Ask Lemmy

I am a Christian.

First and foremost, the Bible isn't a science textbook. The main focus of the Bible is essentially how we need a saviour and that the saviour is coming (the old testament). And then the Gospels of the New Testament is when the saviour comes, and the Epistles are how we should respond.

The Old Testament contains the prophecy of Isaiah, which states that a saviour will come:

Isaiah 9:6-7

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

Isaiah 53:3-12 KJV

[3] He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. [4] Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. [5] But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. [6] All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. [7] He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. [8] He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. [9] And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. [10] Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. [11] He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. [12] Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Generally, the viewpoint I will give is that this prophecy was definitely written before Jesus came (we even have a physical copy of it that predates Christ's birth) and that it prophesied Jesus perfectly. I'd point to the New Testament and how the eyewitness accounts are written as eyewitness accounts, and those eyewitnesses are reliable and even died for what they saw. Essentially, Christianity hinges on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, NOT scientific claims which are irrelevant.

however

For a period in history, scientists believed the universe had eternally existed. The idea of a "beginning" was seen as religious dogma and hubris. Until the big bang was discovered. Now it's normal that people believe there was a beginning. Some would point out that the patterns in the genesis creation narrative do add up, albeit not literal 24 hour days (such as light coming first, dry land, plants, animals, then humans. I even heard a theory that the plants could have cleared a mist causing the cosmos to become visible. But there is a symmetrical pattern there.) although I believe that the whole point of that is just "God is the creator. And He saw it was good." It would be very off if it started going into molecular biology or atomic physics. Especially since this narrative was likely captured via oral tradition.

Some would claim that Job describes a water cycle and other observations before it would have been known about. Although I wouldn't hinge my faith on this as people back then may have been more observant than we give them credit for.

Job 36:26-28

Behold, God is great, and we know him not; the number of his years is unsearchable. [27] For he draws up the drops of water; they distill his mist in rain, [28] which the skies pour down and drop on mankind abundantly.

Earth being suspended in space:

Job 26:7

He stretches out the north over the void and hangs the earth on nothing.

Also a creature is mentioned, some may say it was a dinosaur being described.

Job 40:15-20

[15] “Behold, Behemoth, which I made as I made you; he eats grass like an ox. [16] Behold, his strength in his loins, and his power in the muscles of his belly. [17] He makes his tail stiff like a cedar; the sinews of his thighs are knit together. [18] His bones are tubes of bronze, his limbs like bars of iron. [19] “He is the first of the works of God; let him who made him bring near his sword! [20] For the mountains yield food for him where all the wild beasts play.

However, again, I think people trying to view religious texts as a scientific textbook are looking at it wrong. We don't need God to explain the natural world to us. We can observe it for ourselves. What we cannot observe are things like what happens after death, right and wrong, etc. The idea that, at least from a Christian perspective, that Christianity and natural science are two completely different things is wrong. Christianity isn't about science. It's about Christ and His salvation plan for us. It would be really out of place for the Bible to just become a scientific textbook. God is concerned with greater things- notably, how to save our soul.

Lastly, it is worth mentioning: early scientists were motivated to study science as they believed it was God's creation and they wanted to understand it. If there was a lawgiver, then there must be laws (of science), they thought.