The Relation of Science and Religion.pdf - Online Christian Library

EXPERIENCE EiPOM PAST CONFLICTS. 73~css was upon the face of the deep," and recordsthe will of the Supreme Ruler at alater stage in these words, " And God saidlet the waters under the heaven be gatheredtogether into one place, and let the dry landappear," * does something quite the oppositeiof teaching that " the earth is a flat surface."Nor do the Scriptures teach that "theearth sustains the dome of the sky." In remotetimes such an opinion as to the restingplacefor the great dome had its supporters.But there is no pretext for attributing theteaching of this to the Bible. The scripturalstatement is " God made the firmament, anddivided the waters which were under the firmamentfrom the waters which were above thefirmament; and it was so. And God calledthe firmament Heaven." There is no readerof these words, even if he have only " an uncriticalobservation of the aspect of nature,"who can suppose that the " firmament " heremeans " the dome of the sky." This statementplaces certain waters " above the firmament,"and there is no one who is at oncea reader of the Bible, and an observer of nature,who thinks of the clouds as above the* Genesis i. 2, 9.