Posted on 05/05/2009 9:44:52 PM PDT by Gordon Greene
I forgive you.
Guess you've never heard of "figure of speeches"? Like how, just the other day, I saw a newspaper use this exact same term? Guess this means the editor "really" thinks the earth is flat.
Nevertheless, you sound like you're sorely in need of an education.
I’m certain you understand the difference between a circle and a sphere, and I have little doubt whoever wrote Revelation did too. But I think I understand, when the bible doesn’t make sense it’s poetry, and when it confirms your notions it should be taken literally.
How does one deal with a clear declaration that is unambiguous and false? For example, Psalm 104:5, “He set the earth on its foundations; it can never be moved.”
Yes, the evos seem to see sci-fi as so ‘scientific.’
"Apologetics" is education you disagree with.
They are referenced as normal days in other parts of the Bible. For instance, in the 4th commandment:
“Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy. SIX DAYS you shall labor and do all your work. But the SEVENTH DAY is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it, you shall do no work. . .For in SIX DAYS the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them; and rested the SEVENTH DAY. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath DAY and hallowed it.” (emphasis mine)
He gives the six days of creation and the one day of rest as the reason for the Sabbath. Had the days been eons or something, we’d be resting for six eons and then resting for one, obviously preposterous.
So I don’t question at all what a “day” is.
You haven’t answered my question.
“How does one deal with a clear declaration that is unambiguous and false? For example, Psalm 104:5, “He set the earth on its foundations; it can never be moved.””
I think we have to deal with them honestly.
There are the following types of writing in the Bible, and indeed, of all literature:
1. Historical narrative;
2. Prophecy;
3. Poetry;
4. Allegory;
5. Analogy;
6. Parable; and
7. Direct instruction.
Genesis is historical narrative. There are other types in there, like the poetry of Miriam’s song, but these are clearly set apart.
The Psalms, which you quote above, are poetry. The contain true statements, of course, but they are poetic. Think of a common poem - say, “In Flander’s Field.” This poem starts out: “In Flander’s Field the poppies grow.” This is a true statement, or at least was when it was written. There is a field called Flander’s field, and no doubt poppies grew there. But further it states, “we are the dead.” This is a poetic allusion. Obviously a group of dead people is not writing the poem. However, it is presented as a poem, and this is understood.
If we are going to pretend we don’t know the difference between the types of writing, which occur throughout human culture, we are not going to be able to understand anything we read. Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches.” Did he mean he was planted in the ground, growing leaves? Of course not. We all know it, too. To pretend we do not is disingenuous.
To pretend Genesis is an allegory when it is a straight historical narrative from beginning to end is to create a problem where there is none. We have names, times, places, massive people movements, battles, landmarks, geography, the rise and fall of kings and commoners, all in order, laying out a straight history of this world and its people from creation to the death of Moses.
Furthermore the creation in six days is referenced as literal fact throughout the rest of Scripture. It is never questioned. Jesus refers to Adam and Eve in his argument against divorce, for instance.
“You haven’t answered my question.”
Yes, I have. At length.
In other words, your problem is likely that you don't bother to really think about something before you comment on it.
I had to laugh when I saw your comment about early Christians rejecting a spherical earth. Actually, the typical Christian cosmology in late antiquity was that of a spherical earth nested inside a set of concentric spheres - an idea at least partially picked up from Isaiah's statements about the "circle" (which, as my link showed, in Hebrew indicates a sphere) of the earth, as well as from the simple observation that, since the sun and moon are round, it stands to reason that the earth is too.
To my knowledge, the only Christian writer in antiquity who seriously disputed the idea of a spherical earth was Cosmas Indicopluestes - and he wasn't exactly a major or influenctial voice on Christian cosmology. Augustine did not dismiss the idea of a spherical earth, he merely dismissed the notion that men could live in the antipodes, basically arguing that there was no way men could have crossed such a wide ocean as was (rightly but accidentally) posited by many writers - pagan and Christian alike - to exist surrounding the tripartite "habitable realm." Actually, not necessarily such a laughable conjecture, when you consider the level of sailing technology at the time, and the fact that most ships tried to never even lose sight of land, much less cross open ocean.
Not only have creationist proven themselves superior to evos at science, they're far beyond them in humor as well.
I always laugh at that too. The irony is, if not for Christianity, there'd be no science or engineering, and the secularist evos would still be arguing for a flat earth, just because it goes against the Word of God.
Wow. Talk about begging the question. Using your “logic”, I can use the bible to support all manner of mischief.
Sorry for not being clearer. The link was just added as an "extra". I didn't intend for it to be germane to the question about Revelation, just to the "issue" of the Bible and the "flat earth" in general.
I question it. From everything I’ve read, a “yom” refers to some “period of time”, not defining what the length of that “period” is. I think it prudent to never assume anything.
Hard to work with the Genealogies in Genesis when the actual day is at issue. Also, “and there was evening and there was morning; the first day”.
I’m paraphrasing since there’s nowhere for me to look it up right now...
“Well, I’m not sure how I ended up on your “ping” list, but after wasting two minutes of my life reading your incomprehensible screed, please remove me. Thanks in advance.”
I don’t have “ping” lists, per se’. I only perform targeted “incomprehensible screed” attacks, mostly on the unwilling. If I did not count you worthy, you would have received nothing.
Consider yourself blessed!
Sincerely,
GG (I shall live to screed again!!!)
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