Those Australians…they recently ran a segment on their Dateline program featuring their fellow Australian Ken Ham and the Creation “Museum”, which includes portions of an interview with me. Actually, I seem to be the only critic to get any airtime in the show, which is flattering, but I could have used a little more support!
Anyway, the show was recently aired, my name is played up as an atheist opponent of creationist nonsense, and now I’m suddenly receiving lots of email from Australian creationists because they want to persuade me to their foolish cause. And some of them are just weird. I’m including one of the weirder ones below the fold — warning, it’s very long — in which the author uses a novel argument: the zodiac, therefore God.
This ain’t astrology: it’s that arbitrary, human-assigned labels attached to groupings of stars can be rationalized into Christian symbology, therefore, the stars are evidence of the truth of the Bible. It’s one of the sillier arguments I’ve seen. Would you believe that the Sphinx is a Christian testimony, since it binds together a virgin woman (Mary) and a lion (Jesus)? Centaurs represent “Christ’s dual nature”. You can just imagine what he does with Virgo and the Southern Cross.
And then he does the usual thing of claiming that the Bible foretold legitimate scientific conclusions: Somehow, “He [God] set a compass [circle] upon the face of the deep” becomes a biblical explanation that the Earth is spherical. How do you draw a sphere with a compass?
It is grammatically well written, he spells my name correctly, and he uses paragraph breaks, so it’s a step above what I usually get. But behind the superficial courtesies, there lies a brain that has totally stripped its gears and lost most of its connections to reality.
(Also on Sb)
Dear Dr Myers,
Having watched a Dateline program in which you appeared, I thought you may be interested in reviewing some of the scientific evidence proving there is a God and the truth of the bible.
As you may agree, the star signs in our night skies are incredibly interesting and it’s unfortunate they are now mostly associated with horoscopic astrology. As a result, few seem to understand their true origin, significance or meaning. The truth is, they don’t foretell our individual futures, nor shape our relationships. Their true significance is far greater and important than this. The star signs actually testify to the truth of God and His Word, while also foretelling the future of mankind as a whole and God’s plan of salvation for us.
As you may know, the 12 signs of the zodiac (Virgo, Libra, Pisces and Leo etc) have all existed in their present form since ancient times. The Egyptians, Babylonians, Greeks and Romans all understood them, much as we still know them today. The question is, why did the ancients see amazing pictures, where we simply see clusters of mostly unrelated stars? Not just a few ancients, but accepted and used by most civilisations throughout history.
Of course, while most of the actual star signs are not in dispute, their meaning is. However, their true purpose and meaning can be unlocked by understanding the sequence of star signs communicate a complete story in pictorial form. A story which can be further understood by combining with it the meanings of each of the star names within the constellations. Only then does its true meaning come to light.
Understanding this, the 12 signs of the zodiac and their 36 decans (3 additional star signs associated with each zodiac sign) tell the exact same story as the bible account, but in pictorial form. This is incredible considering the star signs have been known to exist in much the same form for thousands of years before Jesus was even born! Let’s look at a small example of the evidence available to see if this is true.
To determine the starting point within the zodiac circle, we look at two sources. The gospel account itself and the Sphinx in Egypt. The Sphinx is known to be associated with the constellations and means to “connect or bind together” in Greek. Since the Sphinx combines the head of a woman and the body of a lion, while the gospel starts with a virgin and ends with a lion (Christ) this fixes the beginning and ending of the celestial narrative. We begin with Virgo and end with Leo.
Virgo is identified in all traditions, languages and mythologies as a virgin (the mother of Christ was a virgin). She holds a branch in one hand and wheat seed in the other (Jesus was identified with both throughout the bible). Virgo is accompanied by the decan ‘Coma’ which is the sign of a mother and child. What is of particular interest is the name of the mother still signifies a virgin. For example, in Arabic it is ‘Adrenedefa’ meaning “pure and immaculate virgin” while the Persian name also denotes a virgin. A virgin mother who is now miraculously holding a child just like the bible account! Incredibly, the name of the child in Hebrew is ‘Yhesu’, meaning “salvation” and in Egyptian ‘Shes-nu’ meaning “the desired Son”.
The second decan within this group is ‘Centaurus’ who is both man and beast. This perfectly represents Christ’s dual nature who was both man and God in one. His name in Hebrew means “despised” (as Jesus was), with the brightest star in this sign the Greeks call ‘Cheiron’ signifying ‘the pierced’ (as Jesus was). The third decan in this group is ‘Bootes’, which the Greeks called Arcturus meaning “the watcher, guardian, keeper” or shepherd and in Hebrew ‘Bo’ meaning “to come” or “the coming one”. Again all names which perfectly describe Christ just as recorded in the gospel story.
The next star sign is Libra which in Hebrew is named ‘Mozanain’, meaning “the scales and weighing” and in Arabic ‘Al Zubena’ meaning “purchase and redemption gain”. The first star in Libra is named ‘Zuben al Genubi’ meaning “price deficient”, while other stars are named ‘Zuben al Shemali’ meaning “the price which covers”; ‘Al Gubi’ meaning “heaped up high” and ‘Zuben Akrabi’ meaning “the price of the conflict”. In the bible account, man’s sins were weighed in the balance or scales and found wanting, requiring a sacrifice to be made and a price to be paid that we might be redeemed. Doesn’t the picture of the scales still symbolise justice and judgment today, just as in the bible account of Christ’s crucifixion? Libra is accompanied by the decans ‘Southern Cross’ and the ‘Victim’ who is being pierced at the side with a spear. Again this matches the bible account exactly since Jesus died on a cross and after was pierced at the side.
The pictorial story which matches the gospel recorded in the bible continues to unfold throughout all the signs of the zodiac and decans until it reaches the last sign, Leo which symbolises and represents the triumphant return of Jesus Christ. And yet, no one knows when or where the star signs originated or why. Could this be what the statement “let them be for signs” found in the bible meant? The star signs are a witness to the truth of God and the bible. Signs which foretold the future of mankind while outlining God’s plan of salvation in the stars.
In addition to the above, there are many amazing astronomical and scientific facts recorded in some of the oldest books of bible which predate modern scientific discovery by thousands of years. Scientific facts which could not have been observed in ancient times (surely revealed from above) and yet are now accepted by modern day scientists as fact. Not only interesting in itself, but also adding further weight to the truth of the ‘gospel in the stars’ as shown above. The fact the earth is a globe, suspended in space and revolving are only comparatively recent discoveries. Yet all these facts were recorded in the bible over 4000 years ago. “[God] hangeth the earth on nothing.” (Job 26:7) The earth “is turned as clay to the seal” (Job 38:14). The “circle of the earth” (Isa 40:22) and “He [God] set a compass [circle] upon the face of the deep.” (Pro 8:27). Note both Hebrew words here translated ‘circle’ and ‘compass’ mean arch, sphere or globe.
The Bible further indicates in several places that the universe has been “stretched out”, increased in size or expanded since its creation and states there is empty space in the north sky where there are no stars. For example, God “stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in” (Isa 40:22); “My own hands stretched out the heavens; I marshalled their starry hosts” (Isa 45:12) and “He stretcheth out the north over the empty place…” (Job 26:7). Although these verses must have seemed very strange when first written, today these facts are generally accepted.
What about the influence of Pleiades, the bands of Orion and the ‘sons’ of Arcturus all mentioned in the bible? All of which anticipated modern scientific discovery by thousands of years.
God is recorded in the bible as saying “Canst thou…loose the bands of Orion?” which implied only He can and will. Garrett P. Serviss, the noted astronomer, wrote “At the present time this band consists of an almost perfect straight line, a row of second-magnitude stars about equally spaced and of the most striking beauty. In the course of time, however, the two right-hand stars, Mintaka and Alnilam, will approach each other and form a naked-eye double; but the third, Alnitak, will drift away eastward so that the band will no longer exist.” (Curiosities of the Sky) How true God’s statement was!
“Canst thou bind the sweet influence of the Pleiades…?” Notice the amazing astronomical contrast with the Pleiades. The seven stars of the Pleiades are in reality a grouping of 250 suns all traveling together in one common direction. Concerning this cluster, Isabel Lewis of the United States Naval Observatory tells us “Astronomers have identified 250 stars as actual members of this group, all sharing in a common motion and drifting through space in the same direction.” Elsewhere Lewis speaks of them as “journeying onward together through the immensity of space.” From Lick Observatory, Dr. Robert J. Trumpler said “… the whole cluster is moving in a south-easterly direction. The Pleiades stars may thus be compared to a swarm of birds, flying together to a distant goal. This leaves no doubt that the Pleiades are not a temporary or accidental agglomeration of stars, but a system in which the stars are bound together by a close kinship.” Exactly, as spoken by God.
God asked Job “Canst thou guide Arcturus with his sons?” (Job 38:32) Charles Burckhalter, of the Chabot Observatory, made an interesting statement regarding this great sun. “This high velocity places Arcturus in that very small class of stars that apparently are a law unto themselves. He is an outsider, a visitor, a stranger within the gates; to speak plainly, Arcturus is a runaway. Newton gives the velocity of a star under control as not more than 25 miles a second, and Arcturus is going 257 miles a second. Therefore, combined attraction of all the stars we know cannot stop him or even turn him in his path.”
When Mr Burckhalter had his attention called to the above verse in Job, he studied it in the light of modern discovery and made the following statement that has attracted worldwide attention. “The study of the Book of Job and its comparison with the latest scientific discoveries has brought me to the matured conviction that the Bible is an inspired book and was written by the One who made the stars.” Arcturus and his sons are individual runaway suns and traveling at incredible speeds. Why don’t they crash with other suns or planets? Where are they headed? Only God knows. Indeed they are not runaways and they won’t crash, because God is guiding them as He said.
The wonders of God’s universe never cease to amaze us. More than this. They testify to the truth of God and His Word, while His Word also declares the truth of God and the many hidden scientific truths in our universe.
Of course, there may be some who despite all the evidence provided, will still insist there is no God, purpose or meaning. Theorising that the universe and all life within it simply came into existence on its own and then evolved by chance into what it is today. However, while science is very useful and does provide many answers, let’s not forget how little we still really know and understand. For this reason, much of science remains theoretical in nature and therefore unproven itself. The ‘big bang’ and ‘evolution’ theories are examples of this which lack hard evidence, while contradicting several laws of science, including the laws of causality, thermodynamics, conservation of mass/energy and entropy. Major problems are either ignored or ‘evidence’ simply invented like dark matter and dark energy which have never been seen or observed, because it simply must be there we are told.
For example, causality is a basic assumption of science, considered to be fundamental to all natural science, especially physics. And yet, the ‘big bang’ theory, which is in reality an ever changing model based on many assumptions and unknowns is now being promoted as fact. A ‘theory’ which asks us to believe all matter, energy and living things came out of nothing? However, this goes against the basic law of causality. The universe had a beginning and therefore needed a cause! Has anyone ever observed something coming out of nothing? Let’s not pretend that mass energy has always existed and therefore needed no creator for we know through the law of Thermodynamics that the amount of energy available for useful work reduces and depletes over time. Evolution by chance, which proposes an increase in order and complexity over time is impossible too because it also contravenes the law of Causality as above; the law of Entropy which is defined in Websters dictionary as “the degradation of matter and energy in the universe to an ultimate state of inert uniformity” and the second law of Thermodynamics which states all things tend to decay and “run down” like a clock.
Based on the lack of evidence, inconsistencies, contradictions and serious flaws, these theories remain unproven at best. It’s time we opened our eyes and minds and started to look at what is right in front of us. The evidence of our God is all around us (even in the stars), proved by a universe and world in which everything is extremely complex, intelligently designed, purposeful, ordered and interdependent. Only then, will we realise we are without excuse.
However, some ignoring these facts have turned science into little more than a ‘faith’ itself? Proclaiming many unproven and unsupported theories to be truth and then insisting we accept them as fact. We are asked to put our faith in the science, since they are sure we will one day find all the evidence needed to prove them beyond doubt. Unfortunately, man has proved to be wrong and unreliable over and over again throughout history and undeserving of our faith.
On the other hand, our God is completely trustworthy and loving and a faith in Him can be based on fact as proved by the evidence all around us. The universe and everything in it has an intelligent design and purpose which could not have come out of nothingness. All life, from the oldest known fossils to living creatures today have complexity and are completely interdependent on each other for life. This tells us there must have been a creator for none of it could have evolved over time (complexity there in the beginning) or by coincidence (complexity and interdependence).
The bible can also be trusted. Written over several thousand years by dozens of different writers there are no contradictions. It is full of prophesies which can be proved to foretell countless events in our history long before they happened and if you study bible numerics, you will learn that there are mathematical laws running throughout the bible which all texts follow, which no writer could have followed knowingly or by coincidence.
Our loving God has made everything perfectly and wonderfully for a purpose. A God who knows us better than we know ourselves and has our best interests in mind at all times. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him, shall not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you” (Jer 29:11- 14)
If you would like a deeper understanding of the gospel message and how it relates to you and me, or are interested in other fascinating topics like the evidence for the Anglo Saxon people being the true descendants of the Israelites, please visit the following link:
Of course, please don’t simply accept or reject anything stated above, without first checking it out for yourself with an open mind. Study the attached historical star chart and look up the meanings of the individual stars which make up the zodiac signs for yourself.