When Galileo invented the telescope and proved that the earth actually revolved around the sun instead of the opposite his invention was decried as Satanic. People thought the sun went around the earth because of a battle in the Old Testament in which the Israelites prevailed because the prophet commanded the "...Heavens to be still." The sun never went down and the battle was won. Thus, the conclusion was made that the sun went around the earth. Galileo was a devout Catholic and had no intention of leading people astray. He had to beg people to look through his telescope because people thought that the lens must be from Satan and wouldn't even go near the telescope. In 2007 we read the account of Galileo and scoff at those "ignorant people" and wonder how they could be so narrow-minded?
Recently I had a conversation with a well-read and thoughtful woman. When I told her I had used an herb called wormwood to treat intestinal parasites she was appalled! She told me that wormwood was a Satanic herb and that I was lucky I wasn't killed! She referred to its mention in the Bible as her source of information. I could not even begin to convince her otherwise.
I looked up every reference to wormwood in the Bible. Yes, it's there and yes, it's used in reference to punishment from God. However, the Bible Dictionary describes wormwood as a METAPHOR for God's punishment. Wormwood is a nasty herb to taste. It's bitter and not something you would normally eat. God's punishments have definitely proven to be bitter and not something you would seek.
I don't think the Bible was ever meant to be our science book. We have science to help explain the world around us. God, in his wisdom and mercy, gave us the Bible and Book of Mormon to help us know how to properly use that information. Galileo was not a heretic then and I am not a heretic now.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Ha! That was a funny conversation and interesting to observe the hysteria surrounding...WORMWOOD! I'm glad you didn't let the conversation end there and did your own infomation seeking to find the metaphorical value behind it's reference in the bible and it's scientific use in modern days.
Interestingly, "Wormwood" is the name of one of Satan's minions in C.S. Lewis' classic, "The Screwtape Letters." Maybe that's where your fundamentalist friend received her de-inspiration. B.H. Roberts, perhaps the Church's greatest scholar, used your exact words, that the Bible is not a science book. He said God reveals himself in numerous ways -- through the scriptures, revelation and geology/science. The great Mormon chemist Dr. Henry Eyring -- after being asked to explain his fervent belief in guided evolution -- said, "In this Church, we only have to believe what's true." Of course, I, too, am a heretic when it comes to Bible inerrancy; must run in the family.
Post a Comment