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Do atheists know the difference between a circle and a square?
Bible verses that atheists use to support their claims that the Bible says that Earth is flat;
"After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth to prevent any wind from blowing on the land or on the sea or on any tree." (Revelation 7:1)
"He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in." (Revelation 7:1)
Revelation 7:1 is clearly using "four corners of the Earth" as a figure of speech. Revelation was written to a Greek audience who was perfectly aware that Earth is spherical.
Isaiah 40:22 says "the circle of the Earth," not, "Earth is a circle," indicating that it is writing about a circle associated with Earth, not Earth itself. Perhaps it is a reference to lunar eclipses, which are ancient evidence that Earth is spherical.
Yes, I do acknowledge that there is an evangelical named 2FollowHim. This person is obviously two dumb to know that claims that the Bible says that Earth is flat is atheist propaganda.
14 Answers
- Anonymous2 years agoFavorite Answer
Yes, and the difference between circle and a sphere.
I am an atheist and I say categorically: The Bible does not say that the Earth is flat.
But, everything that The Bible says about the physical structure of the Earth makes it plain that the people writing those passages believed that the Earth was flat. You give a couple of examples and there are others I have read but can't remember well enough to quote.
The phrase, “the four corners of the Earth” is indeed a figure of speech - when people use it today no one assumes the speaker means the phrase literally. There are many figures if speech in The Bible (“Gave up the ghost” being another one) but they were NOT figures of speech before being used in The Bible.
When the people translated scriptures into English the phrase, “the four corners of the Earth” was used literally. I do NOT believe that in the original Greek or Hebrew (or whatever language was used) a comparable phrase was a common figure of speech and that whoever wrote this text originally chose to write informally and use it.
Of course The Bible suggests that the Earth is flat - that's what people believed at the time. In the same way, they knew nothing of dinosaurs and thought that mental illness was caused by evil spirits
. Suggesting otgerwise is just silly.
- ?Lv 62 years ago
Sure. Are you aware of the difference between a circle and a ball?
The Hebrew word Chug (חוג), used in Isaiah 40:22 means a flat-circle like a coin.
The Hebrew word for a sphere like a ball is Dur (דור). The author is clearly aware of the difference. In Isaiah 22:18 "He will roll you up tightly like a ball and throw you..." Here, Dur is used to clearly indicate a ball.
Isa 44:13 also uses mechugah. This term refers to a "circle instrument," a tool used to make a circle, what we call a compass used by a carpenter.
So, the wording of "circle of the earth" in the original Hebrew seems to indicate a circle like a coin, not like a sphere.
- Space WaspLv 62 years ago
Yes, I know the difference - but what is the relevance of your question?
Nothing in the Bible supports the claim that the authors knew that the Earth was roughly spheroid, and churches resisted acknowledging this fact for centuries.
- ?Lv 72 years ago
Don't you as a religious or sect believer? I assume you are one of them, for ask a such question....
- 2 years ago
Nope, they do not even pass the grade on GMRC (Good Manners and Right Conduct).
- Anonymous2 years ago
I never thought that YOU would earn a nomination, but well, here we are.
The funny thing is, certain Christians here such as 2FollowHim use that exact same to “prove” that the Earth is flat.
Btw, a circle is flat, a 2 dimensional shape. The verse you quoted are not only contradictory, they say that the Earth is basically a spread out surface with a canopy over it.
Edit
You have just shown how open to interpretation the Bible is. Surely a book thar was divine and meant to tell us how to live our life wouldn’t be so ambiguous.
