• Starting today August 7th, 2024, in order to post in the Married Couples, Courting Couples, or Singles forums, you will not be allowed to post if you have your Marital status designated as private. Announcements will be made in the respective forums as well but please note that if yours is currently listed as Private, you will need to submit a ticket in the Support Area to have yours changed.

  • Christian Forums is looking to bring on new moderators to the CF Staff Team! If you have been an active member of CF for at least three months with 200 posts during that time, you're eligible to apply! This is a great way to give back to CF and keep the forums running smoothly! If you're interested, you can submit your application here!

Does the sun revolve around the earth?

Status
Not open for further replies.

SpyridonOCA

Well-Known Member
Aug 18, 2007
2,509
105
✟3,415.00
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Private
If one were to understand the Bible literally, it would be hard to suggest that the earth revolves around the sun. The church fathers believed that the Bible teaches a geocentric universe. Modern astronomy has shown such an interpretation of
the Bible to be incorrect. Most Christians, therefore, have accepted that the earth revolves around the sun, in order to
avoid the idea that God is deceptive in His Creation. It would be good if we approached all scientific discovery the same way.


Joshua 10:13
And the Sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people
had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is this not written
in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of
heaven, and hastened not to go down about a whole day.

1 Chronicles 16:30: “He has fixed the earth firm,
immovable.”

Psalm 93:1: “Thou hast fixed the earth immovable and firm
...”

Psalm 96:10: “He has fixed the earth firm, immovable
...”

Psalm 104:5: “Thou didst fix the earth on its foundation so
that it never can be shaken.”

Isaiah 45:18: “...who made the earth and fashioned it, and
himself fixed it fast...”


Ecclesiastes 1:5: The sun also ariseth, and the sun
goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose. Psalm 104:19 “Thou hast made the moon to mark the seasons;
the sun knows its time for setting.”

1 Esdras 4:34 – “The earth is vast, and heaven is high,
and the sun is swift in its course, for it makes the circuit
of the heavens and returns to its place in one day.”
 

Matrona

Lady Godiva Freedom Rider
Aug 17, 2003
11,696
203
USA
Visit site
✟28,168.00
Faith
Eastern Orthodox
Marital Status
Private
If one were to understand the Bible literally, it would be hard to suggest that the earth revolves around the sun. The church fathers believed that the Bible teaches a geocentric universe.

This is what I always think of when I see Christians argue that the earth was created six thousand years ago.
 
Upvote 0

Machachachi

Becoming Orthodox
Nov 18, 2003
399
68
40
NE
✟15,847.00
Faith
Other Religion
Marital Status
Married
I'm hesitant to actually discuss this, I really don't like these kind of discussions, but I feel a serious error has been made.

I'd argue that those comments are just a matter of perspective, people still refer to the sun as "setting" even though we know its really the earth that's spinning. Its a description, its not some scientific statement. It would be a true statement that the earth is immovable, from the context of a normal regular person, the earth is mighty indeed from our small frame of reference. Additionally the comment in Joshua 10:13 this is a description of a miracle as seen from its observers. If the earth were in fact to stop spinning, the sun would appear to sit motionless in the sky, I doubt at the time the Israelites hardly cared about the science behind the miracle.

I don't think any of these are scientific statements about the nature of the world, and shouldn't be taken as such. And about the earth being fixed fastly in place, it really in fact is. If the earth were to deviate even slightly in its orbit around the sun things would not work quite right, in fact things would be relatively disastrous (I apologize for no source on this).

The creation account is told differently than the rest of the Bible, from a broad sense it details pretty specifically what God did and in what order, that is pretty significant and a much different perspective than a personal account taken from the eyes of man, since literally no one was around to see God making the earth. I question the reasoning behind God working the Genesis account into scripture if he didn't intend a purpose for it, or for us to take it seriously. If he simply meant to talk about the nature of man, he could have skipped all that creation mumbo jumbo and just talked about Adam and Eve. I honestly believe that together the accounts are quite sensible and the science behind those who support it is also decent and no more or less prone to holes than evolutionary theory or big bang cosmology, which have quite a number.

I am not trying to spark an argument, just add my perspective where I think it might be useful.
 
Upvote 0

Xpycoctomos

Well-Known Member
Aug 15, 2004
10,133
679
46
Midwest
✟13,419.00
Faith
Eastern Orthodox
Marital Status
Married
If one were to understand the Bible literally, it would be hard to suggest that the earth revolves around the sun.
Yes, if we were to read it like a science book, that would be a problem... we'd have a lot of problems though... spiritual as well.

The church fathers believed that the Bible teaches a geocentric universe.
I'll take your word for it.

Modern astronomy has shown such an interpretation of
the Bible to be incorrect.
yes.

Most Christians, therefore, have accepted that the earth revolves around the sun, in order to
avoid the idea that God is deceptive in His Creation.
Maybe most American Christians (??) but surely not most Christians around the world.
It would be good if we approached all scientific discovery the same way.


I wasn't sure if I understood this part. Do you mean that it would be good to ignore scientific discovery if it contradicts a literal interpretation of the Scriptures? What do you mean by "the same way" (as what?). Sorry for my slowness. Thanks,

Xpy
 
Upvote 0

narnia59

Regular Member
Site Supporter
Jul 17, 2007
5,785
1,302
✟431,159.00
Gender
Female
Faith
Catholic
Marital Status
Married
I'm familiar with that site (must be down currently). It leaves the impression that Catholic doctrine holds to geocentrism, a young earth creation, and rejects evolution. None of that is true, for none of those things have ever been defined doctrinally. In addition, geocentrism is well rejected. It's up to the individual what they wish to believe in terms of young earth creation and evolution, as long as one understands that God alone creates each individual soul at the moment of conception, and that God created the universe 'out of nothing'. Both JPII and Benedict have spoken favorably regarding the Big Bang and evolution as being the likely means God has used to get us here. They reject anything that suggests it all happened by 'chance'.
 
Upvote 0

Chesterton

Whats So Funny bout Peace Love and Understanding
Site Supporter
May 24, 2008
25,949
21,425
Flatland
✟1,034,892.00
Faith
Eastern Orthodox
Marital Status
Single
My local newspaper and local TV news weather forecast both use the words "sunrise" and "sunset" everyday. We all do. It's just a manner of describing things from human perspective. It's the same with the earth being "fixed" under us. From our perspective, it certainly is.
 
Upvote 0

SpyridonOCA

Well-Known Member
Aug 18, 2007
2,509
105
✟3,415.00
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Private
I wasn't sure if I understood this part. Do you mean that it would be good to ignore scientific discovery if it contradicts a literal interpretation of the Scriptures? What do you mean by "the same way" (as what?). Sorry for my slowness. Thanks,

We should be willing to question an interpretation of Scripture which contradicts directly observed scientific fact. The truth cannot contradict Truth.
 
Upvote 0

Chesterton

Whats So Funny bout Peace Love and Understanding
Site Supporter
May 24, 2008
25,949
21,425
Flatland
✟1,034,892.00
Faith
Eastern Orthodox
Marital Status
Single
Is there a "...Scripture which contradicts directly observed scientific fact"? The examples given above do not. I think what you're talking about is more like something which I've read is in the Koran. It states that human males produce sperm in the spinal cord in the region below their shoulders. That is a contradiction of a scientific observation.

Go to some astronomy websites right now and you can read well-educated contemporary astrophysicists using language which refers to the sun, as well as other stars and constellations, "moving across the sky".
 
Upvote 0
T

Thekla

Guest
if you think the Bible is "scientifically problematic", you should check out poetry !

L[SIZE=-1]ET[/SIZE] us go then, you and I,
When the evening is spread out against the sky
Like a patient etherised upon a table;
Let us go, through certain half-deserted streets,
The muttering retreats
Of restless nights in one-night cheap hotels
And sawdust restaurants with oyster-shells:
Streets that follow like a tedious argument
Of insidious intent
To lead you to an overwhelming question …
Oh, do not ask, “What is it?”
Let us go and make our visit.

TS Eliot

("how unpleasant to meet Mr. Eliot, whether his mouth be open or shut")
 
Upvote 0

Chesterton

Whats So Funny bout Peace Love and Understanding
Site Supporter
May 24, 2008
25,949
21,425
Flatland
✟1,034,892.00
Faith
Eastern Orthodox
Marital Status
Single
A literal interpretation of the Bible suggests not only that the sun revolves around the earth but that the earth itself is stationary, that it doesn't rotate on its own axis.

Yes, but a literal interpretation of our own everyday language, including that of scientists, tends to suggest the same thing.
 
Upvote 0

SpyridonOCA

Well-Known Member
Aug 18, 2007
2,509
105
✟3,415.00
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Private
Yes, but a literal interpretation of our own everyday language, including that of scientists, tends to suggest the same thing.

The church fathers understood these passages literally, and some were bothered by the very suggestion that the earth revolves around the sun. St. Augustine's warning, on the other hand, that we not deny scientific observation in the name of Scripture is important, especially for us today.


"It not infrequently happens that something about the earth, about the sky, about other elements of this world, about the motion and rotation or even the magnitude and distances of the stars, about definite eclipses of the sun and moon, about the passage of years and seasons, about the nature of animals, of fruits, of stones, and of other such things, may be known with the greatest certainty by reasoning or by experience, even by one who is not a Christian. It is too disgraceful and ruinous, though, and greatly to be avoided, that he [the non-Christian] should hear a Christian speaking so idiotically on these matters, and as if in accord with Christian writings, that he might say that he could scarcely keep from laughing when he saw how totally in error they are. In view of this and in keeping it in mind constantly while dealing with the book of Genesis, I have, insofar as I was able, explained in detail and set forth for consideration the meanings of obscure passages, taking care not to affirm rashly some one meaning to the prejudice of another and perhaps better explanation" (The Literal Interpretation of Genesis 1:19–20 [A.D. 408]).
 
Upvote 0
Status
Not open for further replies.