I still consider myself a Christian, specifically Catholic, I was born into the Catholic faith, I believe in God, I believe going to Church is a great way to communicate to God, I believe that Jesus is the son of God, but my religious views are not the same as other Christians, I don’t take the Bible completely literally, I’m not saying the Bible is false, the Bible should be read both literally and metaphorically, there are parts of the Bible which can be read as literal, and there are parts that should be taken as metaphorical, especially if it contradicts science, even the Vatican agrees, even if it took them 359 years to admit it…
We now know from science that the Sun is at the center of our Solar System, and the Earth moves around the Sun, this has been proven by scientific observations, and even the Vatican concurs, but this scientific truth contradicts a few Bible verses if it is read literally…
Psalm 93:1 (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2093:1&version=NIV)
Psalm 96:10 (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2096:10&version=NIV)
1 Chronicles 16:30 (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Chronicles%2016:30&version=NIV)
Psalm 104:5 (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%20104:5&version=NIV)
Ecclesiastes 1:5 (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ecclesiastes%201:5&version=NIV)
Since the days of Galileo, the Church has tried to slow the relentless march of science, sometimes with misguided means, in 1633, the Church used these Bible verses to attack Galileo’s theory that the Sun is at the center of the Universe, and the Earth moves around the Sun, but of course, Galileo had some error, he believed in heliocentrism, that the Sun was the center of the Universe, but that’s been proven to be false, but the Church was also wrong in it’s literal interpretation of these verses, the Earth moves, it moves around the Sun, the Sun rises and sets, but not because the Sun is moving, but because the Earth is moving around the Sun. The Inquisition of the Church forced Galileo to recant his theory that the Earth moves around the Sun, under threat of torture. But as he left the courtroom, he is said to have muttered, “E pur si muove (And yet it moves).” Galileo took St Augustine’s position on Bible interpretation, that the Biblical text should not be interpreted as properly literal, but rather as metaphorical, if it contradicts what we know from science and our God-given reason. While each passage of Scripture has a literal sense, this “literal sense” does not always mean that the Scriptures are mere history; at times they are rather an extended metaphor…
The Vatican in 1992, after 359 years, finally admits that Galileo was right, that the Church’s literal interpretation of the above Bible verses was wrong, but until today, the Galileo affair is still an embarrassment to the Church, until today, science is laughing at how foolish the Church was back then, I’m glad the Church admitted how foolish it was. Fr. George Coine, a Jesuit priest, astronomer, and former director of the Vatican Observatory, says the affair was tragic, it was the height of the Church’s battle with Protestantism, and here was a scientist (Galileo) saying he interpreted scripture better than they did…
The point is, we are in the 21st century, and as such, we should leave centuries of old thinking behind us, e.g. geocentrism, flat Earth, etc, the point here is to read the Bible with common sense, if the Bible says the Earth is at the center of our Solar System, and the Sun moves around the Earth, you will believe it’s literal meaning, this has been proven by science to be false, any school child will tell you that, but alas, there are others here on YA saying science has no facts, astronomers are liars or that science is simply too young to understand, that what they have observed are all lies or assumptions, they try to make evidence match their claims, that they have been deceiving people, and that they are trying to cover up the truth, and this is all because what science have observed contradicts the literal interpretation of the Bible, this is foolish…
I believe that science is the study of God’s creations…
Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galileo_Galilei#Church_controversy
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg13618460.600-vatican-admits-galileo-was-right-.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustine_of_Hippo#Natural_knowledge_and_biblical_interpretation
More Pages:
- Solar Lights: So We Cant Disprove The Existence Of A God, But What About The Christian God? (7/13/2011)
- All Christian “evidence” for God, in one spot? (all of which are invalid)?
- Solar Lights: Atheist: Can You Please Explain These Errors That Richard Dawkins Have? (7/4/2011)
- Solar Lights: How Do We Know That Our Perception Of The Flow Of Time Is The Correct One? (7/14/2011)
- Solar Turbines: Has The President Read My Letter About The Problems With The Country And My Proposed Solutions? (6/19/2011)
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I would say … you are Catholic. I think it is worth noting Nancy Pelosi is a pro-abortion Catholic, and while the Vatican might not be very pleased with her voicing such an opinion, it has done little in reaction that has any effectiveness.
I too, am a Christian of a different denomination that sees science in many of the studies being pursued as a good thing. Knowing and understanding our world around us can aid us greatly in being good stewards of the blessings we have received. Conversely, I also see some of the study being done as devaluing life in many forms, and many will say there is a gray area – I disagree. If an approach to these studies remains in what I (personally) define as morally sound, then I have no problems. When I see reports of monkeys left in a room with heat and without water (recent news from California, if I’m not mistaken), then I begin to question whether the research being done is, in fact, cruel. I also believe mistakes are made, but aren’t these people supposed to be “professionals”?
I can understand your feeling of uncertainty. Do not let anything you see or hear dissuade you from your faith. Stay focused on Jesus, but also be cognizant of the world around you. I do the same, and let others do the research studies with grant money. I don’t want that kind of responsibility (or oversight) for my actions (or inaction) from major corporations, government, activist groups, etc (it’s a long list!).
I think you are an enlightened Christian… what confuses you? What happened in the past should already be left in the past, and we all have to move forward… true, the church may have had some errors in the past (like as u pointed out the solar system) but i think, it is not because religion or God has taught us wrong, it is just because that people then are so narrow-minded and so bent on their old ways, sometimes the social pressure is also so high that, they just can not rule the other way around (remember pontius pilate and Jesus?)
As with regards to your last statement, I am confused because,I have never read an encyclical or any church document (of the present vatican that says as such). On the contrary, i think science (its proponents)look at life too literally and has already encroached on things that is of God.
Fpor example, somewhere in the proverb prohibits GMOs or altering the genetic make up of organisms, or cloning… i suppose in a scientific point of view this verse should not be taken literally, since we continue to experiment with it and takes the matter to our own hands…
yet whenm we lokk at it deeper, tinkering with God’s creations never produced the same functional results…
come to think of it, do you not think it is not an insult to God, that we (through “science”) takes over his domains as if He has not made everything as perfect as it can possibly be?