But you just called God a liar, you say that God has said in the Bible which is the written word of God, that He has stated that the earth is flat, so you call Him a liar, but that is because you are an atheist, you are 'Snail so why not just admit it, you don't believe in holy scripture, you do not believe the Bible is accurate and true, so why don't you just say so?
You called God a liar when you said the bible says the world is spherical when in the verses I quoted previously, clearly show the world is flat. How do you explain Jesus viewing the whole earth from one mountain, and Daniel seeing the whole earth from a tall tree? I figure by this period Australian aboriginals at least, were living in Australia, not to mention those in Africa and other southern hemispher regions. How is Jesus or Daniel supposed to see these kingdoms as well if the earth was round?
If you actually knew anything of ancient cosomolgy, in no way could you claim that the Biblical account 'parallels the Sumero-Babylonain cosmology'! I would expect this statement from atheists and New Age Theosophists, but in no way would I expect a Christian to say that.
So I'm still waiting for that evidence you have that the early human civilisations at the time of scripture was written believed in a spherical earth. That the earth is round is thanks to 4th C BC Greek philosphers. Were the Hebrews Greek? My that is not a very nice thing for you to say that God's people believed the same as pagan or atheist Greek philosphers!
I have no idea of ancient cosmology you say ?
This might be a shock to your theology but as many Jews would agree, the Hebrew Bible indicates that the earth was a flat circular disc supported by the pillars of heaven with domes of heaven above it. I think the Jews would have a fair idea on how to interpret their own scriptures.
Now you're also partial to the Catholics aren't you Cup of Ruin? So let's see what they say from the Catholic Encyclopedia:
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06079b.htm
Firmament
(Septuagint
stereoma;
Vulgate,
firmamentum). The notion that the sky was a vast solid
dome seems to have been common among the ancient peoples whose
ideas of
cosmology have come down to us. Thus the Egyptians conceived the heavens to be an arched iron ceiling from which the stars were suspended by means of cables (Chabas, LÆAntiquiteÆ historique, Paris, 1873, pp. 64-67). Likewise to the mind of the Babylonians the sky was an immense
dome, forged out of the hardest metal by the hand of Merodach (Marduk) and resting on a wall surrounding the earth (Jensen, Die Kosmologie der Babylonier,
Strasburg, 1890, pp. 253, 260). According to the notion prevalent among the Greeks and Romans, the sky was a great vault of crystal to which the fixed stars were attached, though by some it was held to be of iron or brass. That the Hebrews entertained similar
ideas appears from numerous biblical passages. In the first account of the creation (
Genesis 1) we read that
God created a firmament to divide the upper or celestial from the lower or terrestrial waters. The
Hebrew means something beaten or hammered out, and thus extended; the
Vulgate rendering, ôfirmamentumö corresponds more closely with the Greek
stereoma (
Septuagint,
Aquila, and Symmachus), ôsomething made firm or solidö. The notion of the solidity of the firmament is moreover expressed in such passages as
Job 37:18, where reference is made incidentally to the heavens, ôwhich are most strong, as if they were of molten brassö. The same is implied in the purpose attributed to
God in creating the firmament, viz. to serve as a wall of separation between the upper and lower of water, it being conceived as supporting a vast celestial reservoir; and also in the account of the deluge (
Genesis 7), where we read that the ôflood gates of
heaven were openedö, and shut upö (viii, 2). (Cf. also IV 28 sqq.) Other passages e.g.
Isaiah 42:5, emphasize rather the
idea of something extended: ôThus saith the
Lord God that created the heavens and stretched them outö (Cf.
Isaiah 44:24, and
40:22). In conformity with these
ideas, the writer of
Genesis 1:14-20 represents
God as setting the stars in the firmament of
heaven, and the fowls are located beneath it, i.e. in the air as distinct from the firmament. On this point as on many others, the
Bible simply reflects the current
cosmological ideas and language of the time.
So it appears that the Catholics agree with my viewpoint as well.
Now let's look at some early Christian authors, who still even as late as 350-400 AD were not fully convinced that the earth was round.
Saint Augustine (354–430) argued against assuming people inhabited the antipodes:
But as to the fable that there are Antipodes, that is to say, men on the opposite side of the earth, where the sun rises when it sets to us, men who walk with their feet opposite ours, that is on no ground credible. And, indeed, it is not affirmed that this has been learned by historical knowledge, but by scientific conjecture, on the ground that the earth is suspended within the concavity of the sky, and that it has as much room on the one side of it as on the other: hence they say that the part which is beneath must also be inhabited. But they do not remark that, although it be supposed or scientifically demonstrated that the world is of a round and spherical form, yet it does not follow that the other side of the earth is bare of water; nor even, though it be bare, does it immediately follow that it is peopled.
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Since these people would have to be descended from
Adam, they would have had to travel to the other side of the Earth at some point; Augustine continues:
It is too absurd to say, that some men might have taken ship and traversed the whole wide ocean, and crossed from this side of the world to the other, and that thus even the inhabitants of that distant region are descended from that one first man.
So I think I reach these conclusions:
a) that the bible teaches a spherical earth is not clearly seen. If it did, people would have believed in a spherical earth prior to 400 BC, when there is no indication that they did. In fact, some early Christians still held to a flat-earth view - showing that a spherical earth teaching in scripture is not so clear.
b) Both Jews and Catholics can see that the scripture essentially teaches a flat earth.
You sure you two arent brothers???? Anyways, i appreciate both of your opinions... Sometimes i dont get what the heck either one of you are talking about so i just skip over those parts lol Please forgive me if this was offensive to either of you, that was not my intention.