Association For Biblical Astronomy

[Cutlass]

Got this pamphlet in the mail today

http://www.geocentricity.com/ Home of The Biblical Astronomer

The Third International Conference on Absolutes is past. As PowerPoints and papers become available, they will be posted at the Conference web page.

Of all the sciences, the Holy Bible has more to say about astronomy than any other. The Scripture speaks of the sun, moon, stars, the host of heaven, planets, and constellations. It talks about the heavens, the firmament, and tells us that the lights in the sky were made for the earth, for man, to give light by day and by night, to serve as signs, and to determine the seasons. The ancients, particularly the Jews, claim Adam as the first astronomer. They number Seth, Enoch, Shem, and Abraham among the greatest ancient astronomers. Major astronomical themes occur in Genesis, Numbers, Joshua, Judges, Job, Psalms, Amos, Luke, Hebrews, 1 & 2 Peter, Jude, and Revelation.

This site is devoted to the historical relationship between the Bible and astronomy. It assumes that whenever the two are at variance, it is always astronomy—that is, our "reading" of the "Book of Nature," not our reading of the Holy Bible—that is wrong. History bears consistent witness to the truth of that stance.

Comments?

 

[Phlegmak]

Geocentrism was so 500 years ago. These people need to join the 17th century.

 

[Elrohir]

This site is devoted to the historical relationship between the Bible and astronomy. It assumes that whenever the two are at variance, it is always astronomy—that is, our "reading" of the "Book of Nature," not our reading of the Holy Bible—that is wrong. History bears consistent witness to the truth of that stance.

In other words, our particular understanding of the Bible is the only possible right one, and is more reliable than observed reality. That's so astonishingly arrogant, I'm not even sure where to begin.

 

[woody60707]

Geocentrism was so 500 years ago. These people need to join the 17th century.

Well, we are the center of the universe, relativity speaking.

 

[JollyRoger]

The earth is flat too. Any observed reality to the contrary is just God testing our faith.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

I read just a bit of the stuff on that website, and have concluded that "biblical astronomy" is an oxymoron.

 

[Leonel]

The earth is flat too. Any observed reality to the contrary is just God testing our faith.

Unless you're referring to all Christians, that's actually a widely accepted urban legend. The idea that early Christians believes the earth was flat was a farce published in various publications during the 19th century, such as The Warfare of Science with Theology published in 1896. On the contrary, not only did early Christian's know the world was round, they were arguing about how big it really is.

 

[lovett]

On the contrary, not only did early Christian's know the world was round, they were arguing about how big it really is.

The yreally should have read up their hellenic scholars.

Eratosthenes worked that out 200 years before christ

 

[Erik Mesoy]

Eratosthenes got it wrong and probably cheated anyway.

 

[pi-r8]

I'd be surprised if anyone on this website would actually argue for using the bible instead of the scientific method for doing astronomy. I'm curious, though, about where "biblical astronomy" would disagree with observations. I'm not aware of any specific claims made by the bible about astronomy that would be in any way testable. The closest one I can think of would be one from revelations, which claims that during judgement day, "the moon will appear as the sun, and the sun will appear as 6 suns". In one of my physics classes I had to work out what the temperature of the earth would be in that situation.

 

[Halcyon]

Eratosthenes got it wrong and probably cheated anyway.

Due to unit confusion over the length of a stadia we can't be entirely sure what his answer was, but his method was basically sound (if imprecise). If he was working in Egyptian stadia - and being in Egypt, this isn't improbable - he actually came pretty close - less than 500km short.

I'd like to know how he could have cheated, though. Unless he peeked at the next guy's answers, or used a really big tapemeasure, finding a way to cheat the answer would have been more impressive than calculating it.


Also, yeah, the 'everyone thought Earth was flat' thing is a myth. There were those who argued for that view, but they were mostly fringe theologians trying to take obscure biblical passages somewhat too literally. In this case, something about "the four corners of the Earth", which naturally must therefore be rectangular. Everyone else worked it out milennia ago. It was Heliocentrism that gave people trouble - and again, the Greeks were there first; Aristarchos of Samos worked it out in the 3rd Century BC. Not that anyone really listened to him, though.

Historically, these kinds of bad ideas have stuck because they had proponents who were beyond question. If X is always right, and X says Y, then that trumps any no-name bookworm who says otherwise. Sometimes X is a book, sometimes it's a person. The effect is the same. The quote in the OP outright states it - he takes the Bible as automatically correct, so all other arguments or evidence must be dismissed. That sort of crap always gives non-crazy folks a bad name, and scientists a hard time.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

I'd be surprised if anyone on this website would actually argue for using the bible instead of the scientific method for doing astronomy. I'm curious, though, about where "biblical astronomy" would disagree with observations. I'm not aware of any specific claims made by the bible about astronomy that would be in any way testable. The closest one I can think of would be one from revelations, which claims that during judgement day, "the moon will appear as the sun, and the sun will appear as 6 suns". In one of my physics classes I had to work out what the temperature of the earth would be in that situation.

I never thought I'd say this about the Bible, but this actually makes a tiny bit of sense.

If you take Judgement Day to be the literal end of the world, it could be said that the passage refers to the observation that the Moon has been receding from Earth for a long time now. We're fortunate that it's in exactly the right orbit for us to have eclipses, and we should enjoy them while we can. We won't always have them. And as the Sun ages, it will expand and fill the sky. It'll be huge in comparison to now, and Earth's surface will boil/liquify.

However, this doesn't mean I endorse anything from Revelations (haven't read that part).

 

[pi-r8]

OMG that site is hilarious! I mean, it starts off pretty tame, arguing that the Earth is the center of the universe (one point is as good as another) and that the bible says the earth is round (I don't know, don't care if it says that). But then it goes on to argue that evolution violates physics with some really wonky physics, and in another section argues that charging interest is immoral. I'm still trying to find its arguement for a 6000 year old universe.

 

[lovett]

Eratosthenes got it wrong and probably cheated anyway.

I think it's a bit petty to say an error of 1% is 'wrong' frankly!

 

[El_Machinae]

I believe that the scripture "A thousand years is as a day unto the Lord" is much better explained by Relativity.

If New Jerusalem is above the old Jerusalem, and if it's going fast enough for a "1000 year: 1 day" time dialation, we can actually calculate how far away God is orbiting above the Earth.

 

[pi-r8]

I never thought I'd say this about the Bible, but this actually makes a tiny bit of sense.

If you take Judgement Day to be the literal end of the world, it could be said that the passage refers to the observation that the Moon has been receding from Earth for a long time now. We're fortunate that it's in exactly the right orbit for us to have eclipses, and we should enjoy them while we can. We won't always have them. And as the Sun ages, it will expand and fill the sky. It'll be huge in comparison to now, and Earth's surface will boil/liquify.

However, this doesn't mean I endorse anything from Revelations (haven't read that part).

Yeah but how to explain the part about the Moon getting bigger? Besides, I think the idea (in revelations) is that those things happen really suddenly.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

As I said, I haven't read Revelations. I've read some of the Old Testament and bits and pieces of the New Testament.

My previous post was based on something I read in an old Isaac Asimov essay about the Moon.

Besides, as an atheist I'm extremely skeptical about the Bible's position on any of the physical sciences.

 

[pi-r8]

Besides, as an atheist I'm extremely skeptical about the Bible's position on any of the physical sciences.

Yeah of course, me too. I just find it interesting to think about how I could explain the physics of a really weird situation.

 

[West 36]

Tell me you signed up for a mailing list? Or are they actually sending pamphlets out en masse?
Ugh... so how many of them are there?

 

[Cutlass]

Tell me you signed up for a mailing list? Or are they actually sending pamphlets out en masse?
Ugh... so how many of them are there?

The pamphlet is addressed "resident" The return address is in Kansas and i'm in Connecticut, so I figure they've sent it to a pretty large number of addresses.