Science IS NOT Superior to the Bible!

Does the Bible teach that the sky has windows? Nope!

THE HUMANIST'S CLAIM: This concept of the sky was common in the ancient Near East and taken for granted by the Bible writers.[38] Based on the Bible, most of the early church fathers accepted the notion of the firmament.[39] The same position was supported by Cosmas, and thus was part of orthodox Christian doctrine for several centuries.[40]

Orthodox doctrine also contained the related idea that the firmament has windows – which are opened by angels when God wants to send rain upon the earth. Cosmas believed that when the windows are opened, some of the waters contained above the firmament (which are mentioned at Genesis 1:17) fall to the earth. Cosmas’ basis for this belief was the statement, at Genesis 7:11-12, that at the time of the Noachian flood the “windows of heaven were opened” and the rain fell.[41]

Here are the references:

[38] Ecker, pp. 69, 70.

[39] White, Vol. I, pp. 114-115. See also Draper, pp. 62, 63.

[40] White, Vol. I, pp. 325, 326. See also Draper, p. 294.

[41] White, Vol. I, p. 325.

If you have read some of the previous pages you know that “White,” cited three times here, has been discredited as a reliable source. Please read the this page (tap hrere). The following quote provides a good summary:

I have talked about Cosmas before. He was a monk whose full name was Cosmas Indicopleustes, Although Andrew White references Cosmas as being accepted by the church fathers, that is not what history records. His work was rejected by the church during his own lifetime. So once again, the humanists are using an unreliable source who fabricates his "evidence" (Andrew White), and who references an obscure monk whose teachings were rejected by the church.

I once read a comment by a biologist who, when confronted about including Ernst Haeckel's embryo drawings in a textbook he authored, said something like: "I know Haeckel's drawings are wrong, but they are the best evidence we have that supports evolution." In other words, it is okay to lie, if it supports evolution. That seems to be the humanist attitude here. It is okay to lie as long as it supports the fallacy that there are errors in the Bible. The humanist writer references Andrew White for nearly half of the “facts” he presents on their web page attacking the Bible. That is ridiculous!

The fact that unreliable sources are used is sufficient to reject these claims. In addition, I have discussed the use of the word "firmament" in the previous chapter, showing that it has nothing to do with claiming the sky is solid. A good, in-depth article on this topic is available online from Apologetics Press.

The Windows of Heaven

The only new accusation here concerns the "windows of heaven" mentioned in the King James Version of Genesis 7:11-12. One of the problems of the KJV, as much as many people love it, is that it uses archaic English words and phrases. As a result, unless you are familiar with old English words that are not used today, in some cases the KJV may not communicate clearly.

Here is how the NASB translates Genesis 7:11-12

11 - In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on the same day all the fountains of the great deep burst open, and the floodgates of the sky were opened.

12 - The rain fell upon the earth for forty days and forty nights.

The phrase "windows of the sky" is replaced with a term we more often use today, "floodgates." While “windows of the sky” made sense a couple of hundred years ago, today we have a different way of saying the same thing. No one ever thought there are windows nor huge metal and concrete "floodgates" in the sky that open when there is a heavy rain. These are figures of speech used to say that, it was not just raining, it was pouring down. "Floodgates" describes an extremely heavy rainfall... and that is an accurate description of the beginning of Noah's flood.

Conclusion: Once again there is nothing to Andrew White's myths and the humanist's accusations.

WHSAT's NEXT? Supernatural Signs in the Heavens

Bible stories led the Christian world to believe – for centuries – that God sends humankind signs in the heavens.

Christians thought comets warn of divine anger and imminent punishment;[42] stars and meteors portend beneficial events such as the birth of heroes and great men;[43] eclipses signify divine distress in response to events on earth;[44] and storms and other destructive weather result from the anger of God or the malice of Satan.[45]

Here are the references:

[42] White, Vol. I, p. 174, 175.

[43] White, Vol. I, pp. 171-173, 176.

[44] White, Vol. I, pp. 172, 173.

[45] White, Vol. I, pp. 331, 337.

I guess that once you find a reference who supports what you want to be true, even if he just makes stuff up, you stick with that source. It looks like we have a lot more of the discredited Andrew White in this humanist accusation. I hope that, by now, you know that if you see "White" as the reference, you can just move on.

This new topic deals with signs in the heavens. God has placed the stars in the sky in a way that speaks to us, but not in the way described above. Click here to learn the truth.