One question for Christians

[Statler Waldorf]

You totally missed the point of my question, which is why you started talking about modern-day findings about lightwaves and reflection (because we know they totally talked about that kind of stuff back when they were writing the books of Moses), so I'll rephrase it for you.

No, I didn’t miss your point at all; I was showing that it leads to absurd conclusions. If you are going to use the argument, “anyone who uses descriptive language rather than scientific language is therefore ignorant of science” you’d have to conclude that NASA, Nature, and AGU are all ignorant of science because they use the term “moonlight”, and you’d have to conclude that anytime someone says they’re wearing a red shirt they’re ignorant of science because the shirt itself is not really red. You cannot suggest that Biblical texts are scientifically ignorant for using the exact same descriptive language many people use today.

Can you prove that the author of Genesis didn't mean to convey that the moon was a source of light?

If he was trying to convey that it was a light source I would assume he’d use that term and not just “light”. It is a light.

I don't, and I hope you wouldn't either. For the record, I never accused them of "being geo-centrists", so don't twist this in any such way to make it seem like I did. Please take my words at face value, and I'll do the same for you, SW.

I never said you did accuse them of that, I am saying that if you were applying your reasoning consistently across the board and not just to scripture you’d have to conclude that they are geo-centrists because they use geo-centric descriptive language.

Now, again, I ask you: are we going to argue that the moon isn't the sun's light?

I do not have to argue that because Genesis never says anything otherwise, it merely calls the Moon a light, which it is.

The terms "sunrise" and "sunset" were coined back when people did think the sun revolved around the earth. Just like "The Big Bang" as originally a derogatory term that didn't describe the theory at all (there was no "bang") but is still used today. People still use terms that were coined by people who didn't know any better because of the persistence tradition or habit.

Why would NASA use the term “sunrise” and “sunset” if they know the sun does not rise and set?

The people who coined these terms didn't know any better. Yahweh has no such excuse.

Perhaps Yahweh knows motion is relative and not absolute? Go back to the 18th century with your Newtonian understating of kinetics!