Flat Earth Theory.

[Phil G]

Its translated as "hard" in the most used translations (except of the KJV), though:

New International Version
can you join him in spreading out the skies, hard as a mirror of cast bronze?

English Standard Version
Can you, like him, spread out the skies, hard as a cast metal mirror?

Christian Standard Bible
can you help God spread out the skies as hard as a cast metal mirror?

Holman Christian Standard Bible
can you help God spread out the skies as hard as a cast metal mirror?


As far as I am concerned, its all just a text - some human author presenting some scenes with various actors - Job, Elihu, God... I do not see any need to bet that it really happened.

Okay, I concede your point about 'hard', although in my defence not just the KJV or NKJV, but also NASB, Amplified Bible, Geneva Bible and Young's Literal Translation use 'strong'.

But I disagree on it doesn't matter who is speaking. It does in my opinion. I won't get into a debate here on that as it will become off topic very quickly. But what matters most is whether the terminology is intended as idiomatic or literal.

 

[Phil G]

God made the earth with a hard dome over it, with waters above it, placing two great lights & all the stars in it that rotate on a daily basis. Simplicity at it's best.

How can the sun and moon be 'in' the firmament when it is solid, and move at different speeds to the stars, and the moon move in front of the sun, as it does during a solar eclipse, which would make it at a different distance than the sun? Not so simple. God's creation is MUCH more complex than your baby toy.

 

[Strong in Him]

Well according to the book of Job it is solid.

Just in case no one's told you:
The Bible is not a science textbook.
A science textbook is not what the Bible is.
The Bible was not written for purposes of science.
We cannot read Genesis, or Job, as scientific papers any more than we can read Exodus 12:8-9 as the Lord giving us a recipe. Or read Matthew 7:24-27 as advice about the building business.
Job was not a scientist making a scientific statement because - guess what - the Bible is not a science textbook.

If God had wanted to issue an important, definitive scientific statement that was vital for our salvation and spiritual growth, he would have done so - referring to atoms, chemicals, geological/astronomical findings etc. And such a statement would have meant nothing to the ancient Hebrews, the Jews of Jesus' day or anybody else for a few thousand years.
All they needed to know was that God created the world. It is his world; he made it with a purpose, he knows how it works, he is interested in it.

 

[Phil G]

Just in case no one's told you:
The Bible is not a science textbook.
A science textbook is not what the Bible is.
The Bible was not written for purposes of science.
We cannot read Genesis, or Job, as scientific papers any more than we can read Exodus 12:8-9 as the Lord giving us a recipe. Or read Matthew 7:24-27 as advice about the building business.
Job was not a scientist making a scientific statement because - guess what - the Bible is not a science textbook.

If God had wanted to issue an important, definitive scientific statement that was vital for our salvation and spiritual growth, he would have done so - referring to atoms, chemicals, geological/astronomical findings etc. And such a statement would have meant nothing to the ancient Hebrews, the Jews of Jesus' day or anybody else for a few thousand years.
All they needed to know was that God created the world. It is his world; he made it with a purpose, he knows how it works, he is interested in it.

Brick wall, head, bash!

 

[Strong in Him]

Why the confusion?
God inspired the Bible to be written, but written by humans.
He did not use angels to write it; he did not put humans into a trance, remove their personalities in order to write it or dictate it in formal language.
David was a poet and musician and we have a book of his songs in the Bible - even with instructions about which tune should be used. (Psalm 22, Psalm 45.)
Luke was a doctor and uses medical terms in the accounts of Jesus' healings. He was a Gentile and wrote in classical Greek, and also a historian.
Matthew was a Jew writing for Jews - and shows how Jesus fulfilled OT prophecies.
Paul sometimes felt frustrated with those he was writing to. That's probably why he said that men who preached circumcision should go and be castrated!
The book of Revelation apparently contains many grammatical errors - so the writer's native language was probably not Greek.
The Gospel writers all wanted to say certain things about Jesus, and arranged their material in different ways.
People who wrote about God's creation were restricted by what they knew
None of this means that the Bible is wrong, untrue or inconsistent.

 

[Strong in Him]

Brick wall, head, bash!

Yes, I know - but I keep hoping I might get through, one day.

 

[Apple Sky]

Just in case no one's told you:
The Bible is not a science textbook.

So everyone here keep telling me, but science is mentioned in the Bible.

 

[pgp_protector]

So everyone here keep telling me, but science is mentioned in the Bible.

And science is mentioned in spider man comics, doesn't make spider man comics a science book.

 

[Phil G]

So everyone here keep telling me, but science is mentioned in the Bible.

And as @Strong in Him alluded to, so is building a house, but you won’t learn anything about building a house by reading the Bible. And if you try it, count me out for going anywhere near it!

 

[Strong in Him]

So everyone here keep telling me, but science is mentioned in the Bible.

But that doesn't make it a science textbook.
Sacrifice is mentioned in the Bible - the Bible is not a guide on how to slaughter animals.
Circumcision is mentioned in the Bible - the Bible is not a book about performing surgery on men.
When David was hiding from Saul we are told that Saul went in to relieve himself - the Bible is not a book on bodily functions.
The Israelites were told how to prepare the Passover feast - the Bible is not a cookery book.
Conception is mentioned in the Bible - the Bible is not a pregnancy handbook.

And science is not mentioned in the Bible; not really.
God gives us no details of experiments that were performed, properties of substances/chemicals, details of how they react with each other to produce a new substance, etc. Though science is about learning and discovering, and humans have always done that.

 

[Apple Sky]

And science is not mentioned in the Bible; not really.

1 Timothy 6:20 O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called:

Anyway does anyone remember what this thread is called ?

 

[Phil G]

1 Timothy 6:20 O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called:

Anyway does anyone remember what this thread is called ?

The word for science in that verse is ‘gnosis’ and is in the context of people claiming to have special knowledge from God, as in Gnosticism. It’s not about gaining knowledge through study of God’s creation.

 

[Phil G]

Anyway does anyone remember what this thread is called ?

Flat Earth Theory, very aptly in the Conspiracy Theory section.

 

[Apple Sky]

Flat Earth Theory, very aptly in the Conspiracy Theory section.

I was beginning to think that folks on here had forgotten.

 

[Phil G]

I was beginning to think that folks on here had forgotten.

It does seem like that sometimes.

 

[Strong in Him]

1 Timothy 6:20 O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called:

So that's it?
That's where science is "mentioned" in the Bible?

 

[Strong in Him]

I was beginning to think that folks on here had forgotten.

Have you forgotten?

What does everyone think of the Flat Earth Theory?
I have read some books on the subject.
I am convinced the Earth is round. I tend to go with the mainstream views.

The OP says he believes the earth is round, and that it being flat is only a theory. (And this is the conspiracy section of the forum.)

You have said yourself that it's only because the Bible says that the earth is immovable that you believe it is flat. If it wasn't for what the Bible said, you said - there's no way you'd believe it.
So this whole argument rests on your interpretation of a few verses of the Bible.
Not on fact, evidence or scientific argument - your (mis) interpretation of Scripture.

 

[prodromos]

1 Timothy 6:20 O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called:

The Greek word simply means "knowledge"

 

[Apple Sky]

You have said yourself that it's only because the Bible says that the earth is immovable that you believe it is flat. If it wasn't for what the Bible said, you said - there's no way you'd believe it.

True - And I stand by every word I've said here, I don't read Greek or Hebrew, only English & bit of Spanish, so when it comes to reading the Bible I take God's words to mean what they say.

Flat Earth Resources for Family, Friends, and Spouses

A safe space to investigate the claims of Biblical Cosmology on your own. Find curated movies, documentaries, articles, and playlists that provide evidence that we live on a Flat, Non-rotating Earth.

flatouthope.substack.com

King James Bible
For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

 

[Strong in Him]

True - And I stand by every word I've said here, I don't read Greek or Hebrew, only English & bit of Spanish, so when it comes to reading the Bible I take God's words to mean what they say.

I don't read Greek or Hebrew. But there are plenty of commentaries around whose authors do read Greek and Hebrew and they can tell us the meaning of the original words.

I also understand something of exegesis; reading verses in context and looking at what the people who read those words would have understood them to mean. Moses, Job and so on did not write in English for English people in an English culture. And as they were not writing scientific documents, we cannot read them as though they were.