Do some Christians not know what a circle is?

Question

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.

People use this quote to show that the bible claims that the earth is spherical. A circle is a planar shape, not a spherical one. Black Parade Billie also pointed out that Lucifer supposedly took Jesus to a high mountain and showed him the entire earth. These two biblical passages both support a plate-shaped earth, not a spherical. I'm not trying to insult your holy, book, but you can't try to cover up this fact...

I am not trying to disprove the bible, I am just shocked that people think that circular is synonymous with round and spherical...

"ok look at a planet out there another sun-each is a circle not a spherical"

Okay, so you are saying that there are a bunch of coin shaped objects floating around our sun? Please speak coherently...

Wow, so many people do not understand basic geometry...

Circle
geometry: a curved line surrounding a center point, every point of the line being an equal distance from the center point.

Sphere
mathematics: a three-dimensional closed surface consisting of all points that are a given distance from a center

Answer 1

The bible mentions the four corners of the earth, so that must have been one funky looking disc they were imagining.

From http://www.lhup.edu/~dsimanek/crea-fe.htm
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Answer 2

We can hash over the differences between literal and relative translations for years to come and never come to any solid conclusions. If you gave ten people who had never heard of the Bible the New Testament and ask them to interpret it, you would have ten different interpretations. What it all boils down to is which one we choose to believe. So let them believe that the world is flat if it makes them happy. What possible difference does it make? By the way, a sphere in two dimensions is a circle. And also keep in mind that the Scriptures were written long before satellite surveillance was conceived. Men of that time could only write within the limitations of their knowledge. Take, for example, the book of Revelations. Do you actually believe a seven-headed beast is going to crawl out of the bowels of the earth? Yet what was revealed to John was so far beyond his ability to discern, he could only express it metaphors in which he understood. It is not a beast, mind you, but a power. A government, perhaps, or the United Nations. Makes you stop and think, doesn't it?

Answer 3

The Hebrew word means a round shape.

The Bible states that the shape is "circular":
The topology of a sphere can be defined as every unique circle which can be drawn from the same point with equal radius. So the general shape of the earth was known when the Book of Isaiah was written.

Answer 4

All of this debate is really silly. Ask someone on the sidewalk what the shape of the earth is, they will say round. When you say it is spherical, you look more smarmy than "correct" (even if you are both).

And the "four corners" is a idiom used throughout western literature, including the works of Mark Twain and Irving Sandler. It is fine to protest its truth value, but you might as well argue that the grass is not really greener on the other side, given an even distribution of rain and sun.

Answer 5

in both cases....figuratively\symbolically not literraly.


and in those days perhaps the concept of a sphere was non-existant and was refered instead to be a circle...either that or the language (hebrew rtc.) word for sphere was wrongly translated into circle.

2. If the devil did take Jesus to a high mountain, he obviously did not show him the whole world...perhaps Jesus was speaking figuratively, perhaps Jesus was speaking figuratively about the devil as well...perhaps there is no physical manifestation of the devil..perhaps the different temtations that Jesus endured represent the different temptations that each human is vulnerable to...

Answer 6

First of all the word "spherical" was not an existing word when the bible was written secondly Satan has powers just like the Lord. And with his powers he can show anyone the entire world from a high mountain. Just as he appeared as a snake to Adam and Eve. Satan is not human the Lord is not Human and therefore they have the power to do anything.

Answer 7

get real-at that time the athiests said the bible was a lie the earth was flat-mocked bible believers -and the day came they were proved wrong-ok look at a planet out there another sun-each is a circle not a spherical-push your ways-but in the last day every knee will bow and every tongue confess Jesus is Lord-in this life to the joy of salvation-
or in the next to cursing, weeping in everlasting damnation Revelaiton 19-22nd chapters for accepting or rejecting the gosple John 12:48 the word will judge each person-John 3 you must repent and be born again to see the kingdom of heaven

heavens is what you asked about and the bible is what you try and mock

May God help you in His amazing grace that saved a wretch like me and set a Jew like me free-get the circle of salvation or the sphere in the hemisphere thanks alot

Answer 8

is this even a serious question? Are we actually debating "round vs. sphere"? Why would you bring something like this up? talk about trying to split hairs! Whats next... "L" shape vs. right angle? Or are you still beliving that the Earth is flat & we may fall off the edge?

Answer 9

If you read the Bible with an open mind, you will realize that it is so much more than finding corners, or debating the exact shape of the earth.

That does not mean Christians are stupid as you insinuate in your question.

Good Luck in your search.

Peace!

Answer 10

Circle = O