Errors in the Bible - Atheism 101

Biblical Errors

The errors to be discussed here will be broken down into the following categories.

Astronomy
Biology
Medicine

Astronomy

The Earth is not flat
The Earth does not rest on pillars
The "heavens" do not have "windows" to let down the rain
The Earth is not immovable
The sun is immovable
The Earth does not have a foundation
The Earth, a sphere, does not have "corners"
The moon does not emit its own light

The Earth is not flat.

Matthew 4:8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor.

Daniel 4:10 These are the visions I saw while lying in my bed: I looked, and there before me stood a tree in the middle of the land. Its height was enormous. 11 The tree grew large and strong and its top touched the sky; it was visible to the ends of the earth.

No amount of altitude will allow you to see the opposite side of a sphere. A sphere does not have "ends". No matter how high the tree was it could not be seen from the opposite side of a sphere. The authors of these verses clearly thought the Earth was a flat surface.

Many Bible literalists will cite Isaiah 40:22 as saying the Earth is a sphere. But this is erroneous. It clearly states the Earth is a circle. A circle is two dimensional and therefore flat. A sphere is three dimensional.

Isaiah 40:22 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.

The Earth does not rest on pillars.

Job 9:6 He shakes the earth from its place and makes its pillars tremble.

The "heavens" do not have "windows" to let down the rain or "floodgates" to hold it back.

Genesis 7:11 In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, on the seventeenth day of the second month-on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened.

Genesis 8:2 Now the springs of the deep and the floodgates of the heavens had been closed, and the rain had stopped falling from the sky.

Isaiah 24:18 Whoever flees at the sound of terror
will fall into a pit; whoever climbs out of the pit will be caught in a snare. The floodgates of the heavens are opened, the foundations of the earth shake.

Malachi 3:10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the Lord Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.

The Earth is not immovable.

1 Chronicles 16:30 Tremble before him, all the earth!
The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved.

Psalm 93:1 The Lord reigns, he is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed in majesty and is armed with strength.
The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved.

Psalm 96:10 Say among the nations, "The Lord reigns." The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity.

Psalm 104:5 He set the earth on its foundations; it can never be moved.

The Earth rotates. If it didn't the side facing the sun would burn to a crisp and there would be no day and night.

The sun is immovable.

Ecclesiastes 1:5 The sun rises and the sun sets, and hurries back to where it rises.

Joshua 10:13 So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the nation avenged itself on its enemies, as it is written in the Book of Jashar. The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day.

Psalm 104:19 The moon marks off the seasons, and the sun knows when to go down.

Amos 8:9 "In that day," declares the Sovereign Lord, "I will make the sun go down at noon and darken the earth in broad daylight.

Habakkuk 3:11 Sun and moon stood still in the heavens at the glint of your flying arrows, at the lightning of your flashing spear.

The words "sunset" and "sunrise" as well as phrases such as "setting sun" or "rising sun" are too numerous to count in the Bible. However, these could be the result of translation into modern language. The verses above, however, clearly indicate the writer's belief that the sun moved, which is clearly erroneous. It's also interesting to note the references which suggest the sun has cognition. The sun "hurries" and the sun "knows when to go down".

Finally, there are numerous references to all things "under the sun". Again, this may be the result of translation into modern language. But we should note here that the sun is not "over" the Earth or moving around it.

The Earth does not have a foundation.

2 Samuel 22:16 The valleys of the sea were exposed and the foundations of the earth laid bare at the rebuke of the Lord, at the blast of breath from his nostrils.

Psalm 104:5 He set the earth on its foundations; it can never be moved.

Job 38:4 "Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? Tell me, if you understand.

Psalm 18:15 The valleys of the sea were exposed and the foundations of the earth laid bare at your rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of breath from your nostrils.

Isaiah 24:18 Whoever flees at the sound of terror
will fall into a pit; whoever climbs out of the pit
will be caught in a snare. The floodgates of the heavens are opened, the foundations of the earth shake.

The Earth, a sphere, does not have "corners" or "ends".

Job 38:13 that it might take the earth by the edges
and shake the wicked out of it?

Jeremiah 51:16 When he thunders, the waters in the heavens roar; he makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth. He sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouses.

Isaiah 11:12 He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel; he will assemble the scattered people of Judah from the four quarters of the earth.

Jeremiah 16:19 O LORD , my strength and my fortress, my refuge in time of distress, to you the nations will come
from the ends of the earth and say, "Our fathers possessed nothing but false gods, worthless idols that did them no good.

The moon does not emit light.

Isaiah 13:10 The stars of heaven and their constellations will not show their light. The rising sun will be darkened
and the moon will not give its light.

Joel 3:15 The sun and moon will be darkened, and the stars no longer shine.

Matthew 24:29 "Immediately after the distress of those days "'the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken. ‡

Mark 13:24 "But in those days, following that distress,
"'the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; 25 the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken. ‡

The moon does not produce it's own light. It reflects the sun's light. It's also interesting to note, in verse from Matthew that the author seems to think the sun and stars are within "falling" distance of the Earth.

‡ These two verses are a very good example of the Synoptic Problem.

Biology

Humans are not made from dirt. Dirt is not an organic substance

Rabbits cannot chew cud
Bats are not birds
Insects do not have fourlegs
The mustard seed is not the smallest seed

Rabbits cannot chew cud.

Leviticus 11
6 The rabbit, though it chews the cud, does not have a split hoof; it is unclean for you.

Deuteronomy 14
7 However, of those that chew the cud or that have a split hoof completely divided you may not eat the camel, the rabbit or the coney. Although they chew the cud, they do not have a split hoof; they are ceremonially unclean for you.

Ruminants chew cud. It requires multiple stomachs to do so. The rabbit only has one stomach and is therefore unable to produce, and therefore chew, cud.

Bats are not birds.

Leviticus 11
13 These are the birds you are to detest and not eat because they are detestable: the eagle, the vulture, the black vulture,
14 the red kite, any kind of black kite,
15 any kind of raven,
16 the horned owl, the screech owl, the gull, any kind of hawk,
17 the little owl, the cormorant, the great owl,
18 the white owl, the desert owl, the osprey,
19 the stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe and the bat.

Bats are mammals, not birds.

Insects do not have four legs.

Leviticus 11
20 All flying insects that walk on all fours are to be detestable to you.

Insects, by definition have six legs. Caterpillars and spiders have been erroneously cited as exceptions. Neither are insects. Caterpillars are the larvae of an insect. This is like saying that an egg is a biard. The butterfly or moth that results from the caterpillar is an insect and has six legs. Spiders are arachnids.

The mustard seed is not the smallest seed.

Matthew 13
31 He told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field.
32 Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches."

The mustard seed is not the smallest seed. The smallest seeds are those of epiphytic orchids. Each gram contains around 992.25 million seperate seeds (28,129.81 million/oz.). Orchids form the world's largest family of plants, they grow wild in every continent except Antarctica.

There is another problem with this verse. Mustard seeds do not grow into trees but plants.

Medicine

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Site Links Home Atheism God Christianity Judaism Islam Evolution References Glossary Contact About Site Map Reference Links Talk Origins The Secular Web Nag Hammadi The SAB Atheist Books Community Links ACA Atheist Parents Secularity.com Humorous Links Landover Baptist Betty Bowers IPU Yo God Detector	Biblical Errors The errors to be discussed here will be broken down into the following categories. Astronomy Biology Medicine Astronomy The Earth is not flat The Earth does not rest on pillars The "heavens" do not have "windows" to let down the rain The Earth is not immovable The sun is immovable The Earth does not have a foundation The Earth, a sphere, does not have "corners" The moon does not emit its own light The Earth is not flat. Matthew 4:8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. Daniel 4:10 These are the visions I saw while lying in my bed: I looked, and there before me stood a tree in the middle of the land. Its height was enormous. 11 The tree grew large and strong and its top touched the sky; it was visible to the ends of the earth. No amount of altitude will allow you to see the opposite side of a sphere. A sphere does not have "ends". No matter how high the tree was it could not be seen from the opposite side of a sphere. The authors of these verses clearly thought the Earth was a flat surface. Many Bible literalists will cite Isaiah 40:22 as saying the Earth is a sphere. But this is erroneous. It clearly states the Earth is a circle. A circle is two dimensional and therefore flat. A sphere is three dimensional. Isaiah 40:22 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. The Earth does not rest on pillars. Job 9:6 He shakes the earth from its place and makes its pillars tremble. The "heavens" do not have "windows" to let down the rain or "floodgates" to hold it back. Genesis 7:11 In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, on the seventeenth day of the second month-on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened. Genesis 8:2 Now the springs of the deep and the floodgates of the heavens had been closed, and the rain had stopped falling from the sky. Isaiah 24:18 Whoever flees at the sound of terror will fall into a pit; whoever climbs out of the pit will be caught in a snare. The floodgates of the heavens are opened, the foundations of the earth shake. Malachi 3:10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the Lord Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. The Earth is not immovable. 1 Chronicles 16:30 Tremble before him, all the earth! The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved. Psalm 93:1 The Lord reigns, he is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed in majesty and is armed with strength. The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved. Psalm 96:10 Say among the nations, "The Lord reigns." The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity. Psalm 104:5 He set the earth on its foundations; it can never be moved. The Earth rotates. If it didn't the side facing the sun would burn to a crisp and there would be no day and night. The sun is immovable. Ecclesiastes 1:5 The sun rises and the sun sets, and hurries back to where it rises. Joshua 10:13 So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the nation avenged itself on its enemies, as it is written in the Book of Jashar. The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day. Psalm 104:19 The moon marks off the seasons, and the sun knows when to go down. Amos 8:9 "In that day," declares the Sovereign Lord, "I will make the sun go down at noon and darken the earth in broad daylight. Habakkuk 3:11 Sun and moon stood still in the heavens at the glint of your flying arrows, at the lightning of your flashing spear. The words "sunset" and "sunrise" as well as phrases such as "setting sun" or "rising sun" are too numerous to count in the Bible. However, these could be the result of translation into modern language. The verses above, however, clearly indicate the writer's belief that the sun moved, which is clearly erroneous. It's also interesting to note the references which suggest the sun has cognition. The sun "hurries" and the sun "knows when to go down". Finally, there are numerous references to all things "under the sun". Again, this may be the result of translation into modern language. But we should note here that the sun is not "over" the Earth or moving around it. The Earth does not have a foundation. 2 Samuel 22:16 The valleys of the sea were exposed and the foundations of the earth laid bare at the rebuke of the Lord, at the blast of breath from his nostrils. Psalm 104:5 He set the earth on its foundations; it can never be moved. Job 38:4 "Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Psalm 18:15 The valleys of the sea were exposed and the foundations of the earth laid bare at your rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of breath from your nostrils. Isaiah 24:18 Whoever flees at the sound of terror will fall into a pit; whoever climbs out of the pit will be caught in a snare. The floodgates of the heavens are opened, the foundations of the earth shake. The Earth, a sphere, does not have "corners" or "ends". Job 38:13 that it might take the earth by the edges and shake the wicked out of it? Jeremiah 51:16 When he thunders, the waters in the heavens roar; he makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth. He sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouses. Isaiah 11:12 He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel; he will assemble the scattered people of Judah from the four quarters of the earth. Jeremiah 16:19 O LORD , my strength and my fortress, my refuge in time of distress, to you the nations will come from the ends of the earth and say, "Our fathers possessed nothing but false gods, worthless idols that did them no good. The moon does not emit light. Isaiah 13:10 The stars of heaven and their constellations will not show their light. The rising sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light. Joel 3:15 The sun and moon will be darkened, and the stars no longer shine. Matthew 24:29 "Immediately after the distress of those days "'the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken. ‡ Mark 13:24 "But in those days, following that distress, "'the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; 25 the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken. ‡ The moon does not produce it's own light. It reflects the sun's light. It's also interesting to note, in verse from Matthew that the author seems to think the sun and stars are within "falling" distance of the Earth. ‡ These two verses are a very good example of the Synoptic Problem. Biology Humans are not made from dirt. Dirt is not an organic substance Rabbits cannot chew cud Bats are not birds Insects do not have fourlegs The mustard seed is not the smallest seed Rabbits cannot chew cud. Leviticus 11 6 The rabbit, though it chews the cud, does not have a split hoof; it is unclean for you. Deuteronomy 14 7 However, of those that chew the cud or that have a split hoof completely divided you may not eat the camel, the rabbit or the coney. Although they chew the cud, they do not have a split hoof; they are ceremonially unclean for you. Ruminants chew cud. It requires multiple stomachs to do so. The rabbit only has one stomach and is therefore unable to produce, and therefore chew, cud. Bats are not birds. Leviticus 11 13 These are the birds you are to detest and not eat because they are detestable: the eagle, the vulture, the black vulture, 14 the red kite, any kind of black kite, 15 any kind of raven, 16 the horned owl, the screech owl, the gull, any kind of hawk, 17 the little owl, the cormorant, the great owl, 18 the white owl, the desert owl, the osprey, 19 the stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe and the bat. Bats are mammals, not birds. Insects do not have four legs. Leviticus 11 20 All flying insects that walk on all fours are to be detestable to you. Insects, by definition have six legs. Caterpillars and spiders have been erroneously cited as exceptions. Neither are insects. Caterpillars are the larvae of an insect. This is like saying that an egg is a biard. The butterfly or moth that results from the caterpillar is an insect and has six legs. Spiders are arachnids. The mustard seed is not the smallest seed. Matthew 13 31 He told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. 32 Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches." The mustard seed is not the smallest seed. The smallest seeds are those of epiphytic orchids. Each gram contains around 992.25 million seperate seeds (28,129.81 million/oz.). Orchids form the world's largest family of plants, they grow wild in every continent except Antarctica. There is another problem with this verse. Mustard seeds do not grow into trees but plants. Medicine Epilepsy is not caused by demon possession Leprosy cannot be washed off	Books For more books on atheism please visit Atheist Books