Here is something to play with Arch
Evolution is the least of the Bible's problems. In fact, evolution isn't even mentioned in this list. Even the most basic grade-school understanding of how the universe actually works contradicts what is clearly stated in the Bible. How could the author of the Bible be the Creator when the Bible is so wrong about Creation?
God's Creation vs. the Bible
...or "Top 10 ways the Bible contradicts Creation"
"Long ago, when torture broke the remnant of his will,
Galileo recanted, but the Earth is moving still."
-Dr. Catherine Faber
The Bible has many harsh critics. The most notable among them is God.
God's own Creation discredits the Bible at every turn. If you believe in the Bible as the "Word of God", evolution is the least of your problems. Even the most remedial education in modern science definitively refutes what the Bible teaches about the nature of the universe. In fact, the errors are so severe that they can't be dismissed as metaphor. Even the most liberal interpretations of the Bible are in conflict with some of the most basic understandings of modern science.
In the "Top 10 ways the Bible contradicts Creation" below, I don't even mention evolution. I have restricted myself to the blindingly obvious absurdities of the Bible, contradicted by what even a child should know of science. Clearly, the author of the Bible could not have been the architect of this universe.
According to the Bible...
The sun moves around the earth.
The moon is a source of light.
The sky is a firmament (a dome) above the earth.
The stars are little lights set in the firmament
The earth is flat with four corners.
The earth has pillars that support it (also called "the foundations of the earth")
Creation took six days
A single man and woman can sustain a species and populate a planet
It rains whenever the Biblegod opens a window in Heaven.
You can get to Heaven by building a really tall tower. (deism.org's favorite absurdity)
Also see the Order of Events in Creation. The Bible can't even keep it's own story straight between the first and second chapters of Genesis. Neither chapter is consistent with the order of events indicated by science.
The Biblegod says the sun revolves around the earth.
Joshua 10:12-13 Then spake Joshua to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon. And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day.
Psalm 19:4-6 Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race. His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.
These two passages were written at a time when people thought the sun moved across the sky. The Joshua passage clearly says "the sun stood still". The Psalms passage seem reminiscent of the ancient Greek legends of Apollo and how his chariot pulled the sun on its daily circuit across the sky. Indeed, the Book of Isaiah with all it's Greek mythological creatures, indicates that the authors of the Bible were heavily influenced by the pagan mythologies.
Other passages of the Bible state that the earth is fixed in place rather than revolving around the sun.
Psalm 93:1 ...the world also is stabilized, that it cannot be moved.
Psalm 96:10 ...the world also shall be established that it shall not be moved....
Psalm 104:5 Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever.
1st Chronicles 16:30 Fear before him, all the earth: the world also shall be stable, that it be not moved.
Indeed because of these passages, Christian leaders were slow to accept the heliocentric universe proposed by Copernicus.
"People gave ear to an upstart astrologer who strove to show that the earth revolves, not the heavens or the firmament, the sun and the moon.... This fool wishes to reverse the entire science of astronomy; but sacred scripture tells us that Joshua commanded the sun to stand still, and not the earth."
-- Martin Luther, referring to Joshua 10:13, in his series of "Table Talks" (1539)
"Who will venture to place the authority of Copernicus above that of the Holy Spirit?"
-- John Calvin, citing Psalm 93:1 in his Commentary on Genesis
"... And whereas it has also come to the knowledge of the said Congregation that the Pythagorean doctrine -- which is false and altogether opposed to the Holy Scripture -- of the motion of the Earth and the immobility of the Sun, which is also taught by Nicolaus Copernicus in De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium, and by Diego de Zuñiga On Job, is now being spread abroad and accepted by many... Therefore, in order that this opinion may not insinuate itself any further to the prejudice of Catholic truth, the Holy Congregation has decreed that the said Nicolaus Copernicus, De Revolutionibus Orbium, and Diego de Zuñiga, On Job, be suspended until they are corrected."
-- The Roman Catholic Church, from The Decree of the Roman Catholic Congregation of the Index which condemned De Revolutionibus on March 5, 1616
The early Christian resistance to the heliocentric model of the solar system was Biblically founded. They believed that Copernicus was wrong and the Bible was right.
Today, we know better.
The Biblegod says the moon is a source of light
Genesis 1:16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night...
Isaiah 30:26 (prophecy) Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun
Isaiah's prophecy in the latter verse indicates his ignorance that the moon doesn't give off any light of its own. I expect that someone who truly speaks for God should know better.
Later in the Bible, there are prophecies of the end times when the moon won't shine. Here's how the Bible describes it (bold emphasis mine):
Isaiah 13:10 ...and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.
Ezekiel 32:7 ...and the moon shall not give her light.
Matthew 24:29 ...and the moon shall not give her light...
Of course, today we know that the moon doesn't actually produce any light. It simply reflects the light of the sun.
This error of the Bible can't be dismissed as metaphor. A poet who knew better would have written that the moon might be "covered" or "blackened" or in some other way prevented from reflecting light. Instead, the Bible clearly states that the moon gives "her light" (not the light of what a poet might call "father sun").
Really, even the primitive authors of the Bible should have known better. The shadows on the waxing and waning moon should have been enough of a clue.
The Biblegod describes the sky as a dome over the earth
Genesis 1:6-8 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven...
Genesis 1:16-17 ...he (God) made the stars also. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth.
The "second day" in which the Biblegod creates the firmament in which he later fixes the little lights known as stars (see above) is apparently the dome that makes up the sky. This dome apparently separates heaven from earth which explains why in chapter 11 of Genesis the authors concluded that you could get to heaven by building a tower tall enough.
Curiously, there is much talk of "waters" in the first chapter of Genesis. It appears that the authors of the Bible believed that the universe was a great sea before the Biblegod got started to work.
Some have suggested that Genesis is a poetic metaphor for the actual creation of the universe but too many details are simply wrong. Space is a vacuum, not an ocean, the order of events in Genesis are completely wrong (and they contradict each other between chapters 1 and 2) and the descriptions of the heavenly bodies and their relationship to earth are also wrong, as detailed in this list.
The Biblegod says the stars are little lights set in the firmament
Genesis 1:16-17 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth.
This passage in Genesis clearly describes the stars as little lights that are fixed in the sky (which in turn is described as a dome or firmament over the earth). The flippant nature in which God is said to have "made the stars also", almost as an afterthought, indicates that the authors of the Bible were unaware that each star was its own sun. The stars in Genesis were created on the same day as the sun (the "fourth day" in the first chapter of Genesis), implying that all stars were created at the same time. We know this is not true, as many stars are older than our sun and new stars are constantly forming.
The stars are also said to have been created to "give light upon the earth" but most of them don't. There are only thousands of stars visible with the naked eye from earth. This is only a tiny fraction of the billions and billions of stars that are out there.
Other passages in the Bible confirm this ancient view of the stars as little lights in the sky-dome over the earth. When the world comes to its predicted end, these little lights will fall to the earth.
Matthew 24:29 ...and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
Revelations 6:13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.
Revelations 8:10 And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters;
Revelations 12:4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth...
Knowing what we know today about the true nature of stars, we should realize that even as a metaphor the concept is silly. Even the most liberal of poetic license will not stretch to allow that the stars might one day fall to the earth.
The Biblegod says the earth is flat with four corners
Passages in the Bible that discuss the "four corners of the earth" (bold emphasis mine):
Isaiah 11:12 And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.
Ezekiel 7:2 Also, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord GOD unto the land of Israel; An end, the end is come upon the four corners of the land.
Revelations 7:1 And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth,...
Of course, the earth has no "corners" since it's a globe. What really reveals the ignorance of those who wrote the Bible is the passage where the devil tries to tempt Jesus:
Matthew 4:8 Again, the devil taketh him (Jesus) up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
This Matthew passage particularly underscores that the authors of the Bible had little understanding of the earth. Not only did they believe the earth was flat with for corners, they also believed the earth was so small that all of it could be viewed from an exceedingly tall mountain. Needless to say, the surface of all the earth and all of its kingdoms can't be viewed from on high. Even from space this would not be possible for the other side of the planet would not be visible. The only way to view all of the earth from on top a high mountain is if the earth were flat and very small.
The Biblegod says the earth has "foundations"
These "foundations of the earth" are often described as pillars.
1st Samuel 2:8 ...for the pillars of the earth are the LORD's, and he hath set the world upon them.
Job 38:4 Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.
Psalm 75:3 The earth and all the inhabitants thereof are dissolved: I bear up the pillars of it. Selah.
Psalm 104:5 Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever.
Jeremiah 31:37 Thus saith the LORD; If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, saith the LORD.
Micah 6:2 Hear ye, O mountains, the LORD's controversy, and ye strong foundations of the earth...
Hebrews 1:10 And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth;...
Of course, the earth has no "foundation", whether composed of pillars or some other form. The earth is a spherical rock floating in space. It's completely unsupported and certainly not fixed in place.
The Biblegod says Creation took six (6) days
See all of chapter 1 of Genesis.
"How long did Creation really take?" we may ask. Were Nature's God to speak, It might ask why we're using the past tense. Scientists believe the universe is some 13.5 billion years old. Stars continue to form. The universe continues to expand. It appears the universe is still under construction.
The Biblegod says a single male and female can sustain a species and populate a world
We read about this twice in the Book of Genesis. The first was after the creation of Adam and Even in Chapter 2 who are said to be the common ancestors of all of humanity. The second occasion was during the Noah's Ark story in chapters 6 through 9 when Noah sustains the animal population by taking two of each kind aboard the ark. Frankly, even the primitive authors of the Bible should have known better. Common sense indicates that it takes more than two to provide sufficient genetic material to maintain a species for more than a generation.
After all, who are their children supposed to breed with? Each other?
It takes more than two, baby.
The Biblegod says he opens a window in Heaven to make it rain on earth
Genesis 7:12-13 ...and the windows of heaven were opened. And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.
1st Kings 8:35 When heaven is shut up, and there is no rain, because they have sinned against thee; if they pray toward this place, and confess thy name, and turn from their sin, when thou afflictest them
I guess the weather reports could be a lot more accurate if only they could detect those Heavenly windows.
The Biblegod says you can get to heaven if you build a tower big enough...
...and that really scares him.
Here's the story, bold emphasis mine:
Gen 11:1-9 And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for mortar. And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech. So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city. Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.
I really am at a loss to decide where to begin in the analysis of such a ridiculous story.
I don't know which is sillier, the idea that you can get to heaven by building a really tall tower or the assertion that any activities by mortals can scare God.
From these nine verses that are the start of chapter 11 of Genesis, we learn that
You can get to Heaven if you build a tower tall enough.
Apparently, the people who wrote the Bible thought that Heaven was literally a domain in the clouds.
Apparently, the people who wrote the Bible thought it would be architecturally possible to build a tower that would reach into the clouds.
The Biblegod became afraid of these upstart humans and their project.
The Biblegod cursed the humans to end the project.
Different languages were instantly created in that moment.
I submit that anyone who has flown in an airplane knows that
Clouds are not solid domains but wisps of condensation.
Clouds are not the domains of angels or other divine beings.
God is not threatened by our traveling to the clouds and back. (God didn't smite the Wright brothers to prevent them from building the first airplane)
I submit that anyone familiar with architecture knows that
There is no way bronze age architects could have built a tower that would reach into the clouds, even if they all worked together.
Modern sky-scrappers reach much higher than ancient towers with the help of steel-reinforced concrete. So far, no one has made it Heaven in an elevator.
I submit that linguists know that
Languages evolve and take form as one culture is separated from another
Languages change over time. English certainly has. Anyone who's read old-English texts knows this.
Common sense tells us that
It seems pretty unlikely that the Creator of the entire universe should feel scared about the activity of humans.
Apparently, God isn't threatened by our traveling to the moon and back, since it was allowed to happen.
If there is a Heaven, it doesn't exist in physical proximity to the earth.
Contradiction: By the way, even though the Bible says in Gen 11:1 that there was only one language, the previous chapter indicates that there was more than one language. Bold emphasis mine.
Gen 10:5 By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands; every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations.
Gen 10:20 These are the sons of Ham, after their families, after their tongues.
Gen 10:31 These are the sons of Shem, after their families, after their tongues.
Gen 11:1 And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech.
So apparently there was more than one language before the Tower of Babel, according to chapter 10. Except that there wasn't, according to chapter 11. How could the editors of the Word of God be so sloppy?
Genesis 11:1-9, "The Tower of Babel" gets Deism.org's award for most absurd Bible story, barely beating out Noah's Ark and the incoherent Revelations. I submit that this story is completely indefensible, even with the most liberal allowance for metaphor and poetic license.
http://www.deism.org/deism%20vs%20the%20Bible.htm
And Oh so much more where that came from , and I didn't even mention the Nostic Gospels
