Flat Earth Bible 09 of 10 - Fundamentalist Arguments

8/14/2019 Flat Earth Bible 09 of 10 - Fundamentalist Arguments

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The Flat Earth Bible

09 of 10 - Fundamentalist

Counterarguments


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Fundamentalist Counterarguments Christian Fundamentalists do not accept that the Bibleassumes a Flat Earth and have developed a number of

spurious counter-arguments. They believe that the Bible is inerrant and therefore cannot

imply a Flat Earth no matter how much evidence to thecontrary there is.

There are several common counterarguments put forward inorder to prove that the Bible writers knew that the Earth wasa sphere.

It is claimed that this information written down thousands of years ago was unknown until AD1492.

This is taken as evidence of supposed scientificforeknowledge and an indication of the Bibles supposedsupernatural origin .

However, all this is nonsense


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Counterargument 1: Isaiah 40:22The Circle of the Earth.

It is he who sitteth upon theCircle of the Earth

According to this passage, asInterpreted by Christian

Fundamentalists, the Earth isround and the word for a

circle can also mean a sphere.

These word were supposedlywritten around 700BC, 2300

years before Columbus.


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Isaiah 40:22 Shape of the Universe

It is he who sits above the circle of the Earth,and its inhabitants are likegrasshoppers;who stretches out the Heavens like a curtain,and spreads them

like a tent to dwell in. RSV & KJV

It was made by the one who sits on his throne above the Earth and beyondthe Sky; the people below look as tiny as ants. He stretched out the sky like a

curtain, like a tent in which to live. GNB

He who sits enthroned above the circle of the Earth, the inhabitants of whichare like grasshoppers, stretches out the Heavens like a cloth, spreads them

out like a tent to live in. JB

There is One who is dwelling above the circle of the Earth, the dwellers inwhich are as grasshoppers, the One who is stretching out the Heavens just

as a fine gauze, who spreads them out like a tent in which to dwell NWT**

* *New World Translation (Jehovahs Witnesses)

*Note how the words for Heaven& Sky are interchangeable.


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Isaiah 40:22: Analysis

1. Isaiah describes the Earth as being a Circle & not a Sphere.A Circle is a flat two dimensional shape & a Sphere is threedimensional.

2. Contrary to some assertions, Hebrew does have separatewords for Circle and Sphere. Isaiah 22:18 refers tothrowing a ball. Earth is not described as a ball.

3. If God can stretch out the Sky like a piece of fabric, then theSky must be solid.

4. Earth is described as being like the floor of a tent, with theSky spread out overhead.

5. Isaiah probably imagined a Universe like a tent. The Earthwas the roughly circular flat floor & the Sky was like ahemispherical fabric covering. (See next slide)


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Isaiah 40:22 What Isaiah actuallydescribes

God sitting above theCircle of the Earth

Sky spread out likethe cover of atent Circle of

the Earth

Earth is like theFloor of a tent.


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Counterargument 2 Job 26:7Earth has no supports

He stretcheth the North over theempty place and hangeth the

Earth upon nothing.

According to this passage, asInterpreted by Christian

Fundamentalists, this is a referenceTo the Earth sitting in empty space

Without anything holding it up.

These word were supposedlywritten around 1500BC, 3200

years before Newton developedHis theory of Gravity


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Job 26:7 Shape of the Universe

He stretches out the north over the void,and hangs the Earth upon nothingRSV & KJV

God stretched out the northern sky and hung the Earth in empty space.GNB

He it was who spread the north above the void and poised the Earth on

nothingness. JB

He is stretching out the north over the empty place,Hanging the Earth uponnothing NWT


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Job 26:7 What Job actually describes

The Northrefers to the

Celestial North

Pole, the pointthat the Stars

appear torevolve around.

Is a used as asynonym for the whole Sky


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Job 26:7 Analysis

If the Sky can be stretched out, then it must be solid. The empty place is most likely the empty space below the

dome of the Sky. If the Earth hangs in its place then it must not be moving. Hanging implies something to hang upon like a coat hanging

on a peg. Job 9:6 & 38:4- 6 refer to Pillars and Foundations for the

Earth. The word for nothing or void is the Hebrew word Tehom.

In Genesis 1:2, the same word is used to describe theformless chaos of the waters of the Great Deep.

This adds up to the Earth supported on pillars above theformless chaos of the waters of the Great Deep. (See nextslide)


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Job 26:7 What Job actually describes

The empty placeSky spread out

Tehom

Pillars of the Earth(Job 9: 6& 38: 4-6)

The wordthat is

translatedasnothingis Tehom.In Genesisit refers to

the formlesswaters of theGreat Deep


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Counterargument 3: Job 38:14The turning of the Earth

"It [the Earth] is turned as clay tothe seal; and they stand as a

garment."

According to ChristianFundamentalists, this is a reference

to the Earths turning or rotationevery 24 hours like clay on a

potters wheel.This was supposedly written around

1500BC, 3000 years beforeCopernicus


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Job 38:14 The turning of the Earth

It [the Earth] is changed like clay under the seal,and it is dyed like agarment. RSV

It [the Earth] is turned as clay to the seal; and they stand as a garment KJV

Daylight makes the hills and valleys stand out like the folds of a garment,clear as the imprint of a seal on clay. GNB

She [the Earth] turns it as red as a clay seal, she tints it as though it were adress. JB

It [the Earth] transforms itself like clay under a seal,And things take their station as in clothing NWT**


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Job 38:14 Analysis

1. The word turn is used here to mean change or transformand not rotate. This verse has nothing to do with rotation of any sort.

2. The Earth is compared to the imprint of a seal on clay. This is

usually fairly flat and circular.(See overleaf)


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Job 38:14:Earth is like a Clay Seal

Above: Clay Seal imprints


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Counterargument 4: Luke 17:31-36It is always day & night somewhere.

According to this passage,as Interpreted by Christian

Fundamentalists, Jesusspeaks of his second

Coming happening whileBoth daytime and nightime

activities are occurring.

This is said to prove thatJesus knew that the Earthwas a sphere almost1500

years before Columbus


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Luke 17:31-36 It is always day & nightsomewhere

On that day, let him who is on the housetop I tell you, in that night therewill be two in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. There will be two

women grinding together; one will be taken and the other left RSV

In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop

I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken,and the other shall be left. Two women shall be grinding together; the one shallbe taken, and the other left. Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be

taken, and the other left. KJV

On that day someone who is on the roof of a house

On that night, I tell you, there will be two people sleeping in the same bed: onewill be taken away, the other will be left behind. Two women will be grindingmeal together: one will be taken away, the other will be left behind. GNB


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Luke 17:31-36 Continued

'When that day comes, no one on the housetop I tell you, on that night, when two are in one bed, one will be taken, the other left;when two women are grinding corn together, one will be taken, the other left' .

JB

On that day let the person that is on the housetop I tell you, In that night two [men] will be in one bed; the one will be taken along,

but the other will be abandoned. There will be two [women] grinding at the samemill; the one will be taken along, but the other will be abandoned NWT


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Luke 17:31-36 Analysis1. There is nothing remarkable about somebody in AD30

knowing that World was a Sphere.2. Pythagoras had suggested that the World was a Sphere in

C6th BC.3. The concept of a Spherical Earth had been widely accepted

by educated Greeks and Romans since about 350BC.

4. It is by no means clear if Jesus is referring to day and nightoccurring at the same time.5. Jesus may be saying that he may return at night time or

alternatively during daytime. Matthew 24:36 makes it clear that Jesus does not know when he will come again.

6. If the latter interpretation is correct, then the verse could beinterpreted to mean that Jesus believed that day and nightoccurred simultaneously all over the World.

7. Presentation 07 of 10 in this series suggests that Jesusthought that the Earth was flat.


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Matthew 24:36 Jesus may returneither during the daytime or at night

Viewed in the light of Matthew 24:36, Luke 17:31-36 does notnecessarily imply a Spherical Earth


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Counterargument 5: PhenomenalLanguage Argument.

According to thisargument, the Bible

often uses descriptive

or PhenomenalLanguage that describesappearances rather than

Reality.

For example, referencesto the the Suns motionare said to only refer

to apparent motion suchSunrise or Sunset


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Joshua 10: 12 & 13 Joshua stops theSun & Moon from moving

In this story, Joshua halts the Sun& Moon in order to gain extra daylightand finish a battle before dark.

According to the Phenomenallanguage argument, the Earth

stopped rotating and then restartedagain.


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Phenomenal Language ArgumentCritique

1. This is a modern agreement designed to avoid difficulties withGeocentric imagery in the Bible. Nowhere in the Bible is thereany reference to this.

2. Before the Renaissance, this argument was never used aseveryone accepted that the Bible was literally true when itreferred to the Suns motion.

3. For this argument to have any validity, language needs to bea human invention that reflects the limited knowledge of thepast.However, according to the Bible, language was createdby God and modified at the Tower of Babel.

4. It is impossible for the Earth to have stopped rotating andthen resumed without destroying all life on Earth.

5. Luther, Calvin and several Popes rejected this argument.


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Counterargument 6: Dream imageryArgument.

According to this argumentmany of the Cosmological

images in the Bible occur asimages in dreams andtherefore are symbolicor not to be interpreted

literally.

Only non dream imagery

should be interpreted asbeing literally true

Left: Jacob dreams of a ladder reaching up to Heaven.


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Dream Imagery Argument Critique

1. The prophetic dreams in the Bible are not ordinary humandreams. They are special messages from God containingimportant information.

2. For example, the dream of Jacobs ladder included a messagefrom God about renewing Gods Covenant with Jacob.Wecannot say that some of the information in Gods messagesare literally true and that some other parts of the message arenot literally true.

3. In the new Testament, Joseph has a dream in which he getsa message from God about Mary being pregnant with Jesus.If we follow the logic of the dream imagery argument, then wewould have to reject this story as being untrue or merelysymbolic.

4. Christian Fundamentalists are often inconsistent & only usethis argument when it suits them.

5. Why should God mislead people with false information? Thiswould undermine his messages.


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Counterargument 7: Poetic imageryArgument.

According to this argument Manyof the Cosmological Images inthe Bible Such as the Psalmsare written in poetic language

are symbolic & therefore or allegorical & not to be interpreted

literally.

Left: David fighting Goliath. Manyof the Psalms are attributed to

David


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Poetic Imagery Argument Critique

This is just an excuse for Christian Fundamentalists to ignoreparts of the Bible that are inconvenient. Poetic Imagery does not necessarily imply that an image is

untrue.Deliberate use of archaic references for literaryreasons is a modern concept that has developed since therise of modern science.There was no modern Science inBiblical times.

Christian Fundamentalists are notorious for interpreting theCreation, Flood story & Tower of Babel literally.They onlydeviate from this when they run into difficulties.

The Bible itself often interprets poetic language as being

literally true. Acts 2:27 quotes the Psalms as a literalprophecy of Christ's Resurrection. How do we know which Biblical language is not to be taken

literally?Perhaps Christ's Resurrection was only poetic or symbolic & not literally true?


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Flat Earth Bible 09 of 10 - Fundamentalist Arguments