Conference lgp30::christian-perspective

Psalm 75:3  The earth and all the inhabitants thereof are dissolved:
I bear up the pillars of it. Selah.

Job 9:6  Which shaketh the earth out of her place, and the pillars
thereof tremble.

I Samuel 2:8  He raiseth up...to make them inherit the throne of glory:
for the pillars of the earth [are] the LORD's, and he hath set the world
upon them.

Genesis 1:6  And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst
of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
1:7  And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which
[were] under the firmament from the waters which [were] above
the firmament: and it was so.
1:8  And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and
the morning were the second day.

Psalm 148:4  Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that
[be] above the heavens.

Cosmology is an interesting thing, being both a branch of science and a branch 
of philosophy.

I think much of its importance is in its reflection of our self image in the 
universe.

Are we the center of the universe?  Do we simply revolve around the center of
the universe?  Are we just an insignificant mote among billions within a
universe that has no objective center? 

Much of its danger lies in the inadvertant or deliberate mixing of its 
scientific and philosophical nature.  Many people believe that "scientists" 
are attacking theology when they present theories such as the Big Bang, and 
ponder whether the universe is an open or closed system.

Peace,

Jim

The earth resides atop water:
============================

Psalm 136:6  To him that stretched out the earth above the waters:
for his mercy [endureth] for ever.

Deut 5:8  Thou shalt not make thee [any] graven image, [or] any
likeness [of any thing] that [is] in heaven above, or that [is]
in the earth beneath, or that [is] in the waters beneath the
earth:

Exodus 20:4  Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any
likeness [of any thing] that [is] in heaven above, or that [is]
in the earth beneath, or that [is] in the water under the
earth:

The water beneath the earth has been known to gush up:
=====================================================

Genesis 7:11  In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second
month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all
the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of
heaven were opened.

Genesis 8:2  The fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven
were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained;
Genesis 8:3  And the waters returned from off the earth continually:
and after the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters were
abated.

God builds in heaven above the dome over the earth:
==================================================

Amos 9:6  [It is] he that buildeth his stories in the heaven, and
hath founded his troop in the earth; he that calleth for the
waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the
earth: The LORD [is] his name.

>God builds in heaven above the dome over the earth:
>==================================================
>Amos 9:6  [It is] he that buildeth his stories in the heaven, and
>hath founded his troop in the earth; he that calleth for the
>waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the
>earth: The LORD [is] his name.
    
    This is in reference to the hydrological cycle.
    
    As for the rest, it would suit you well to examine the meanings of the
    original Hebrew words for context rather than make silly declarations.
    
    Mike

    They aren't my declarations.  They are the Bible's.  Are we stuck with
    such miserable translations?  Is every scholar who doesn't accept
    inerrancy just being a dupe, a dolt, a heretic?  Is that typical of
    non-fundamentalist Jewish beliefs concerning the Hebrew Bible, also?
    
    You may continue with your silly rationalizations to attempt to explain
    away the obviously pre-Galilean cosmology exemplified in the Bible.
    

    If something appears contradictory on the surface, what's wrong with
    taking a little time and effort to verify it before rejecting the
    passages?
    
    Scripture interprets Scripture.  

    Yeah, and science interprets science.
    

    >    Yeah, and science interprets science.
    
    

    ....And never the twain shall meet.
    
    Some never see life with much integrity, thus neatly segregating and
    compartmentalizing all of life's various components.
    
    It's a paradigm we've inherented from when the church began to lose its
    power in matters of state:  "At least we've still got the next world!"
    
    About the axiom that "Scripture interprets Scripture," I've used this
    process myself.  And it's not that I believe using Scripture to aid
    in the understanding of Scripture is wrong, because I don't.  It's that
    I also realize its limitations.  Possibly you do as well, but just
    haven't said as much yet.  Then again, perhaps not.
    
    Personally, I've found the greatest aid to understanding Scripture
    is the Holy Spirit; God's active and intimate agent in whom I've been
    baptized.
    
    Shalom,
    Richard
    

>    Personally, I've found the greatest aid to understanding Scripture
>    is the Holy Spirit; God's active and intimate agent in whom I've been
>    baptized.
    
    I figured this would be implied, but thanks for stating it.
    
    Mike