Re: The Holy Bible

[email protected] wrote:
> On Sun, 02 Aug 2026 00:35:54 -0700, Samuel Spade <[email protected]> wrote:
> >[email protected] wrote:

(snip old stuff)
> >> Is NASA saying the earth has "ends", thus is flat or cubical? I am
> >> sure you don't conclude they meant that literally, and neither should
> >> you conclude the Bible is literal all the time. You have look at the
> >> context, and other related verses etc, to determine literalness or
> >> not. 
> >
> >Of course that's a metaphor.
> >
> >Why do you think the earth's foundations and immovability is
> >also a metaphor?  What are the verses really referring to?
> 
> The Bible means, just like a large boulder is sitting firmly on the
> ground and is immoveable, so is with the earth. It will not be moved
> out its place. Nor will it be destroyed. It's like that boulder,
> firmly staying where it sits.
> 
> >
> >
> >> >Your verses do seem to speak of a round earth
> >> >unsupported in space.  The bible often contradicts
> >> >itself, as we sometimes note.
> >> 
> >> That's as rare as hen's teeth. Many times if you research a Scripture,
> >> you will find no such contradiction. But you can't be biased one way
> >> or another.
> >
> >The bible has many contradictions.
> 
> Give me an example. What you call a contradiction may fade away once
> you investigate. 

No man can see God and live (Ex 33:20)
but:
God appeared to Abraham (Gen 18)
Jacob saw God (Gen 32)
Moses spoke with God face to face, as to a 
	friend (Ex 33:11)
Moses, Aaron & 70 elders saw God (Ex 24)
God shows Moses his butt (Ex 33:23)
   As illustrated by Michelangelo on the ceiling 
   of the Sistine Chapel:
<https://www.dailyartmagazine.com/michelangelo-warrior-pope-and-gods-bottom/>


Who did Mary and Mary Magdalene see at Jesus's tomb?

How did Judas die?

Also from a previous post by Mitchell Holman:
194 Contradictions in the New Testament
<https://www.slideshare.net/salehusman585/194-contradiction-sin-the-new-testament-of-the-bible>


> >> >Job 38:4
> >> >Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the
> >> >earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.
> >> 
> >> A "foundation" is a supporting structure. It can mean many things.
> >
> >Right.  It means a supporting structure.  Which a rotating,
> >revolving earth doesn't have.
> 
> Then why does it keep staying in a stable orbit when circling the sun?
> it's got supporting structlure of some kind, otherwise we are all
> doomed.

Orbital mechanics.  Newton explained the physics of why
bodies orbit 300 years ago.  Nothing needed to "support"
anything.

I'm not sure what you are thinking.  Any "supporting
structure" would get knocked into another orbit.

(snip flat-earth verses),
but note this one:

> >> >2 Peter 3:5
> >> >For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice
> >> >that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago
> >> >and the earth was formed out of water and by water,
> >> 
> >> Yes, I agree with all the Scriptures. What was your point?
> >
> >That the authors of the bible had a flat-earth, geocentric
> >cosmology.  And they said earth was formed out of water.
> 
> Water? Not that I ever read. When it was created, it had a lot of
> water associated with it. But wasn't made FROM water. 

I just quoted it above. The earth was formed out of water and
by water, 2 Pete 3:5.

I know the earth wasn't formed out of water, you know it,
even Genesis doesn't say it was, but the author of rePete
didn't get the message.


> As for a flat earth, Just like the above about NASA, the Bible has
> many metaphores also. But here is how the Bible describes the earth in
> a couple of places:
> 
> -- New King James
> Isaiah 40:22  It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, and its
> inhabitants are like grasshoppers, Who stretches out the heavens like
> a curtain, and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in. 
> 
> The word for "circle" there is the Hebrew word "hhug". Some Bible
> experts say hhug can mean "sphere" also.

Yes, we are going in that very circle.  You already pointed
this out, I said it does sound like it says the earth is
round, which contradicts many other verses that indicate a
flat immovable earth.

The best you're going to get is that the bible contradicts
itself.

> And the book of Job tells us its location:  
> 
> -- King James
> Job 26:7  He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and
> hangeth the earth upon nothing.

This verse makes no sense.  What does north have to do with
empty space and with earth hanging?  Maybe you can explain
it.


> So in summary we have:
> 
> A spherical earth hanging in space by nothing. 
> 
> Not bad for B.C.E. sheepherders!

Again, by the time most of the OT was written down, it was
already widely known that the earth was round.  Certainly the
Greeks knew it when they translated the Septuagint.


Thank you for your replies, James, I appreciate your time,
effort and explanations.