akshay67

Alas

My religion is the Flat Earth Society.

Ok??????

Geezer

What is the point of your question?

Geezer

KiwiGTI

Do I smell a Koran comment coming on?

Theories of the earth being spherical pre-date virtually all the religious texts. Eratosthenes estimated the diameter to within 2% in 200BC.

And he wasn't the first to think that obviously.

Pythagoras in 500BC

akshay67

i just want to know if any religion had it in their books to point out the earth is spherical

akshay67

What is your point here? Can you answer the question? The question is not whether the Earth is spherical or not

My understanding is that the Koran and Bible do not imply anywhere that the Earth is spherical. I could be wrong though.

Ian Cook

As i understand it, and im no religious expert, the bible doesnt say its round (spherical) or flat !

Bubba po

There's something in the Bible about God "setting his compass upon the earth" which seems to imply that he drew a 2D circle upon it.

Ian Cook

Ah but you can use a compass on a sphere too !

Bubba po

What he's saying, I think, is that even if one of the ancient religious texts were to assert that the world was spherical, it would be no proof that the knowledge was gained through divine inspiration; which is what some religious groups have argued.

KiwiGTI

The point is that Muslims often say the Koran is the word of God because it says things that no human at the time could have known. One of these points is that the world is spherical, which is of course complete rubbish because it was thought to be spherical by many people and theoretically proven by the people I mentioned.

Islam can take credit for re-introducing the idea to Europe, where Christians thought the spherical Earth was a Pagan idea, but they really only acted as a vehicle for people like Ptolemy.

But there is nothing in Christian religious texts that says whether the world is spherical or not.

Edit to add : No proof existed until 1597 when Sir Francis Drake proved it was round.

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

Not more ****e about Muslims, leave it alone, perhaps if we ignore them they might go away ?

Bubba po

Careful, Jacko, that's a highly controversial viewpoint.

NotoriousREV

If that were true, it would say say something about God "setting his pair of compasses upon the earth"

Bubba po

Maybe he was trying to find North.

NotoriousREV

It's that way ^

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

Why is it contraversial ?

Sometimes works with my kids, anyway, I am tolerant and fully diversified but am sick to the **** of hearing about Muslim this and Muslim that, the Hindu's and Sikhs just get on with it so why cant the Muslim's (or a small percentage therof, respect to all peaceful and moderate Muslims)

I really dont think that its all about Bush n Blair either, do you think all this **** would stop if America and the UK pulled out of Afghanistan and Iraq, I think they have a taste for it now, I think that they would seek retribution for years whatever happens.

Ipkis' Wifey

and where is the proof that "god" is a "he"....?

Bubba po

Have you adjusted for magnetic declination?

KiwiGTI

Because he must have been able to read maps.

akshay67

Is that true? Could you, or anyone else, please point out where in the Koran it says this?

My understanding was that the Archiles heel of modern religion is that they all claim that the earth is flat.

Ipkis' Wifey

and women can't?

KiwiGTI

"It is not permitted to the Sun to catch up the Moon, nor can the Night outstrip the Day: Each swims along in (its own) orbit." Qur'an 36:40.
"It is He Who created night and day and the sun and moon, each one swimming in a sphere." Qur'an 21:33.
"No! I swear by the planets-that recede, that ride their course [and] hide themselves." Qur'an 81: 15-16.

Daz34

I have worked with a few Jehovah's Witnesses and had some fabulous philosophical arguments with them on the validity of their religion and moral viewpoints. I remember one of them biting big time and going on this rant which I distinctly remember him including how the Old Testament states that the Earth is spherical.

Bubba po

Bollocks it does.

If it doesn't say what they want it to say in one version, then they translate it so that it does in their own. The JW's even insist that JC was impaled, not crucified, regardless of the widespread Roman punitive practice.

NotoriousREV

Periods.

NotoriousREV

How dare you even ask!

Daz34

Funnily enough that was the comment from myself that made him lose it

Apparition

Does any of it matter ?
Yve

Daz34

Watch out. Here come the fence sitting agnostics