Is
Science Superior to the Bible?
Does the Bible teach that the earth is
flat?
THE HUMANIST'S CLAIM the Bible teaches:
A Flat Earth Resting on Pillars
The
Bible supports the primitive notion of a flat earth. In the sixth century, a Christian
monk named Cosmas wrote a book, titled Topographia Christiana, describing the
structure of the physical world. Basing his views on the Bible, Cosmas said the
earth is flat and surrounded by four seas.
The prophecy
at Revelation 1:7 was a basis for his conclusion. It states that when Christ returns,
“every eye shall see him.” Cosmas reasoned that if the earth were round,
people on the other side would not see Christ’s second coming.
You're
not going to fall for this piece of illogic... I hope. This claim has essentially
been answered a number of times already. What is the answer?
What an individual
believes scripture reveals, does not mean the Bible actually supports that belief.
In this case the assertion, based on Revelation 1:7, is so far fetched and outside
the context of that verse, so as to be absurd.
But first... I have to ask...
who was Cosmas the monk?
He was also known as Cosmas Indicopleustes, and
he did advocate for a flat earth. What the humanists leave out is that his
work was rejected, even during his own lifetime, by the church fathers. So...
as their authority, they have selected an obscure monk whose ideas were rejected.
That's evidence of desperation, not sound science.
Conclusion:
There is hardly anything worth commenting on here. The Bible in no way supports
a flat earth.
Additional Conclusion: Many of the humanists claims
about the Bible are so absurd and easy for anyone to refute with a simple Google
search, that I'm starting to think this humanist web page was not created to change
minds. It's purpose may be to give comfort to unthinking minds... to give comfort
to atheists who need a reason to reject the truth of the Bible. They can read
this humanist page; assume it's all true; feel good about themselves; and continue
in their sin thinking they'll never be held accountable... after all the Bible
has [not] been "proven" false by a humanist.
Coming Up Next...
I've
decided to present the information in this section of the humanist's web site
as though it were a debate. They've made the claim that the Bible supports belief
in a flat earth. I've refuted that, and discredited their witness. If this were
an actual debate, how do you think they would respond?
Here are the next
three paragraphs from their web page:
The humanist "response:"
Further support for the idea of a flat earth is contained
in the verses mentioning the “four corners of the earth” (e.g., Isaiah
11:12; Revelation 7:1) and the “ends of the earth” (e.g., Jeremiah 16:19;
Acts 13:47).
Because of such Bible teachings,
most of the early church fathers thought the earth is flat.[33] In fact, the view
of the world contained in Cosmas’ book was accepted for several centuries
as orthodox Christian doctrine.[34] Even in the fifteenth century, when Christopher
Columbus proposed to sail west from Spain to reach the East Indies, the biblical
notion of a flat earth was a major source of opposition to him.[35]
As
for the question of what holds the flat earth in place, the Bible indicates the
answer is “pillars.” The pillars of the earth are mentioned in several
verses in the Old Testament (I Samuel 2:8; Psalm 75:3; Job 9:6). These verses
reflect the belief of the ancient Hebrews that the earth rests upon pillars.[36]
Here
are their references:
[33]
White, Vol. I, p. 91. See also Draper, John W., History of the Conflict Between
Religion and Science (New York and London: D. Appleton and Company, 1919), pp.
62, 63, 161.
[34] White Vol. I, pp. 325, 326.
See also Draper, pp. 163, 294.
[35] Draper, pp. 163,
164.
[36] The New English Bible with the Apocrypha,
Oxford Study Edition (New York: Oxford University Press, 1976), p. 1002.
This
is getting interesting... let's go to the next page and read
my response. Click here...