Eternal-productions.org have put forward 101 scientific facts that apparently existed in the Bible before science came along and “verified” these facts. After examining the first forty of these facts, we’ve had to chuck out 20 as simply not being any sort of scientific claim at all, while the remaining twenty represent misunderstandings, errors or claims that were not in any way unique to the Bible but existed as folklore in other cultures, as well. In Part Five, I tackle the so-called “facts” numbered 41 to 50.
41. Healthy dietary laws (Leviticus 11:9-12). Scripture states that we should avoid those sea creatures which do not have fins or scales. We now know that bottom-feeders (those with no scales or fins) tend to consume waste and are likely to carry disease.
Which isn’t what Levicitus 11 says, of course. Verse 12 states ‘Anything living in the water that does not have fins and scales is to be detestable to you‘ – not just bottom-feeders, amd not just because of health risks, but also shrimps, crabs, oysters, mussels, frogs, lobsters, etc., etc. Moreover, fish is no more of a health risk than any other sea food. The 121 species of Puffer Fish (Tetraodontidae), which are all perfectly acceptable according the Levicitus dietary laws, are notoriously poisonous and will very easily kill you if not prepared correctly. Nevertheless, they are routinely eaten in east Asia. Another false fact.
42. The Bible warns against eating birds of prey (Leviticus 11:13-19). Scientists now recognize that those birds which eat carrion (putrefying flesh), often spread disease.
Science does not say, however, that one mustn’t eat them. Moreover, the list of birds cited in verses 13-19 contain birds that do not live off carrion (eg the Hoopoe, the Cormorant). Again, simply false.
43. Avoid swine (Deuteronomy 14:8). Not so long ago, science learned that eating undercooked pork causes an infection of parasites called trichinosis. Now consider this: the Bible forbid the eating of swine more than 3,000 years before we learned how to cook pork safely.
Consider this: people have been happily tucking into pork for thousands of years, while Deutronomy 14:8 forbids the eating of pigs generally because they does not chew cud, and therefore unclean. It says nothing about undercooking pork or the accompanying risks. Again, there are risks in undercooking any meat or poultry that is perfectly acceptable, according to Deutronomy and Levicitus. Again, the claim is false.
44. Radical environmentalism foreseen (Romans 1:25). Two thousand years ago, God’s Word stated that many would worship and serve creation rather than the Creator. Today, nature is revered as “Mother” and naturalism is enshrined.
This is a non-scientific claim. It is also a decidely inaccurate claim – revered and enshrined by whom, precisely?
45. Black holes and dark matter anticipated (Matthew 25:30; Jude 1:13; Isaiah 50:3). Cosmologists now speculate that over 98% of the known universe is comprised of dark matter, with dark energy and black holes. A black hole’s gravitational field is so strong that nothing, not even light, escapes. Beyond the expanding universe there is no measured radiation and therefore only outer darkness exists. These theories paint a seemingly accurate description of what the Bible calls “outer darkness” or “the blackness of darkness forever.”
The relevant passages, respectively, are:
And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth
They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever.
I clothe the sky with darkness and make sackcloth its covering
I’m confused as to how we get dark matter and black holes – very specific scientific concepts – from these passages, given the context in which they appear. Where is the sackcloth, precisely, of which Isaiah speaks? Where is the mention of that most of the Universe consists of Dark Matter? No meaningful scientific claim has been made.
46. The Second Law of Thermodynamics (Entropy) explained (Psalm 102:25-26). This law states that everything in the universe is running down, deteriorating, constantly becoming less and less orderly. Entropy (disorder) entered when mankind rebelled against God – resulting in the curse (Genesis 3:17; Romans 8:20-22). Historically most people believed the universe was unchangeable. Yet modern science verifies that the universe is “grow(ing) old like a garment” (Hebrews 1:11). Evolution directly contradicts this law.
This represents a scientific misunderstanding (at best) vis-a-vis evolution, and the return of an old friend – the selective use of scientific facts, without giving an explanation as the selection process or the rationale, particularly as the object of the exercise is simply to juxtapose a modern scientific claim next to the relevant Biblical text. Anyhow, evolution does not contradict the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics as it operates within an open system, deriving energy (ultimately) from the sun. Moreover, science does not claim that the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics nor Entropy came about because of a rebellion against any particular deity, but rather it simply describes how the Universe in fact works. The claims made here are false.
47. Cain’s wife discovered (Genesis 5:4). Skeptics point out that Cain had no one to marry – therefore the Bible must be false. However, the Bible states plainly that Adam and Eve had other sons and daughters. Cain married his sister.
Nothing to do with science here. That’ll be another off the list, then.
48. Incest laws established (Leviticus 18:6). To marry near of kin in the ancient world was common. Yet, beginning about 1500 B.C., God forbid this practice. The reason is simple – the genetic mutations (resulting from the curse) had a cumulative effect. Though Cain could safely marry his sister because the genetic pool was still relatively pure at that time, by Moses’ day the genetic errors had swelled. Today, geneticists confirm that the risk of passing on a genetic abnormality to your child is much greater if you marry a close relative because relatives are more likely to carry the same defective gene. If they procreate, their offspring are more apt to have this defect expressed.
Other cultures also had their incest laws, of course – it’s hardly unique to the Bible. This is precisely the horror that lies in the non-Biblical story of Oedipus Rex, for example. Nevertheless, science does not claim that there was a time when it was possible for a brother to marry his sister or that the genetic pool was more “pure” than it is now, which appears to be the implication in the above comment. Moreover, it should be noted that Levicitus 18:6 merely forbids sex between close relations – it does not point to any scientific consequences for children born of such a union to do with genes, etc. It is precisely this why – from a scientific point of view (ie not a moral one) – why it’s not a good idea. One has to say that, in Levicitus 18:6, no scientific claim is being made.
49. Genetic mixing of different seeds forbidden (Leviticus 19:19; Deuteronomy 22:9). The Bible warns against mixing seeds – as this will result in an inferior or dangerous crop. There is now growing evidence that unnatural, genetically engineered crops may be harmful.
In their injunctions against planting two types of seed in the same field, the Leviticus and Deuteronomy passages appear to warn against the dangers of hybridisation rather than “genetic engineering” per se. Nevertheless, it goes without saying, that hybrid crops of one sort or another have been eaten safely for centuries, and that there is no evidence that genetically modified and genetically engineered crops are harmful to humans purely because they are engineered or modified. The claim is false.
50. Hydrological cycle described (Ecclesiastes 1:7; Jeremiah 10:13; Amos 9:6). Four thousand years ago the Bible declared that God “draws up drops of water, which distill as rain from the mist, which the clouds drop down and pour abundantly on man” (Job 36:27-28). The ancients observed mighty rivers flowing into the ocean, but they could not conceive why the sea level never rose. Though they observed rainfall, they had only quaint theories as to its origin. Meteorologists now understand that the hydrological cycle consists of evaporation, atmospheric transportation, distillation, and precipitation.
This is a first. After 49 so-called “facts”, the Job verses cited do appear – at first glance – to describe the the hydrological cycle (the other three verses simply do not). It may even be that such an account existed nowhere else in the world at the time – I’d need to do further research to establish that. But there is one glaring difference between the account in Job and modern meterology. The view today is that the hydrological cycle is a purely natural phenomenon. Job suggests that God actively intervenes in the process. This a critical point, of course – science has repeatedly shown us how things happen which previously humanity had ascribed to a deity or some other supernatural being. Not so. When Job (38:29) asks: ‘Who can understand how he spreads out the clouds, how he thunders from his pavilion?‘, we can assert “us” – we now understand such things, or have the intellectual tools that will enable us to understand. And God, it has to be said, is notoriously absent from any scientific explanation to date – including the hydrological cycle. The claim is false.
After fifty “facts”: Science: 26 – the Bible: 0. 24 disqualifications.
Coming up soon: Part 6, in which we’ll examine claims 51 to 60.
