Science and the bible

[gilgal]

http://www.clarifyingchristianity.com/science.shtml

[Richard Amiel McGough]

http://www.clarifyingchristianity.com/science.shtml
Thanks for the link gilagl!

Did you post it because you believe, or because it is so obviously fallacious?

Let's walk through the points:

Statements Consistent With Paleontology

Dinosaurs are referred to in several Bible books. The book of Job describes two dinosaurs. One is described in chapter 40 starting at verse 15, and the other in chapter 41 starting at verse 1. We think you will agree that 1½ chapters about dinosaurs is a lot—since most people do not even realize that they are mentioned in the Bible.
That is the most absurd statement I could imagine! To flatly state that "The book of Job describes two dinosaurs" is just plain nuts! Job was written in recent history. Dinosaurs were never witnesses by humans.

So what were "Leviathan" and "Behomoth"? They were common creatures in the Mediterranean and Mesopotamian mythologies. So that web page is basically saying "Modern Science proves ancient Babylonian mythology!" Brilliant stuff.

Next:
Statements Consistent With Astronomy

The Bible frequently refers to the great number of stars in the heavens. Here are two examples.

Genesis 22:17
Blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies.

Jeremiah 33:22
'As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, nor the sand of the sea measured, so will I multiply the descendants of David My servant and the Levites who minister to Me.'
Even today, scientists admit that they do not know how many stars there are. Only about 3,000 can be seen with the naked eye. We have seen estimates of 1021 stars—which is a lot of stars.[2] (The number of grains of sand on the earth’s seashores is estimated to be 1025. As scientists discover more stars, wouldn’t it be interesting to discover that these two numbers match?)
More nuttiness! People have always been able to look at the night sky and see that there are lots of stars. The poetic language "the host of heaven cannot be numbered" has absolutely nothing to do with modern astronomy!

Next:


The Bible also says that each star is unique.1 Corinthians 15:41

There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for one star differs from another star in glory.
All stars look alike to the naked eye.* Even when seen through a telescope, they seem to be just points of light. However, analysis of their light spectra reveals that each is unique and different from all others.[1] (*Note: We understand that people can perceive some slight difference in color and apparent brightness when looking at stars with the naked eye, but we would not expect a person living in the first century A.D. to claim they differ from one another.)
Despite the attempt to avoid the obvious truth, the simple fact is that the stars really do look very very different from each other. This point is absurd.

Next:

The Bible describes the precision of movement in the universe.

Jeremiah 31:35,36
Thus says the LORD,
Who gives the sun for a light by day,
The ordinances of the moon and the stars for a light by night,
Who disturbs the sea,
And its waves roar
(The LORD of hosts is His name):
'If those ordinances depart
From before Me, says the LORD,
Then the seed of Israel shall also cease
From being a nation before Me forever.'
More absurdity. The regularity of the stars is one of the most obvious facts of the physical universe. The ancients invented astrology because of it. There is not even a hint of any supernatural knowledge in the verse quoted.

I could go on and refute every point, but why bother? The page does not have any valid evidence of knowledge that was not common amongst the ancient peoples.

All the best,

Richard

[gilgal]

Ok. But what about the following one:

Statements Consistent With Meteorology

* The Bible describes the circulation of the atmosphere.

Ecclesiastes 1:6
The wind goes toward the south,
And turns around to the north;
The wind whirls about continually,
And comes again on its circuit.
* The Bible includes some principles of fluid dynamics.

Job 28:25
To establish a weight for the wind,
And apportion the waters by measure.

The fact that air has weight was proven scientifically only about 300 years ago. The relative weights of air and water are needed for the efficient functioning of the world’s hydrologic cycle, which in turn sustains life on the earth.[1] (If you are a physics enthusiast, please ignore our omission of the terms mass, gravity, and density from this comment.)

[gilgal]

This one should be a good one:

Statements Consistent With Biology

* The book of Leviticus (written prior to 1400 BC) describes the value of blood.

Leviticus 17:11
‘For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.’

The blood carries water and nourishment to every cell, maintains the body’s temperature, and removes the waste material of the body’s cells. The blood also carries oxygen from the lungs throughout the body. In 1616, William Harvey discovered that blood circulation is the key factor in physical life—confirming what the Bible revealed 3,000 years earlier.[1]

[Richard Amiel McGough]

Ok. But what about the following one:

Statements Consistent With Meteorology

* The Bible describes the circulation of the atmosphere.

Ecclesiastes 1:6
The wind goes toward the south,
And turns around to the north;
The wind whirls about continually,
And comes again on its circuit.
* The Bible includes some principles of fluid dynamics.

Job 28:25
To establish a weight for the wind,
And apportion the waters by measure.

The fact that air has weight was proven scientifically only about 300 years ago. The relative weights of air and water are needed for the efficient functioning of the world’s hydrologic cycle, which in turn sustains life on the earth.[1] (If you are a physics enthusiast, please ignore our omission of the terms mass, gravity, and density from this comment.)


Do you see any SCIENCE in those statements? The whirling of the winds was common knowledge. Sailors new about wind currents. I see nothing but simple observations of nature.

As for the "weight" of the wind, that's just talking about its force - how hard it pushes on something like the sails of the ships that were common back then. Again, there is not a hint of any supernatural knowledge, and it is a great embarrassment that these verses are being used this way.

[gilgal]

Do you see any SCIENCE in those statements? The whirling of the winds was common knowledge. Sailors new about wind currents. I see nothing but simple observations of nature.

As for the "weight" of the wind, that's just talking about its force - how hard it pushes on something like the sails of the ships that were common back then. Again, there is not a hint of any supernatural knowledge, and it is a great embarrassment that these verses are being used this way.
These things are used to convince people the bible is true. But the real way one can please God is have faith in him.