Why do Christians now insist that the Bible teaches that the Earth is round, when for 1,000+ years...?

Question

... they taught the opposite? They used Bible verses to "prove" that the Earth was flat for many, many centuries before they did a complete reversal in a johnny-come-lately fashion and decided to agree with science that the Earth is, in fact, round! And don't give me that verse from the Old Testament that mentions "the circle of the Earth": a circle is FLAT, like a quarter, not ROUND like a ball, so that verse does not help the believers' case one bit...

Answer 1

A photo from space kinda changed their perspective of things, didn't it?

Answer 2

OK sit down and get ready for this. Mythology is an attempt to describe the trancendent. An imposible task. Because as St Aquinas has said we can NOT know God. WE are forced to use the language, and the references, our limited minds can understand.
Its not about the world. It was never supposed to be about the world. When a relgion out grows its metaphor society becomes secular. Fundementalists Interpret the metaphor as biography and as history. They then miss the entire point.
IT is about the INNER reaches. The inside journey. Most religios metaphor is desighned to reach the subconsous mind so that the person can join the superconcious mind.
It about YOU. Your journey it is not about HISTORY or fact its metaphor.
Since you are on the topic
Dates in genesis from adam to noah. 1656 years There are 86,400 7 day weeks in that amount of time Divide By 2 the answer 43,200 Cycles of bablyonain universe coming into being and going out again NOAH Gilgamesh.
What does this have to do with the earth.
the time it takes for the earth to wobble thorough all the sighns of the zodiac
25,920 years divide by 60 the mespoatmian soss basic unit of measurment 432
Jews were in Babylon when Genesis was written
Same number 432,000 in is hindu kalin yuga
Same number 432,000 is in Iclandic eddas 540 doors in Odins hall at the end of time 800 warriors will go through those doors 432,000
Probably in Mayan calandar too
They have known the world is round for along long time
432 dimples in a golf ball
You can look it up take the number and divide it with the size of the great pyramid at giza it is the circumfirence of the earth within a few miles/

YOU can find metaphor and use it to work in your life to be happy. Or you can be a fundemtalist read it as history.
Then you would be like a Diner at the greatest restuarant on earth. Ask for a menu Read whats on it then YOU eat the menu. Its not about a book. Its about YOU>

Answer 3

ok that is Me Pounding the words 'The Bible would not say the earth is Flat into your cranium. Wham Wham Wham Wham Get it yet ? No? ok Wham Wham Wham Wham ok, What section do you no longer get into your head ? the curvature of the earth is truly a biblical idea, and there is amazingly little foundation for the charge that the Bible teaches a flat earth. The Scriptures that look to cutting-edge a flat earth can all extremely be defined at the same time as wisely interpreted and understood. Why won't be able to you get that into your head?

Answer 4

FACT: Christopher Columbus was a Christian.
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That word for Circle in the original hebrew is חוג which is pronounced: Hoog. Meaning: nm. circle, sphere, set, society

It easily can be the word Sphere. The Bible has the answers already in it. Just because Christians didn't use the information properly doesn't mean it wasn't there.

Here are some more that say it was round:

Ecc 1:6 The wind goes toward the south,
And turns around to the north;
The wind whirls about continually,
And comes again on its circuit.

The word circuit is also the word Circle.

Another one for you:
Psa 103:12 As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us.

Showing that it is continually away from itself.

Job 26:7 He stretches out the north over empty space;
He hangs the earth on nothing.
Job 26:8 He binds up the water in His thick clouds,
Yet the clouds are not broken under it.

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Answer 5

They were not relying on the Bible itself but popular opinions of the day. Popular opinions for what held the earth were: giant turtle, columns, giant snail, Atlas. The Bible was clear that the circle (or round) of the earth hung upon nothing. (Isaiah 40:22; Job 26:7)

This is only part of what so-called Christians as well as true Christians have gotten wrong or misunderstood for the last 2,000 years. Even Jesus disciples while with Jesus did not understand fully what he was talking about. Only later did they understand. So it not a matter of getting everything at once. Our brains can not handle such data as well as concepts all at once. It must be gradual.

Answer 6

I think that Ptolemy's views got in the way..But consider this from the Bible.

Is. 40:22 It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in...

Job 26:10 He hath compassed the waters with bounds, until the day and night come to an end.

Prov. 8:27 When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set a compass upon the face of the depth...

Skeptics will assume from these verses a concept of a flat, circular, pancake-like earth. In each case, the Hebrew word here is exactly the same, as Strong's tells us:

2329. chuwg, khoog; from H2328; a circle:--circle, circuit, compass.

And here is where we alert the reader to another key word-concept that is missing in Hebrew: There was no varying word for a "sphere" - a three-dimensional circle. It is not that the Hebrews or anyone else lacked the concept of sphericity (for obviously, they could conceive of it plainly when, for example, they ate pomegranates for breakfast!), but that they simply did not create a second word for it.

Answer 7

The moon looks to me like a circle from here, not a sphere. When we refer to the figure of the moon, specially when we are drawing it, we refer to moon as a circle, in two dimensions. The analogy same is used by the Bible. Now that we are more scientifically more educated, we can deduct with a more certainty what God meant by the "circle of the Earth" and "hanging the Earth upon nothing."

Answer 8

you are generalizing. and every time you generalize, you make mistake.

CATHOLIC church insisted that earth is round. other churches did not.

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Bible reference:
Ecclesiastes 1:6
The wind blows to the south and turns to the north; round and round it goes, ever returning on its course.

Now, I know some theologians might not agree that this verse describes Earth in its current form. But if you are referring to this scripture under "that verse", then you are obviously incorrect. If you have something else in mind, please do post the scripture and reference,

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As far as other posts - like the fact that Jesus was shown whole world. Well, explanation is quite simple. So simply that you might not get, but I am not sure if I can help you if simple things are too hard to understand.
Here is the explanation:
bible shows this event as something extraordinary. Something that does not take place all the time. We also do NOT know if mountain was in Middle East, or if it was some other mountain. Events described in that verse are presented as miracle, something not ordinary (how many of you have seen devil himself in person?!)

Answer 9

I don't recall the Bible proving anything about the shape of the Earth. The reason for Christians now agreeing that the Earth is round is definitely not that if they don't change it, it could end Christianity. Science has proven and the Bible doesn't say anything about it, so Christians agree.

Answer 10

I suggest you read the bible in its entirety and answer that question for yourself, once and for all.

Frankly, I think people in general thought the world was flat until Columbus discovered America. God said he made the earth and all of creation - I don't think round or circle was mentioned. Why should it be? God knew people would procreate and the earth would become more populated and he knew they would discover, sooner or later, that there was more world out there then just the middle east.

However, I go back to my first statement - read the bible yourself and see if it mentions flat or round. The NIV would be the best one for you to read as it is plain english.

Answer 11

I don't remember the Bible saying anything about the earth being round, flat, triangular or any other shape. What verse do you say was used to prove it was flat? I know the Catholic church once agreed with the flat theory, but I wouldn't go by them to stereotype all Christians' beliefs or practices.