The Statler Waldorf Balcony

[rjh4 is back]

God created everything in six literal days using observed time. Pretty simple. The stars were observed to be created on day four. Just like that supernova was observed to happen in 1987.

Ah I get it now, "observed time" is the weasel words you use to admit that the universe was not actually created in six days, it just happens to look like it from earth. So in fact god had created the rest of the universe( stars, galaxies etc) much, much earlier.

But hang on a sec, Genesis is very specific that god made the earth on the first day and the stars on the fouth day. Bit of a conundrum there I think.

I must admit, Zen, that after the thread I started a while back on the speed of light that also dealt with the issue of observed time vs calculated time (based on the same article WS is referring to), I have thought a lot about the issue you raise here. I think it is a valid issue, especially in view of Exodus 20:11 which seems to imply that everything was created in six days (not much earlier in such a way that the light from the stars just got here on day 4). Consequently, at this point I personally do not think that relying solely on the "observed time" (in a phenominological sense) is a "stellar" position to hold (pun intended) as a Christian.

Depends on how God defines birds now doesn't it? Not even sure what passage you are referring to, you should let me know.

Oh dear, yet another christian who's knowledge of the book he defends so vigorously turns out to be slim at best. We get a lot of them here.

In the passage concerned god proscribes various birds, the vulture, raven, pelican, swan, cormorant, heron etc. And the bat.

So how do you think he defines birds? Since his knowledge of basic biology appears to be rather lacking.

Are you suggesting, Zen, that there is only one correct way to classify living things, the way biologists classify them currently, and the Bible must conform to that classification system or it is clearly wrong? Is it inconceivable to you that the Bible is merely referring to certain flying animals and not "birds" in the currently accepted biological classification system sense?