Spirituality
30 Nov 23
01 Dec 23
@ghost-of-a-duke saidI’m not so sure about that assertion.
Many contemporary Christians, who take episodes like Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden as a literal account will, nonetheless, conveniently take passages that speak of the four corners of the Earth as figurative.
What about the scriptures referencing the “firmament”; do you feel those are also taken figuratively by contemporary Christians?
01 Dec 23
@ghost-of-a-duke saidThere is a significant number of contemporary Christians who assert, because of scriptural references to “four corners” “circle of the earth” and the “firmament”, that the earth is a flat plane. They take these as being literal references.
The writers themselves would have believed the Earth was flat. (Hence why we have the devil taking Jesus to a high mountain and being able to show him all the kingdoms of the world. - Impossible with a spherical Earth).
Anyone alive today who believes the Earth is flat will rightly receive a raised eyebrow, but in biblical times everybody who existed would have thought the Earth was flat and viewed the idea of a spherical Earth as crazy.
01 Dec 23
@ghost-of-a-duke saidNo, not everyone did. Eratosthenes knew it was a globe and even estimated it's size, to within a fair tolerance, given the technology available to him at the time.
The writers themselves would have believed the Earth was flat. (Hence why we have the devil taking Jesus to a high mountain and being able to show him all the kingdoms of the world. - Impossible with a spherical Earth).
Anyone alive today who believes the Earth is flat will rightly receive a raised eyebrow, but in biblical times everybody who existed would have thought the Earth was flat and viewed the idea of a spherical Earth as crazy.
https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2018EGUGA..20.5417K/abstract
01 Dec 23
@fmf saidWell, let's just say that some people's mental horizon is broader than others'. It is probable that other ancient people(s) than Eratosthenes realised that the Earth is a globe. Wouldn't surprise me if some Babylonians knew it as well, as they were dedicated observers of the stars. And some ancient sailers probably figured it out too, since the night sky has different constellations in the northern and southern hemispheres; this is inexplicable on the hypothesis of a flat disc; it makes sense only when you know the Earth is a globe.
sonship used to insist that not all ancient Hebrews were flat-Earthers.
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01 Dec 23
@moonbus saidGood point. I'll replace 'everybody who existed' with 'almost everybody who existed, including almost certainly the various writers of the bible.'
No, not everyone did. Eratosthenes knew it was a globe and even estimated it's size, to within a fair tolerance, given the technology available to him at the time.
https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2018EGUGA..20.5417K/abstract
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01 Dec 23
@divegeester saidThe writers of the bible believed the Earth was flat. Most contemporary Christians do not. This is a problem if they are to assert the bible is divinely inspired, as surely the writers would have been inspired to reference the Earth's spherical nature. The bible is also riddled with other scientific inaccuracies.
There is a significant number of contemporary Christians who assert, because of scriptural references to “four corners” “circle of the earth” and the “firmament”, that the earth is a flat plane. They take these as being literal references.
@ghost-of-a-duke saidKindly transfer 1200 pounds to my numbered Swiss bank account and I will gladly expunge the scientific inaccuracies from the Bible for you. I'm feeling inspired today.
The writers of the bible believed the Earth was flat. Most contemporary Christians do not. This is a problem if they are to assert the bible is divinely inspired, as surely the writers would have been inspired to reference the Earth's spherical nature. The bible is also riddled with other scientific inaccuracies.
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01 Dec 23
@moonbus saidWould you accept payment in cooking apples? I seem to currently have an abundance.
Kindly transfer 1200 pounds to my numbered Swiss bank account and I will gladly expunge the scientific inaccuracies from the Bible for you. I'm feeling inspired today.
01 Dec 23
1 edit
@ghost-of-a-duke saidIf your wife delivers them personally, yes.
Would you accept payment in cooking apples? I seem to currently have an abundance.