent under them...For he maketh small the drops of water: they pour down rain according to the vapor thereof; which the clouds do drop and distill upon man abundantly...Who hath divided a watercourse for the overflowing of waters, or a way for the lightning of thunder; to cause it to rain on the earth, where no man is; on the wilderness, wherein there is no man; to satisfy the desolate and waste ground; and to cause the bud of the tender herb to spring forth” (Job 26:8; 36:27-28;38:25-27)
Lol, good job guys, you've discovered that rain somehow comes from clouds.
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G. Genetics: All living things reproduce after their own kind.
“And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind…” (Genesis 1:21)
Too bad it is false that all living things reproduce after their own kind.
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H. Hematology: Life is in the blood.
“For it is the life of all flesh; the blood of it is for the life thereof: therefore I said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall eat the blood of no manner of flesh: for the life of all flesh is in the blood thereof…” (Leviticus 17:14)
Another false statement: plants are living organisms, but have no blood. Otherwise this is some kind of unscientific claim about "life."
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I.. Urology: Circumcision is to be performed on the eighth day.
“And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations…” (Genesis 17:12)
Lol. This has nothing to do with science.
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J. Epidemiology: Public sanitation is essential.
“Thou shalt have a place also without the camp, whither thou shalt go forth abroad: And thou shalt have a paddle upon thy weapon; and it shall be, when thou wilt ease thyself abroad, thou shalt dig therewith, and shalt turn back and cover that which cometh from thee.” (Deuteronomy 23:12-13)
You left out the important epidemiological advice in verse 11:
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If one of you becomes unclean because of a nocturnal emission, then he shall go outside the camp; he must not come within the camp. When evening comes, he shall wash himself with water, and when the sun has set, he may come back into the camp.
Wouldn't want any solders who have wet dreams around as they might pollute everyone around them.
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K. Public Health: Policies are needed
1. Never eat animals that died of natural causes. (Lev. 7:24)
2. To destroy contaminated objects. (Lev. 11:13; 15:12)
3. To isolate or quarantine those who are sick. (Lev. 13:4)
4. To burn used dressings, contaminated clothing. (Lev 13:47-54)
5. To rid the house of any mold. (Lev 14:34-47)
6. To wash clothes and bathe after touching someone with an infection or touching the bed of someone with an infection. (Lev 15:11)
Congratulations on discovering that "policies are needed," a great scientific breakthrough.