Expert: Jayendra Upadhye - 7/23/2005

Question
Hi,
 I'm a recent college grad. I was talking a lifer friend of mine (he's been in college for 6 years) and I was discussing science.  He's taken almost every class in the catalog, so when we debate he goes into techno babble, hence the need for this inquiry.

A.   He said that the biblical account of Joshua commanding the sun to stand still for a “day” is true!

“As the Amorites fled before Israel,
while they were going down the slope of Beth-horon,
the LORD threw down huge stones from heaven on them as far as Azekah,
and they died.
There were more who died because of the hailstones
than the Israelites killed with the sword.
On the day when the LORD gave the Amorites over to the Israelites,
Joshua spoke to the LORD;
and he said in the sight of Israel,
"Sun, stand still at Gibeon, and Moon, in the valley of Aijalon."
And the sun stood still,
and the moon stopped,
until the nation took vengeance on their enemies.
Is this not written in the Book of Jashar?
The sun stopped in midheaven,
and did not hurry to set for about a whole day.
There has been no day like it before or since,
when the LORD heeded a human voice;
for the LORD fought for Israel.”

He supports this being true by saying that it has been proven that the earth is one day behind.  I have heard this is bogus, but he has had more physics classes than I have.  He also says that several cultures around the same time identify a very long day.  How could this possibly be true?!?!?!

B.   Also he says that the star of Bethlehem was Saturn and Jupiter near the solstice.  I don't think that even retrograde motion could account for this bizarre tale.

    Matthew 2:1--2: In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, "Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage."
Matthew 2:7--10: Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage." When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy.
Is this a feasible story???

Thankyou

AZ


Answer
Hi,
Amir..This is religious debate!
Religion being what it is..a powerful opiate for the masses..I would not touch this with a 10 foot pole! :)

After all who am i to say "hey this christian dogma is all bull! when my own religion is full of it?

If you understand hindi, "sheeheey ke ghar mein rahne wale ." meaning people staying in glass houses do not throw stones at others!

Anyway for clinical debate's sake..one must understand that the old testament and new testament are a clever "conjuring trick of the clergy of the time ..(we all know what priests are capable of arent we? the taliban horrors are for all to see, same too with our horrid sati system/caste system..)
  The creation myths were straight lifts from the older creation myths ..flood and all from assyria where the jews were in captivity for a long time!
  With so much "plagiarism" or shall i say "religious interchange of ideas" in the closely knit but jealous middle east (what with the arab-israeli "you worship your god we will worship ours" divide..) who is to blame whom?
  It would be pure folly on the part of hindus to imagine lord krishna spent days on the kurukshetra battlefield explaining the geeta to arjuna, when arrows were flying thick all around.
  We just have to "sort of take it in our stride" and look at the goodness of the message, ignoring the weak plot reality-wise!
  Do that for your friend! Agree with him. What is there to loose, but only all to gain? It will not be a "defeat" for you but you will be "stooping to conquer"!
  We have to bear in mind most religions originated when there was no universal literacy! The "article of faith" had to be forced down "irritatingly inquiring and individualistic gullets" often on pain of death.
  Most gods "allah" "lord in heaven" or brahma..exacted terrible revenge on percieved "kafirs, infidels, mlecchas" thru their followers.
  Religion like all other "opiates" leads to gory tales in the end.
Dont indulge in too much of it, take it lightly..is my advice.
  Be secular at heart, KNOW god who created all "kayinaat" could never be a jealous hegemon who "chose" people and disfavoured others! as "preached" in all organised religions.
On gaurd!

I suggest you ask you friend to read asimov's bible (a hilarious excercise), when he is NOT in his "evangelical" mood!

Maybe that could even cure him and bring him "down to earth".
Jayen