Science in the Bible – Review, pt10

The final eleven “facts” from the 101 given here. The aim of the exercise that Eternal Productions (who compiled the list) set themselves was to take a modern scientific claim or explanation, and to show us the Biblical verse which foretells or prefigures said claim/explanation. Thus far, after 90 such claims have been examined, none have withstood scrutiny; in fact, 51 – over half – have been revealed not to be any sort of scientific claim.

91.Animals do not have a conscience (Psalm 32:9). A parrot can be taught to swear and blaspheme, yet never feel conviction. Many animals steal, but they do not experience guilt. If man evolved from animals, where did our conscience come from? The Bible explains that man alone was created as a moral being in God’s image.

No scientific claim is being tested here.

92.Pseudo-science anticipated (1 Timothy 6:20). The theory of evolution contradicts the observable evidence. The Bible warned us in advance that there would be those who would profess: “profane and idle babblings and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge (science).” True science agrees with the Creator’s Word.

On the basis of the evidence of these “facts”, I’d beg to differ. No scientific claim is being tested here.

93. Science confirms the Bible (Colossians 2:3). These insights place the Bible far above every manmade theory and all other so-called inspired books. In contrast, the Koran states that the sun sets in a muddy pond (Surah 18:86). The Hadith contains many myths. The Book of Mormon declares that Native Americans descended from Jews – which has been disproven by DNA research. The Eastern writings also contradict true science.

No scientific claim is being tested here.

94. Human conscience understood (Romans 2:14-15). The Bible reveals that God has impressed His moral law onto every human heart. Con means with and science means knowledge. We know it is wrong to murder, lie, steal, etc. Only the Bible explains that each human has a God-given knowledge of right and wrong.

The etymology lesson is next to useless, because the earliest Biblical manuscripts were not written in neither English nor Latin (where the roots of the word “conscience” lie). No scientific claim is being tested here.

95. Love explained (Matthew 22:37-40; 1 John 4:7-12). Evolution cannot explain love. Yet, God’s Word reveals that the very purpose of our existence is to know and love God and our fellow man. God is love, and we were created in His image to reflect His love.

No scientific claim is being tested here.

96. The real you is spirit (Numbers 16:22; Zechariah 12:1). Personality is non-physical. For example, after a heart transplant the recipient does not receive the donor’s character. An amputee is not half the person he was before loosing his limbs. Our eternal nature is spirit, heart, soul, mind. The Bible tells us that “man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).

No scientific claim is being tested here.

97. The cause of suffering revealed (Genesis 3; Isaiah 24:5-6). The earth is subject to misery, which appears at odds with our wonderfully designed universe. However, the Bible, not evolution, explains the origin of suffering. When mankind rebelled against God, the curse resulted – introducing affliction, pain and death into the world.

No scientific claim is being tested here.

98. Death explained (Romans 6:23). All eventually die. The Bible alone explains why we die – “The soul who sins shall die” (Ezekiel 18:20). Sin is transgression of God’s Law. To see if you will die, please review God’s Ten Commandments (Exodus 20). Have you ever lied? (White lies and fibs count.) Ever stolen? (Cheating on a test or taxes is stealing.) Jesus said that “whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:28). Have you ever looked with lust? Then you’re an adulterer at heart. Have you ever hated someone or called someone a fool? If so, the Bible says you are guilty of murder (Matthew 5:21-22; 1 John 3:15). Have you ever used your Creator’s name (Lord, God, Jesus, or Christ) in vain? This is called blasphemy – and God hates it. If you have broken these commandments at any time, then by your own admission, you are a blasphemer, a murderer, an adulterer, a thief, and a liar at heart. And we have only looked at five of the Ten Commandments. This is why we die.

No scientific claim is being tested here. It’s more of a sermon…

99. Justice understood (Acts 17:30-31). Our God-given conscience reveals that all sin will be judged. Down deep we know that He who created the eyes sees every secret sin (Romans 2:16). He who formed our mind remembers our past offense as if it just occurred. God has declared that the penalty for sin is death. Physical death comes first, then the second death – which is eternal separation from God in the lake of fire (Revelation 21:8). God cannot lie. Every sin will be judged. His justice demands it. But God is also rich in mercy to all who call upon His name. He has made a way for justice to be served and mercy to be shown.

More theological claims. No scientific claim is being tested here.

100. Eternal life revealed (John 3:16). Scientists search in vain for the cure for aging and death. Yet, the good news is that God, who is the source of all life, has made a way to freely forgive us so that we may live forever with Him in heaven. “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). God desires a loving, eternal relationship with each person – free from sin, fear, and pain. Therefore, He sent His Son to die as our substitute on the cross. “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). Jesus never sinned, therefore He alone qualified to pay the penalty for our sins on the cross. He died in our place. He then rose from the grave defeating death. All who turn from their sins and trust Him will be saved. To repent and place your trust in Jesus Christ, make Psalm 51 your prayer. Then read your Bible daily, obeying what you read. God will never let you down.

Science is not trying to cure aging and death as such – they’re certainly not searching “in vain”. A lot of theology, but no scientific claim is being tested here.

101. The solution to suffering (Revelation 21). Neither evolution nor religion offers a solution to suffering. But God offers heaven as a gift to all who trust in His Son. In heaven, “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4).

We end on preaching, rather than demonstrable scientific truth: No scientific claim is being tested here.

Astonishingly, not one of the eleven so-called scientific facts are scientific facts at all, and can therefore be dismissed. This means that only 39 of the 101 “facts” are genuine attempts to put an understanding of a scientific claim to the Bible. 62 are simply not any sort of scientific claim at all.

However, none – not a single one – of the 39 stand up: they either misread the Bible, or show an inadequate understanding of science.

I’m genuinely surprised at that over well over half of the 101 “facts” are not even attempts at scientific claims, but rather just comment or anti-evoltution rhetoric.

The final part in this series will attempt to derive some sort of conclusion from this exercies, and wrap up my own particular efforts at tackling the absurd claims of Creationism.

Science in the Bible – Review, pt9

Part 9 in the examination of Eternal Prodcuctions’ 101 Scientific Facts. So far, none of these “facts” have withstood examination..

81. Olive oil and wine useful on wounds (Luke 10:34). Jesus told of a Samaritan man, who when he came upon a wounded traveler, he bandaged him – pouring upon his wounds olive oil and wine. Today we know that wine contains ethyl alcohol and traces of methyl alcohol. Both are good disinfectants. Olive oil is also a good disinfectant, as well as a skin moisturizer, protector, and soothing lotion. This is common knowledge to us today. However, did you know that during the Middle Ages and right up till the early 20th century, millions died because they did not know to treat and protect open wounds?

In other words, modern science – not the Bible – has explained why olive oil and wine may be useful in the treatment of wounds. The application of modern science continues to provide treatments that would certainly seem miraculous to the incredulous people two thousand years ago. Nevertheless, medicine even in the middle ages was more effective in the treatment of wounds and broken bones we give usually give credit for – but modern science explains why the various herbal remedies and other home-spun techniques work. It’s safe to say that, to date, no medical technology has been derived from any holy scripture – only through the application of modern science.

In the verse cited, no scientific claim (distinct from traditional practice) has been advanced.

82. Man is “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14). We are only beginning to probe the complexity of the DNA molecule, the eye, the brain, and all the intricate components of life. No human invention compares to the marvelous wonders of God’s creation.

No scientific claim has been advanced.

83.Beauty understood (Genesis 1:31; 2:9; Job 40:10; Ecclesiastes 3:11; Matthew 6:28-30). Beauty surrounds us: radiant sunsets, majestic mountains, brightly colored flowers, glowing gems, soothing foliage, brilliantly adorned birds, etc. Beauty is a mystery to the evolutionist. However, Scripture reveals that God creates beautiful things for our benefit and His glory.

Beauty is largely a subjective notion – it is, in the oft-repeated phrase – in the eye of the beholder. Evolution explains sexual attraction within animal species, but accounts for the processes behind naturally occurring variance; not beauty per se. Are vultures “brillianty adorned birds”? Is there beauty in cancer, or in the nematode worm that causes filariasis, a feature of which is this parasitic worm crawling over the human eyeball? (The adult parasite lives in no other animal: one is tempted to say that it has been designed to cause humans discomfort.)

No science is being presented in “Fact” 83.

84.Strong and weak nuclear force explained (Colossians 1:17; Hebrews 1:3). Physicists do not understand what binds the atom’s nucleus together. Yet, the Bible states that “all things consist” – or are held together by the Creator – Jesus Christ.

This claim is false – scientists are well aware of both strong and weak nuclear forces: and neither of these are in any way divine forces, but rather fairly explicable using the theories we currently have. Again, however, no scientific claim is being tested here.

85. Atomic fission anticipated (2 Peter 3:10-12). Scripture states that “the elements will melt with fervent heat” when the earth and the heavens are “dissolved” by fire. Today we understand that if the elements of the atom are loosed, there would be an enormous release of heat and energy (radiation).

The verses are taken out of context – the author of the letter is talking about the coming of the Lord, and is describing the destruction that usually accompanies such Biblical events. There is nothing to indicate that specifically atomic fission is indeed taking place. Indeed, it is factually incorrect to say that elements “melt” in nuclear fission. Verse12 ends “[b]ut in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.” Which is nice.

There is no science contained within these verses, so the claim is simply false.

86. The Pleiades and Orion star clusters described (Job 38:31). The Pleiades star cluster is gravitationally bound, while the Orion star cluster is loose and disintegrating because the gravity of the cluster is not enough to bind the group together. 4,000 years ago God asked Job, “Can you bind the cluster of the Pleiades, or loose the belt of Orion?” Yet, it is only recently that we realized that the Pleiades is gravitationally bound, but Orion’s stars are flying apart.

To begin with, this verse is not describing anything, but asking a question of Job – the implication being that only the power of God could loosen the belt of Orion or bind the stars of the Pleiades. As it happens, it’s gravity, not God – a fact not mentioned in the verse.

The Pleiades is a cluster of stars; Orion on the other hand, is a constellation – not a cluster – of stars, and as such only appear to be in relation with each other, from the point of view of earthbound observers. In fact no relationship exists, but this fundamental difference is not mentioned in the verse. This suggests that is was not known, as it makes comparison pretty pointless.

Further, current estimates are that, 250 million years time, the stars of the Pleiades cluster will have in fact dispersed: they are not “bound” together, as implied in the verse.

The claims here are false.

87. Safe drinking water (Leviticus 11:33-36). God forbade drinking from vessels or stagnant water that had been contaminated by coming into contact with a dead animal. It is only in the last 100 years that medical science has learned that contaminated water can cause typhoid and cholera.

Modern science discovered the causes of typhoid and cholera – their causes are not revealed in Levicitus; the diseases are not mentioned at all, in fact. Rather, some rather basic hygiene rules seem to have been arrived at, in common with many other societies, based upon observation. To think anything less is to not credit Bronze Age societies with any intelligence at all.

Scientific understanding would come a lot later with, er, science, and not the Bible. No scientific claim can be found in these verses; only a straightforward divine injunction.

88. Pest control (Leviticus 25:1-24). Farmers are plagued today with insects. Yet God gave a sure-fire remedy to control pests centuries ago. Moses commanded Israel to set aside one year in seven when no crops were raised. Insects winter in the stalks of last year’s harvest, hatch in the spring, and are perpetuated by laying eggs in the new crop. If the crop is denied one year in seven, the pests have nothing to subsist upon, and are thereby controlled.

Not only is modern agriculture, thanks to modern science, not “plagued” with insects, but that the above prescription would not control pests during the six years of harvests. In fairness, the aim was not pest control: this is a misreading of the text.

Anyhow, the claims are false.

89. Soil conservation (Leviticus 23:22). Not only was the land to lay fallow every seventh year, but God also instructed farmers to leave the gleanings when reaping their fields, and not to reap the corners (sides) of their fields. This served several purposes: 1) Vital soil minerals would be maintained. 2) The hedge row would limit wind erosion. 3) The poor could eat the gleanings. Today, approximately four billion metric tons of soil are lost from U.S. crop lands each year. Much of this soil depletion could be avoided if God’s commands were followed.

This verse in fact says nothing about soil conservation, or hedgerows (unknown in Bronze Age farming communities) – the injunction clearly relates to leaving the edges and any gleanings left in the field for the poor, as was the custom. It parallels other verses, to make the point clear (if further clarity were needed):

Deuteronomy 24:19: If you forget to bring in a stack of harvested grain, don’t go back in the field to get it. Leave it for the poor, including foreigners, orphans, and widows

Lev. 19:10: Don’t strip your grapevines clean or gather the grapes that fall off the vines. Leave them for the poor and for those foreigners who live among you.

The claim is false.

90. Animal instincts understood (Job 39; Proverbs 30:24-28; Jeremiah 8:7). A newly hatched spider weaves an intricate web without being taught. A recently emerged butterfly somehow knows to navigate a 2,500-mile migration route without a guide. God explains that He has endowed each creature with specific knowledge. Scripture, not evolution, explains animal instincts.

No scientific claim is being made here – merely anti-evolution rhetoric.

That raps up the penultimate ten. At the end of that, we’ve crossed off another six “facts” off our list of 101. 51 in total have been dismissed in such a manner – well over half. The remaining 39 have been shown to be false – either the science is wrong, or the verse that purports to show an unambiguous scientific fact does not clearly do so.

In the next part, I shall examine the remaining 11 “facts”.

The final part in this series will try to come to some conclusions on the exercise.

Science in the Bible – Review, pt8

Part 8 of this Review looks at “Facts” numbered 71 to 80 on the Eternal Productions 101 Scientific Facts and Foreknowledge web page, which claims that the Bible has at least 101 scientific facts that have subsequently been verified by modern science. So far, none of the previous 70 so-called “facts” as presented have stood up to scrutiny, and almost half of the “facts” presented thus far were found not to be actually scientific at all.

So:

71. Life is more than matter and energy (Genesis 2:7; Job 12:7-10). We know that if a creature is denied air it dies. Even though its body may be perfectly intact, and air and energy are reintroduced to spark life, the body remains dead. Scripture agrees with the observable evidence when it states that only God can give the breath of life. Life cannot be explained by raw materials, time, and chance alone – as evolutionists would lead us to believe.

An example of non-scientific claims labelled as one of the 101 “facts”, and a very muddled entry at that. Science tells us that life is made of matter and energy, and nowhere there is no observable evidence at all for a ‘breath of life’ that ‘only God can give’, whatever that might mean. Evolution does not purport to ‘explain’ life, but the variety of species of life – and the Evolutionists referred to are in fact scientists – the bunch of people who are allegedly discovering the very things that are supposed to already exist in the Bible. It seems – as has been noted before – that there is a very selective use of scientific facts that are tested against the Bible.

72. Origin of music explained (Psalm 40:3). Evolution cannot explain the origin of music. The Bible says that every good gift comes from God (James 1:17). This includes joyful melodies. God has given both man and angels the gift of music-making (Genesis 4:21; Ezekiel 28:13). Singing is intended to express rejoicing in and worship of the Lord (Job 38:7; Psalm 95:1-2).

Another non-claim: science doesn’t purport to explain the origin of music per se, much less the theory of evolution.

There are – as it happens – plenty of scientific theories that cannot explain the origin of music, such as the theory of general relativity, as proposed by Einstein. So evolution isn’t alone.

73. Our ancestors were not primitive (Genesis 4:20-22; Job 8:8-10; 12:12). Archeologists have discovered that our ancestors mined, had metallurgical factories, created air-conditioned buildings, designed musical instruments, studied the stars, and much more. This evidence directly contradicts the theory of evolution, but agrees completely with God’s Word.

No, it doesn’t contradict the theory of evolution at all, which describes how humans came to be on the planet. Further, there is nothing in archeaology that contradicts the theory of evolution. Nevertheless, no scientific claim has been made that has been shown to be foretold in the Bible – just another anti-evolution statement.

74. Cavemen described in the Bible (Job 30:1-8). Four thousand years ago, Job describes certain “vile men” who were driven from society to forage “among the bushes” for survival and who “live in the clefts of the valleys, (and) in caves of the earth and the rocks.” Therefore “cavemen” were simply outcasts and vagabounds – not our primitive ancestors as evolutionists speculate.

Evolutionists do not speculate about early human societies, so this again is factually incorrect. Archealogists have uncovered a huge amount of data on how early humans lived, and it is very clear that complex societies emerge from less complex ones; that the older neolithic societies are more “primitive” from the Bronze age ones that characterise the Middle East 3,000-4,000 years ago, for example. However, no scientific statement is being made in this the above claim.

75. Environmental devastation of the planet foreseen (Revelation 11:18). Though evolution imagines that things should be getting better, the Bible foresaw what is really occurring today: pollution, destruction and corrupt dominion.

This is getting tedious: an utter lack of understanding of the theory of evolution is being made in point after point. Suffice to say that, firstly, theory of evolution explains observable variation in living organisms. It does not say that “things” are getting “better”. Secondly, no scientific claim has been made.

76. The seed of a plant contains its life (Genesis 1:11; 29). As stated in the Book of Genesis, we now recognize that inside the humble seed is life itself. Within the seed is a tiny factory of amazing complexity. No scientist can build a synthetic seed and no seed is simple!

If anyone else can spot the scientific claim here that has been correctly foretold in the Bible, I’d love to hear it: as it stands, it’s another non-claim about nothing.

77. A seed must die to produce new life (1 Corinthians 15:36-38). Jesus said, “unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.” (John 12:24). In this verse is remarkable confirmation of two of the fundamental concepts in biology: 1) Cells arise only from existing cells. 2) A grain must die to produce more grain. The fallen seed is surrounded by supporting cells from the old body. These supporting cells “give their lives” to provide nourishment to the inner kernel. Once planted, this inner kernel germinates resulting in much grain.

The “fundamental concepts” are not actually fundamental to biology at all and arguably not “fundamental” – cells are in turn made up of things that are of interest to biologists, for example, DNA; proteins, etc. The theory of evolution certainly is fundamental – upon this entire fields within biology rest: biochemistry and genetics to name two. However, one has by now the decided impression that the good people at Eternal Productions do not like evolution…

No scientific claim has been made here, frankly.

78. The order of creation agrees with true science (Genesis 1). Plants require sunlight, water, and minerals in order to survive. In the first chapter of Genesis we read that God created light first (v.3), then water (v. 6), then soil (v. 9), and then He created plant life (v. 11).

We also see that God created the stars (v16) after the land, plants and seas on the earth. We know from “true science” that this is not the case. We also know from “true science” that birds evolved from land animals; they do not predate land animals as suggested in vs.22-24. Moreover, this is a re-telling of the Babylonian creation myth, and not peculiar to the Bible.

The claims made for the accuracy of this Chapter are false.

79. God created “lights” in the heavens “for signs and seasons, and for days and years” (Genesis 1:14-16). We now know that a year is the time required for the earth to travel once around the sun. The seasons are caused by the changing position of the earth in relation to the sun. The moon’s phases follow one another in clock-like precision – constituting the lunar calendar Evolution teaches that the cosmos evolved by random chance, yet the Bible agrees with the observable evidence.

Evolution is shown to be again to be misunderstood in this claim. No scientific claim or explanation exists in 1 Gen 14-16.

80. The Bible speaks of “heaven and the highest heavens” (Deuteronomy 10:14). Long before the Hubble Space Telescope, Scripture spoke of the “heaven of heavens” and the “third heaven” (1 Kings 8:27; 2 Corinthians 12:2). We now know that the heavens consist of our immediate atmosphere and the vast reaches of outer space – as well as God’s wonderful abode.

The Hubble Telescope failed to find God, of course – if it’s being suggested that he’s somewhere “out there” in outer space. Again, no scientific claim about the nature of the Universe is being made in the three verses cited.

This ten has fared quite badly, with no fewer than 9 being dismissed as non-claims.

This means, after 80 “facts” examined, 45 can be safely dismissed as not containing any recognisable scientific claim. The remaining 35 “facts” are not facts at all, but shown to be in error. 21 left to examine.