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Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Serious Question for Creationists

I'm currently listening to a series of taped lectures on the history of science by a professor at Johns Hopkins. Today he was talking about the Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe (1546-1601).

Even though Brahe was familiar with the work of Copernicus (positing that the sun, not the earth, is at the center of the universe), Brahe rejected Copernicus's sun-centered theory for both physical and theological reasons. His theological reasons included his belief that a moving earth and non-moving sun were contrary to the Bible. Specifically, in Joshua 10:12-13, it says that Joshua commanded the sun, " 'Sun, stand thou still at Gibeon, . . . .' And the sun stood still . . . ." If the sun was always still, and the earth moved around the sun rather than vice versa, this passage wouldn't make sense.

That caused me to wonder how creationists feel about this passage and whether it means that the sun revolves around the earth. In other words, if we interpret the Bible literally (six days means six days, etc.), then does that require us to reject the idea that the earth revolves around the sun?

(Just to be clear, I'm not trying to bait people. I just want to understand creationism better.)

(Cross-posted from the IMDb Philosophy & Religion board.)