Finding The True Sense Of Biblical Passages

Galileo believed the Bible to be true. When his scientific discoveries contradicted the prevailing interpretation of certain Bible verses, he reasoned that theologians were missing the true sense of the passages. After all, "two truths can never contradict one another," he wrote. He suggested that the precise terms of science do not contradict the everyday words of the Bible. But theologians would not let themselves be persuaded. They insisted that all Biblical statements about the earth are to be taken literally. As a result, not only did they reject Galileo's discoveries but they also missed the true sense of such Scriptural expressions.

Really, common sense should tell us that when the Bible refers to "the four corners of the earth," it does not mean that the Bible writers understood the earth to be literally square. (Revelation 7:1) The Bible is written in the language of ordinary people, often using vivid figures of speech. So when it speaks of the earth as having "four corners," a durable "foundation," "pedestals," and a "cornerstone," the Bible is not offering a scientific description of the earth; obviously it is speaking metaphorically, as we have often done in speech." - Isaiah 51:13; Job 38:6.

In his book, Galileo Galilei, biographer L. Geymonat noted: "Narrow-minded theologians who wanted to limit science on the basis of biblical reasoning would do nothing but cast discredit upon the Bible itself." That they did. Actually, it was the theologians' interpretation of the Bible-not the Bible itself-that put unreasonable constraints on science.

Similarly, religious fundamentalists today distort the Bible when they insist that the earth was created in six 24-hour days. (Genesis 1:3*31) Such a view agrees neither with science nor with the Bible. In the Bible, as in everyday speech, the word "day" is a flexible term, expressing units of time of varying lengths. At Genesis 2:4, all six creative days are referred to as one all-embracing "day." The Hebrew word translated "day" in the Bible can simply mean "a long time." So, there is no Biblical reason to insist that the days of creation were 24 hours each. By teaching otherwise, fundamentalists misrepresent the Bible. -See also Peter 3:8.

Throughout history, theologians have often distorted the Bible. Consider some other ways in which the religions of Christendom have misrepresented what the Bible says.

Next time: Misrepresented By Religion

A Book For All People, 1997