Mnsruin~
This is an absolutely huge subject--volumes could be literally written
on it--but I'm going to touch upon a few things, and also offer some
links and book recommendations to take you further. (The book links go
directly to Amazon.com, but any good bookstore should be able to order
any of these books.)
"All" the stories of the Bible cannot be backed up with scientific
evidence, nor could they ever be. For example, how would one even go
about trying to back up the story of Balaam and his ass with science?
Or David and Goliath? Or...the list goes on.
However, science is quickly catching up with the Bible. I say
"catching up" because there have been periods of history where
scientists ardently claimed that science proved the Bible wrong...only
to later admit that "new evidence" backs up the Bible.
One Example: The Biblical flood. Archeology tells us that the
Mesopotamians have a similar story--some scientists even claim it's
older than the Biblical account. Therefore, some folks automatically
assume the Biblical story is false...that it was "borrowed" from older
tales. However, the Mesopotamian story has significant differences,
that, according to archeologists "make it unlikely that either the
Mesopotamian or biblical authors borrowed from each other." (Randall
Price, "Stones Cry Out," Harvest House Publishers, 1997, p. 65
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1565076400/qid=1049149150/sr=1-2/ref=sr_1_2/104-3798321-0876756?v=glance&s=books
) While the main facts may remain the same or similar, the ideas
surrounding the stories are very different, and archeologists tell us
there's no other composition from the ancient Near East, nor any other
Hebrew writing that was so heavily edited and reformatted in the
copying as this "copying" would have been...Therefore, it's highly
unlikely that the story *was* copied. And if the story wasn't copied,
then it becomes evident that it's more than just a story--it's likely
the retelling of an actual event. (Author Grant R. Jeffreys also says
that "It is fascinating to note that the earth's population today...is
almost identical with what we would expect if mankind began
repopulating the earth after the Flood." "The Handwriting of God,"
Word Publishing, 1998, p. 126
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0921714386/qid=1049149059/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_1/104-3798321-0876756?v=glance&s=books&n=507846
) For more on this and other related topics, try visiting "Creation
Evidence:" http://www.creationevidence.org/scientific_evid/evidencefor/evidencefor.html
In addition, there are numerous examples of archeologists of the past
arguing that Biblical accounts of the rise and falls of kings are
inaccurate--only to discover later that in fact archeological evidence
*does* support the Biblical presentation. In a similar example, the
Bible mentions "the Hittites" 47 times, yet for many years
archeologists and scholars claimed there was no historical evidence
that such a group of people ever existed. Then 10,000 clay tablets
were discovered in Turkey, confirming that the Hittites did, indeed,
exist and were the prominent people the Bible claims they were. "Just
because archeology has not produced corroborating evidence today does
not mean it could not tomorrow," says archeologist Price. "The
Hittites are just one example in which the Bible has been shown to be
historically reliable. This is should be respected despite the present
lack of material support for certain events or the chronological
problems that remain unsolved." (Price, p.83) For more information
about the Hittites, try visiting this commentary:
http://www.blueletterbible.org/faq/nbi/639.html
and "Archeological Evidence:"
http://www.angelfire.com/sk/christandfaith/biblicalproof.html
The story of Sodom and Gomorrah has been backed up by archeologists
who've discovered not only non-biblical ancient writing about the
cities, but a probable location for the cities, which clearly shows
major fire destruction. Scientists can even go so far as to say the
fire began on the roof--of *all* the buildings, not just a few. "Now
this is something quite difficult to explain naturally. You could
explain the burning by some accident that took place and the fire
spread to the town. You might explain it by an earthquake coming and
causing a fire to spread. You might explain it by a conquering coming
and taking the city and sitting it on fire..." says archeologists
Bryant Wood. But how do you explain that the fire started on the
roof--of every building? "The Bible talks about...God raining fire and
brimstone down on these cities...we have evidence, then, that that is
exactly what happened. The roofs of these building caught fire,
collapsed, and caused the interior of the building to be burned."
(Price, p. 117-188) There are also abundant deposits of asphalt,
petroleum, and natural gas in the area, which follows the Biblical
account of tar pits near the cities. In addition, there are unusual
salt formations and the smell of sulfur, which follow the Biblical
references to brimstone (i.e., sulfur) and pillars of salt. For more
about Sodom and Gomorrah, visit ChristianAnswers at
http://www.christiananswers.net/q-abr/abr-a007.html
Another interesting Old Testament fact: Satellite imagery now allows
us to see, through infrared technology, a long trail, cut by an
ancient caravan, following what is believed to be the route of the
ancient Hebrews. For more on this subject, you might read this article
based upon a TV program: http://www.arkdiscovery.com/MtSinaiPAX.htm
or this one on the Biblical Exodus journey:
http://www.biblerevelations.org/ronwyatt/egypt.htm
For years scientists and historians argued that the crucifixion of
Jesus must be myth because certain details were incorrect. Nails, they
said, could not have been used for this method of death because
nail-fastened hands and feet would not have been able to support the
entire body--in other words, a body fastened to a cross by nails would
have ripped and slipped off. Yet the Bible says Jesus was nailed to
the cross. Therefore, scientists said, the Bible must be a fairy tale.
Then a heel bone of a first century man crucified in a suburb of
Jerusalem was discovered; it clearly shows the bone nailed to a
fragment of olive wood. And like Jesus, this crucified man had been
buried in a tomb, receiving a proper Jewish burial. For more
information on medical science and the crucifixion, visit:
http://www.konnections.com/Kcundick/crucifix.html
For information on bones that show crucifixion nails, try:
http://www.tfba.org/articles.php?articleid=2
Moving into mathematics, Shlomo Edward G. Belaga discovered that the
Bible reveals the value of Pi. You'll find it in 1 Kings 7:23-26.
Notably, the precise value of pi was extremely difficult to calculate
until recently. For more details on this subject, read "The
Handwriting of God," p. 313-317. To read more about this, you can also
try this website: http://www.yfiles.com/pi.html
Or this explanation from "Learn the Bible:"
http://www.learnthebible.org/molten_sea_value_of_pi.htm
Something that has often made scientists laugh is that the Bible
claims God made Adam out of dirt. However, "after a century of
scientific examination of the elements within the human body,
scientists have been startled to discover that clay and earth contain
every single element found in the human body." (Grant R. Jeffrey, "The
Signature of God," Tyndale, 1996, p. 106
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/084994094X/qid=1049149474/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/104-3798321-0876756?v=glance&s=books
) The Biblical account of creation also says that God took water from
the "heavens" and placed it on earth. Until recently, scientists
doubted there could be water in space. However, they have now found
that there are large amounts of water in space--for example ice on
Mars and in the rings of Saturn. Comets also, we've learned, carry
ice. For a news story on water in space, see
http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/astronomy/milkyway_water_010412.html
The Old Testament also talks about the sun moving "in its circuit
until the ends of it [heaven]." We now know that the sun does, indeed,
move through space in a circuit covering a huge orbit. In addition,
astronomers used to point to Amos 5:8 and say that it was inaccurate
because it discussed the seven stars of Pleiades. There are only six
stars there, they claimed. Now, modern telescopes show that, indeed,
there are exactly seven stars there, not the previously seen six. And
although our ancestors may have thought the earth was flat, in the
Bible the prophet Isaiah calls the earth "a circle," properly
acknowledging its globe shape.
"Jewish scholars in Israel have calculated that the Torah [the first
five books of the Bible] describes the exact duration of the time that
passes between the appearance of new moons as precisely 29 days, 12
hours, 44 minutes and 5 seconds, or 29.53059 days. With billions of
dollars of research and sophisticated observation through telescopes
NASA has only recently calculated that a new moon appears every
29.53059 days." (Jeffreys, p. 115) For a story on this, visit
http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/phase/phasecat.html
The Bible also describes the cycle of evaporation, cloud formation,
and precipitation (see Job 36:27-29). Solomon discusses the complex
wind pattern we now know follows a circuit from south to north and
south again (see Ecc. 1:6). In Job 28:24-26 the Bible says that air
and wind patterns are governed by weight, something supposedly not
known until the 19th century. The book of Job also mentions springs
deep in the ocean--something recent research has discovered is
accurate.
These are just a few samplings of how science "backs up" the Bible. As
for your final question: "Which religion is most accurate according to
the Bible?" Whatever a persons' belief system is, the only logical
answer would have to be Christianity. The Old Testament prophecies
about the coming of Christ, and the New Testament tells the story of
Christ's life, death, and resurrection. The Bible says that only
through Christ can a person come to know God. (For a short article on
this, visit "Jesus Claims To Be God:"
http://www.probe.org/docs/claims.html Also look at this article, and
the links it contains:
http://www.christiananswers.net/q-eden/edn-t005.html )
Hope this helps!
kriswrite
Keywords Used:
Biblical Flood population
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=Biblical+Flood+population&btnG=Google+Search
Biblical timeline accurate
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=Biblical+timeline+accurate&btnG=Google+Search
Hittites archaeological proof
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&q=Hittites+archaeological+proof&spell=1
Sodom Gomorra evidence
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&q=Sodom+Gomorrah+evidence&spell=1
satellite infrared Hebrew Bible
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=satellite+infrared+Hebrew+Bible&btnG=Google+Search
Nails crucifixion proof
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=Nails+crucifixion+proof&btnG=Google+Search
"value of pi" Bible
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=%22value+of+pi%22+Bible
water in space
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=water+in+space&btnG=Google+Search
NASA new moon 29.53059 days
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=NASA++new+moon+29.53059+days&btnG=Google+Search |
