The Bible Erroneously Says the Earth is Flat

[Audie]

Language is used with a perspective, it's the normal use of language.

From a certain perspective the earth goes around the earth with an accelerating frame of reference as physicists today will say in Harvard and MIT.

From a certain perspective the land is flat as far as the eye can see but even the ancients knew the earth was really round.

It may well be that "the ancients", whoever they were
believed that the earth is a sphere.

They had no way to know it for a fact.

Whether it was generally "known" or believed
that the earth is round, at this or that or the
other "ancient" time and places is another matter.

I would bet that at lest half the population of earth
today does not know the earth is round, like an
orange.

I remember well talking to a Filipina who was
new to the USA, who of course was accustomed
to the sunrise being at the same time every day,
and seasons only being wet and dry.

She asked me why we have winter, and when
I got a ball to start showing her, she had this
look of total confusion on her face.

Since then, she has become quite the amateur
astronomer, but, neither she nor her siblings or
parents had a clue that the earth is not flat.

 

[Audie]

Poetic language in the Bible
The Bible is written in two languages simultaneously -- narrative and poetic. Narrative is like the text caption below a picture and poetic is the picture itself. Poetic language is deeply symbolic and filled with metaphor. Through it, one word can be transposed in the mind to conjure up a sweeping variety of meanings.
The Language of God - goodnewspirit.com
goodnewspirit.com/languageofgod.htm

I did suggest that you might post on topic or not at
all.

"God" is imaginary. It has no language.

And if someone can find poetry in the begets and begats,
they can probably find a chupacabra at the animal shelter,
too.

 

[Darkforbid]

You will need a lot more than coffee.

****, I see what you're on about now! Very much my bad, it's not like I don't know checking back is often a good move either. Talk about my personal bias showing

But, I'll blame the heatway

(walks away ego scratched)

 

[Audie]

****, I see what you're on about now! Very much my bad, it's not like I don't know checking back is often a good move either. Talk about my personal bias showing

But, I'll blame the heatway

(walks away ego scratched)

Iced coffee is good in the heat. I like Mr Brown!
Try it.
mr brown coffee - Google Search

We're friends, just having fun, right?

 

[Subduction Zone]

I see that you do not understand what a hypothetical is.

Audie presented a hypothetical as to if it were taught in schools today.

Nevertheless, thanks for making a false equivalence to 2 hypotheticals, one of which wasn’t from me and explaining how school curricula is set.

I am late to the conversation so did not see Audie's hypothetical. But that does not change the fact that you posted a failed hypothesis. Now that you are in a hole is the time to stop digging.

 

[Muffled]

I believe that interpretation is erroneous.

 

[Muffled]

I don't think any scholar has believed the flat earth since 500bc

I believe Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman did a fun parody of it in Good Omens.

 

[sooda]

It may well be that "the ancients", whoever they were
believed that the earth is a sphere.

They had no way to know it for a fact.

Whether it was generally "known" or believed
that the earth is round, at this or that or the
other "ancient" time and places is another matter.

I would bet that at lest half the population of earth
today does not know the earth is round, like an
orange.

I remember well talking to a Filipina who was
new to the USA, who of course was accustomed
to the sunrise being at the same time every day,
and seasons only being wet and dry.

She asked me why we have winter, and when
I got a ball to start showing her, she had this
look of total confusion on her face.

Since then, she has become quite the amateur
astronomer, but, neither she nor her siblings or
parents had a clue that the earth is not flat.

The ancient Arabs (and people from India I think) had a navigational tool called the Kamal that helped them follow latitude. 9th century BC if my memory holds up. I am not a science type.. I couldn't compete with all my brainy brothers who did go to Harvard and MIT and GA Tech. (I did great with biology and geometry)

I do know a wee bit about literature both poetic and narrative... The Bible is both.. most metaphors are repeated at least three times in three different ways. I don't think the storytellers ever intended the stories to be taken literally. The Koran has some 30 allegorical descriptions of heaven (paradise) .. Which in my opinion boils down to absence of God.

So .. Someone who is smarter than me should step up and explain what I am trying to say.

 

[Road Less Traveled]

No, I understand. I explained why your hypothetical was garbage. It would not happen since concepts taught at schools need to be reality based. Since those that accept the fact that the Earth is a sphere can test and confirm their beliefs it would be accepted where a flat Earth could not be.

Thank you! Finally!! Now tell Audie that her hypothetical question to me was garbage then and that’s why I never answered it.

Also my hypothetical was not garbage. Do you think in times past, that the transition from flat earth belief to the globe went smoothly?

 

[Muffled]

I don't get what this irony is.

What does evolution have to do with biblical belief and a flat earth?

Wouldn't evolution mean that random shapes could occur so a falt shape could evolve? I believe the truth is that gravity dictates shape to some extent but pieces of worlds like asteroids can be different sized chunks missing the gravity factor but having an adherence at a molecular level. I am assuming that is how rocks stay together but my physics isn't that great.

 

[Audie]

The ancient Arabs (and people from India I think) had a navigational tool called the Kamal that helped them follow latitude. 9th century BC if my memory holds up. I am not a science type.. I couldn't compete with all my brainy brothers who did go to Harvard and MIT and GA Tech. (I did great with biology and geometry)

I do know a wee bit about literature both poetic and narrative... The Bible is both.. most metaphors are repeated at least three times in three different ways. I don't think the storytellers ever intended the stories to be taken literally. The Koran has some 30 allegorical descriptions of heaven (paradise) .. Which in my opinion boils down to absence of God.

So .. Someone who is smarter than me should step up and explain what I am trying to say.

It HAS both, but IS both? Not so much.
I dont have to be super smart to note that the bible
is in places poetic, in others narrative, in others
both. It is way too muchy a mishmashy, too many
authors and styles to be characterized easily.

 

[Darkforbid]

Where is that ? I am only aware of the Flat Earth verses. I would really like to see some spherical Earth ones.

From all that I have seen the Bible only describes the Earth as flat in both word and deed. But why does that matter? Why would one expect rather ignorant sheep herders to get the shape of the Earth right and does it really matter? Bible extremeists only hurt their own case by denying what is written in the Bible.

You asked; Where is that ? I am only aware of the Flat Earth verses.

Isaiah 8th? I think the forum just linked to it automatically,.. If that's what you mean? Otherwise my posts doesn't mention bible verses

 

[sooda]

It HAS both, but IS both? Not so much.
I dont have to be super smart to note that the bible
is in places poetic, in others narrative, in others
both. It is way too muchy a mishmashy, too many
authors and styles to be characterized easily.

Good enough.

What kinds of literary techniques are used in the Bible ...
https://carm.org/bible-literary-techniques
Examples of literary techniques in the Bible: Chiasm, Acrostic, Alliteration, Allusion, Anthropomorphism, Apostrophe, Assonance, Chiasmus, Hyperbole, Idiom, etc. by Alex Carmichael There is an incredible array of varying literary means and methods used by God …

 

[Muffled]

Really!? That's not true?? You mean, there are no corners to the planet? Hmph!!

What lies!!

And my wife promised me that she'd follow me 'to the ends of the Earth'!!

Lied to my face!!

Hmph!!

I believe what she said was true. Any point on a circle is the beginning and the end.

 

[Muffled]

I get all my science from the Bible but then again I use Betty Crocker's Cookbook as a sex manual

I believe for me science and sex ae useless but the cookbook comes in handy.

 

[Darkforbid]

Iced coffee is good in the heat. I like Mr Brown!
Try it.
mr brown coffee - Google Search

We're friends, just having fun, right?

No, way! You're an evil atheist snatching the souls of newborns

 

[Muffled]

Appeal to authority is a fallacy. You think you're smarter than Einstein, Russell, Hawking? Probably not, but I'm not gonna use that as an argument against theism because it's fallacious.

I have a very smart daughter but she lacks wisdom which comes from the God she doesn't like because he is opposed to sin.

 

[Muffled]

You're right, they probably didn't. If you see it as poetic language and not literal, I guess there's nothing for me to argue with you about. The question is, how do you decide what's literal and what's metaphorical in the Bible?

I believe that is when the Holy Spirit is helpful but if you don't have that then logic should help. For instance the chance of finding metaphors in the Psalms is better than elsewhere.

 

[Audie]

Good enough.

What kinds of literary techniques are used in the Bible ...
https://carm.org/bible-literary-techniques
Examples of literary techniques in the Bible: Chiasm, Acrostic, Alliteration, Allusion, Anthropomorphism, Apostrophe, Assonance, Chiasmus, Hyperbole, Idiom, etc. by Alex Carmichael There is an incredible array of varying literary means and methods used by God …

By "God"?

 

[Audie]

No, way! You're an evil atheist snatching the souls of newborns

Rats!!! Foiled again.