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Is the Earth flat?
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The Bible says that the Earth is a stationary object and is flat

Many proponents of the flat Earth theory draw from biblical Scripture to back up their argument, which provides a specific interpretation that, to them, confirms their hypothesis. Further, because the Bible has been around for thousands of years and its essence has not changed, it must be the de facto truth.

Context

The concept of the Flat Earth was a feature in the mythology of several pagan religions including in Norse cosmology in which the sacred tree Yggdrasil was the centre of the universe and the disc shaped earth was encircled by a serpent. Due to the early spread of Christianity into Europe, and the antagonism between Christians and the Norse, English speaking proponents of the Flat Earth theory have amalgamated their ancestral beliefs with biblical scriptures from the Hebrew Bible to confirm their ideology.

The Argument

The Bible establishes that the Earth is flat, in the opinions of some. There are a few scriptures open to interpretation regarding the idea that the Earth is a stationary object and flat. According to 1 Chronicles 16:30, King James Version, it states , "Fear before him, all the earth: the world also shall be stable, that it not be moved." Some interpret this to mean the world is a fixed object within space. This line of reasoning is continued with other scriptures including Psalm 93:1 which states that "The Lord reigneth, he is clothed with majesty; the Lord is clothed with strength, wherewith he hath girded himself, the world also is stablished, that it cannot be moved." KJV and Isaiah 45:18 with "For thus saith the Lord that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the Lord and there is none else." KJV Although flat Earth is never explicitly stated within the Bible, the state of the Earth as a flat object can be inferred through mendacious interpretation from verses such as Daniel 4:10-11, which states: "Thus were the visions of mine head in my bed; I saw, and behold a tree in the midst of the earth, and the height thereof was great. The tree grew, and was strong, and the height thereof reached unto heaven, and the sight thereof to the end of all the earth." KJV This scripture refers to the dream of Nebuchadnezzar the King of the Chaldeans and exists in the bible for the purposes of interpretation by Daniel, a Jewish captive in Babylon at the end of the first temple period. Nebuchadnezzar had looted the temple in Jerusalem and taken all of the holy relics into Babylon. If the Earth were actually spherical, then it would be impossible to see this tree from all corners of the Earth. Despite the vision of the tree being mentioned in the dream of a pagan king, because it is possible in the dream, it proves that the Earth is flat. The flatness of the Earth is further proven due to the ability of people within the Bible to see to all edges of the Earth by the power of angelic beings. Matthew 4:8 states that, "Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and shewth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them." KJV It is further confirmed by Revelation 1:7 stating "Behold, he cometh with clouds and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him; and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen." KJV he is coming with the clouds! Every eye shall see him..." Although later chapters explain that this will happen in one location and that the human population will be significantly smaller at the time, (Revelation 6), a flat Earth would allow everyone on the planet to see someone who is flying above them.

Counter arguments

Every biblical verse that flat Earth proponents use to support their claim, makes reference only to a small portion of the Earth. In no place does the Bible claim the entire Earth is flat. In fact, nowhere in the Bible is it explicitly stated that the Earth is flat at all; instead, flat-earthers are drawing assumptions based on certain scriptures within the Bible. The Bible was written thousands of years ago and is not reflective of the changing scientific atmosphere today. The Bible is also a text written first and foremost for the sake of religion, which can result in conflicts of interest with science. Some scriptures used to prove that the Earth is flat is inaccurate. For example, in Daniel 4:10-11, the tree mentioned is actually in a dream, not the real world.[1] Dreams are not based on real, accurate science. Therefore, such a situation of being able to see the tree regardless of where you are in the world is actually not applicable to the real world. It does not prove that the Earth is flat.

Proponents

Premises

[P1] Numerous scriptures within the Bible state that objects can be seen by everyone, which would be impossible if the Earth were not flat. [P2] The Bible's essence has not changed while science is always changing opinions. Therefore, the Bible must be accurate.

Rejecting the premises

[Rejecting P1] No scriptures within the Bible explicitly state that the entire Earth is flat. [Rejecting P2] The Bible is not reflective of the scientific advancements that have been made over the years.

References

  1. http://www.lockhaven.edu/~dsimanek/bible.htm
This page was last edited on Tuesday, 18 Oct 2022 at 21:10 UTC

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