The Statler Waldorf Balcony

[rjh4 is back]

And you think that deals with gods inability to distinguish mammals from birds do you?

I think I explained this to you earlier. The Hebrew word translated as "bird" in the translation you are using can mean several different things, one of which is the generic "flying creature". Why would you insist that the word should be properly translated as "bird" where "bird" means the same as in our current biological classification system? There is absolutely no indication that the Bible meant here that bats are birds in accordance with our current classification system. Furthermore, even if some translations, even current ones, do translate the word as "bird", I do not think your position is a reasonable one since it is unlikely that the translators were consulting our current biological classification system when they used the word "bird". Using your reasoning and the fact that a current definition for the word "bird" is "Informal . an aircraft, spacecraft, or guided missile" (courtesy of dictionary.com), the Bible could be interpreted as saying that eagles and bats are aircraft, spacecraft, or guided missiles. I hope you agree that doing so would be silly. I think you are grasping at straws here, Zen.

And what other classification systems are just as valid as the one currently in use? you've yet to actually provide one.

I think the one I provided is valid and you have failed to provide reasons why the classification system I provided would not be "valid".

Maybe you need to provide some guidance here as to the definition you are using for "valid classification system". So my challenge to you, Zen, is to provide such a definition to work from so we can both look at this issue using the same definitions.

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@rjh4

So just where is the reference in the bible/ koran/torah that states that bats are NOT birds but mamals???

I don't think there is anywhere in the Bible where animals are classified in accordance with our current biological classification system. So as a direct answer to your question: As far as I know, the Bible never says that bats are not birds but mammals. (I do not know about the Koran.) Do you think it should, given that our current biological classification system was developed long after the Bible was written? I wonder when the definition of "mammal" was first decided upon. Do you know? I would guess that it was long after the Bible was written.