Atlanta Vampire Alliance [AVA]

[Merticus]

Much of the Bible is inconsistent with science as it has been studied and learned through the scientific method. This page will attempt to catalogue many of these inconsistencies. - STuSSy

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In the Bible, we are told stories involving:

a talking snake (Genesis 3:4-5)

a tree bearing fruit which, when eaten, gives knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:17; 3:5-7)

another tree the fruit of which gives immortality (Genesis 3:22)

a voice coming from a burning bush (Exodus 3:4)

a talking donkey (Numbers 22:2

rods turning into serpents (Exodus 7:10-12)

water changing into blood (Exodus 7:19-22)

water coming from a rock (Numbers 20:11)

a dead man reviving when his corpse touched the bones of a prophet (II Kings 13:21)

people rising from the dead (e.g., I Kings 17:21-22; II Kings 4:32-35; Acts 9:37-40).

the sun standing still (Joshua 10:13)

the parting of a sea (Exodus 14:21-22)

iron floating (II Kings 6:5-6)

the shadow going back ten degrees (II Kings 20:9-11)

a witch bringing the ghost of Samuel back from the dead (I Samuel 28:3-15)

disembodied fingers writing on a wall (Daniel 5:5)

a man living for three days and nights in the belly of a fish (Jonah 1:17)

people walking on water (Matthew 14:26-29)

a virgin impregnated by God (Matthew 1:20)

blindness cured by spit (Mark 8:23-25)

a pool of water that can cure the ailments of those who dip in it (John 5:2-4)

Isaiah causing the sun to move backwards (2 Kings 20:11)

Aaron turning dust into lice (Exodus 8:17).

God speaking to Moses through a burning bush (Exodus 3:2).

Lot's wife being turned into a pillar of salt (Gen. 19:26).

Egyptian sorcerers conjuring millions of frogs (Exodus 8:7).

Jesus feeding 5,000 people with five loaves of bread and two fish (Matthew 14:19-21).

the devil taking Jesus into an exceedingly high mountain to show him all the kingdoms of the world. (Matthew 4:


Historian Andrew White says that, for many centuries, the filth of European cities repeatedly caused great pestilence that killed many people. Based on the Bible, Christians at the time believed that pestilence was caused not by improper hygiene, but by God or Satan. They believed that the plagues could be averted by acts such as repentance from sin, giving gifts to churches, church attendance, or the killing of Jews and witches. White states that the frequency and severity of plagues did not diminish until hygiene was improved.

In the 16th century, Copernicus set forth the idea that the earth rotates on its axis and revolves around the sun and in the following century Galileo's provided strong evidence that Copernicus had been right. In an attempt to show that the earth remains stationary while the sun moves around it, the Catholic Church pointed to the 10th chapter of the book of Joshua, where we are told that Joshua, in order to have a longer period of daylight in which to carry out the Lord's command to slaughter the Amorites, told the sun to stand still - and not the earth. Other passages demonstrating that the Bible writers thought that the earth remains stationary include Psalm 93:1 ("[T]he world also is [e]stablished, that it cannot be moved."), I Chronicles 16:30 ("[T]he world also shall be stable, that it be not moved."), and Psalm 104:5 (The Lord "laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever.").

In the 6th century, a Christian monk named Cosmas wrote a book entitled Topographia Christiana in which he described the structure of the physical world. Cosmas based his conclusions on the teachings of the Bible and held that the earth is flat and surrounded by four seas. One of the reasons for Cosmas' belief in a flat earth was the statement at Revelation 1:7 that, when Christ returns, "every eye shall see him." Cosmas reasoned that if the earth were round instead of flat, people on the other side would not be able to see Christ's second coming. Further support for the idea of a flat earth is contained in the Bible verses which speak of the "four corners of the earth" (e.g., Isaiah 11:12; Revelation 7:1) and the "ends of the earth" (e.g., Jeremiah 16:19; Acts 13:47).

The Bible additionally sets forth the idea that the sky is a solid vault. In the creation account given in Genesis 1:17 states that the Lord set the sun and moon "in the firmament" to provide light upon the earth. The Hebrew word translated as "firmament" is "raqia," which means "hammered metal." More support for the idea of a solid sky is found at Job 37:18 (where the sky is described as being like a "molten looking glass"), Isaiah 40:22 (God "stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in"), and Revelation 6:14 ("And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together"). The notion of a domed earth, as contained in the preceding Bible verses, was a common conception in the ancient Near East and was taken for granted by the biblical writers.

Included in that orthodox doctrine was the belief that there are windows in the firmament that are opened by angels whenever God wishes to send rain upon the earth. Cosmas believed that when the windows were opened, a portion of the waters contained above the firmament, which are mentioned at Genesis 1:17, would fall to the earth. Cosmas' basis for that viewpoint was the statement, at Genesis 7:11-12, that at the time of the Noachian Flood the "windows of heaven were opened" and the rain fell.

The Bible also asserts that the earth rests upon pillars. The "pillars" of the earth are referred to in several verses in the Old Testament (I Samuel 2:8; Psalm 75:3; Job 9:6). Such verses are a reflection of the belief of the ancient Hebrews that the earth sits upon pillars.

The Bible contradicts modern medical science by declaring that illnesses and other physical maladies result from supernatural agencies, such as the activity of demons, rather than from physical causes. In describing Jesus' healing miracles, the New Testament states that the following afflictions were produced by demons: blindness (Matthew 12:22), muteness (Matthew 9:32-33), lameness (Luke 13:11,16), epilepsy (Matthew 17:14-1 and insanity (Mark 5:1-13).

The Bible contains verses which mention dragons (Jeremiah 51:34), unicorns (Isaiah 34:7), and cockatrices (Isaiah 11:.

For centuries Bible verses led the Christian world to believe that comets are sent by God to warn humankind of divine anger and imminent punishment.

For centuries Bible verses led the Christian world to believe that the appearance of stars and meteors presages beneficial events such as the birth of heroes and great men.

For centuries Bible verses led the Christian world to believe that eclipses signify divine distress in response to occurrences on earth.

For centuries Bible verses led the Christian world to believe that storms and unpleasant meteorological phenomena are caused by the anger of God or the ill will of Satan.

For centuries Bible verses led the Christian world to believe that, even if the earth is in fact round, people do not live on the other side.

The Bible is scientifically incorrect in stating that the bat is a bird (Leviticus 11:13,19).

The Bible is scientifically incorrect in stating that the hare and the rock badger chew the cud (Leviticus 11:5-6).

The Bible is scientifically incorrect in stating that the mustard seed "is the smallest of all seeds" (Matthew 13:32).

The third chapter of Luke contains a genealogy that traces Christ's ancestry back only seventy-six generations to Adam, who, according to Genesis chapter 1, was created along with the rest of the universe during the course of one week. The Bible therefore supports the idea that the history of the human race, and also that of the universe, extends back in time for just a relatively short period, probably no more than several thousand years. In fact, on the basis of biblical teachings such as those set forth in Luke chapter 3, during many centuries the orthodox Christian position was that the Creation took place sometime between four and six thousand years before the birth of Christ. Today, however, scientists and other scholars agree that the evidence shows a much longer historical record. They state that the universe is between ten and twenty billion years old, that the age of the earth is approximately 4.6 billion years, and that humans evolved from ape-like ancestors during the last few million years.

The Bible disputes Evolution.

The Bible disputes the Big Bang Theory, despite the fact that most evidence points to its accuracy.

Jesus is supposed to have been born of a virgin mother. This is interesting because he would have been missing 50f his DNA.

The life expectancy in the Old Testament is unrealistically high. The record holder was Methuselah, who reached 969 years old (Genesis 6:27). All of recorded history has shown that life expectancies have grown over time to the current all-time highs, which are far far short of 900 years. The record lifespan of a human is less than 130.

[cathmael]

It is not the role of science to deny the existence of God.

Science stands accused of deicide, which it did not commit.

Get the movie "What the bleep do we know anyway?" and watch it.

You'll get a new understanding of science and god.

[Eclecta]

I dunno about all that...
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"Love is the law, love under will."