What fields of study are contradicted by a literal reading of the Bible?

Question

Comparative/Historical Linguistics (Tower of Babel)
Trigonometry and most other mathematics (pi = 3)
Genetics (inbreeding depression after the Flood)

What other fields of inquiry can you add?

Answer 1

Some of these problems are not necessarily contradictions, but here goes:

Geology: Creationists will often use the fact that carbon dating is "only effective up to 60,000 years ago" as a reason to dismiss the entirety of what we know about the age of our planet. What they forget is that even if we really were unable to accurately date further back, accurate dating of up to 60,000 years would be able to date everything in this world perfectly if the earth is only 6000 to 10,000 years old, therefore the implied biblical date of earth is wrong before we even get to the other isolotopes used in dating older things.

Coprology: The recently opened Creation Science Museum tells us that, prior to Adam & Eve's sin, Tyrannosaurus was a herbivore (which reminds me - add "Dentistry" to the list of disciplines biblical literalism contradicts). What this means is that any fossil droppings (or Coprolites) which contain bones, teeth or traces of cartilage found in rocks older or the same age as Tyrannosaurus must have been placed their by either divine or satanic providence. Of course ultimately this comes back to a geological contradiction, because they don't believe we can date fossils properly therefore they will just insist that all the prehistoric poop is post Eden in age.

Herpetology: It's hard to find an expert on snakes who will tell you they can convince or trick people into doing things. I am being slightly pedantic on this one, as I am sure the correct reading is that a supernatural being took the form of a snake, rather than it being an actual snake, so no doubt it could take the form of a snake with a human voicebox.

Astronomy: Two major problems arise and the first one is again to do with age.
1) The stars were created on the fourth day, now it is our understanding that the light from those stars take millions or even billions of years to reach us. It is easily reconcilable of course by saying that the light from those stars were created at an advanced stage of shining in our direction - "light was the first thing created, after all". This doesn't stop it contradicting astronomy, but it does allow speculation as to whether the first animals were created as adults with fully fledged memories in a similar fashion. If so, we can add veterinary psychology to the list.
2) Water featured on the first day when the earth was "formless". The water was differentiated from the sky on the second day which many take to be the formation of the atmosphere, but read literally, the universe was pure water - a combination of oxygen and hydrogen so we should probably go ahead and add chemistry to the list too.

I'm sure there is an exhaustive list of them somewhere, but those were a few off the top of my head - enjoy :)

*Edit: Forgot to add the 2nd astronomy problem - oops :)

Answer 2

Actually, Pi being equal to 3 is not actually contradicted, but merely inaccurate. There's a difference. Nobody can accurately represent pi, ever. I wouldn't use that.

I would say that Astronomy is contradicted, as things don't revolve around the Earth.

Genetics, not necessarily. It is possible to produce a race from just a few individuals.

I think that the largest problems with the Bible are those who interpret it, rather than the book itself. Also, the people who selectively chose the canon to support a particular viewpoint and try to discourage reading any other scripture.

If you take it completely literally, there is no way to actually even live a life on Earth.

Answer 3

If you have an absolutely perfect race.Then sin enters the world and the race begins to slowly pollute itself,it makes sense that it would take thousands of years.For instance.You really can't have inbreeding unless there's an alternative.These people lived 800,900 years.As they did water down the race the life spans got shorter and shorter until after Noah it was at 120 years.By the time of David it was 70 years.By the Middle Ages it was 47 years.This was an occurrence of population ,disease and polluting the environment.Then man has progressively gotten smarter and we are back to 75 years and climbing.Where's the contradiction?
Pre-Flood : Man was brilliant
Post Flood : Man was dumb and getting dumber but is now heading the other way.Especially since the Industrial Revolution.
Daniel said "In the last days knowledge will increase unbelievably"
Well, Ceasar rode a horse and Teddy Roosevelt rode a horse and 70 years later we are on the moon.

Answer 4

Well the day the sun stood still contradicts reality, seeing how it implies the sun rotates around the earth.

If the story is to imply all heavenly motion stopped, and the sun stayed in place in the sun it defies physics, if this would happen all the planets would crash into the sun and be destroyed.

The arc would be far too small to fit 2 of every animal in the world on it, including enough food to keep them alive.

there has to be more.

Answer 5

Astronomy - (the moon doesn't have a "light" of its own, the earth goes around the sun)
Geography - (Christ saw all the kingdoms of the earth from a high mountain, indicating a flat earth)
Biology - (Bats aren't birds and a billion others)

Answer 6

Atheism

Answer 7

How about the Bible and logic?

Answer 8

Entomology: grasshoppers, locusts and beetles have six legs.

Answer 9

Geology (The earth is fix)

Answer 10

Where do you want me to start?