Some time back I posted an entry on my Bible Study Journal about how I explained the meaning of adultery in terms that can be understood by young children. The reason this came up, is because we have been reading through the Bible in our daily morning worship time, and we came upon a passage that speaks of adultery. I do this sort of teaching because the Bible says we should diligently and continuously teach the Bible and God's laws to our children. (Deuteronomy 6:6-9.) So I started at the beginning of the Bible and explained each passage in terms the family members can understand.

Well, it turns out that the things I said I teach my children about adultery are being taught to Kindergarten public school students. It seems that there is a high rate of pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease among teenagers. The public school system decided to try to do something about it. So they went looking for evidence-based studies to find out what works. And what did they find out works? Teach 'em early! So individual schools can now opt to start sex education in Kindergarten!

Of course, the young kids are taught age appropriate concepts. In Kindergarten and 1st grade they learn all about appropriate and inappropriate touching and "private space." Private space is defined as the parts of your body covered by your swimsuit. (Would that be a bikini? Or the old fashioned one-piece swimsuit with a skirt?) Seems quite similar to what I have been teaching my children from a young age.

This is not some little public school district doing this. This is a county wide initiative that includes a large city.

Again, the reason they are teaching these things to young children is because the evidence-based studies they reviewed show that it works. The Bible has been telling parents to do this all along. One more area where scientific evidence is in agreement with the Bible.

NOTE: This post is based on radio news reports. I do not have links to any of the studies involved. If anybody knows of where these are posted on the internet, perhaps they can send me a comment with the URL to the study.

There are two passages (in the KJV) that mention "the four corners of the earth." Isaiah 11:12 says, "And he shall . . . gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth." And Revelation 7:1 says, ". . . I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth . . . ." Additionally, Mark 13:27 and Revelation 7:1 mention the "four winds of the earth", and Revelation 20:8 tells of the "four quarters of the earth."

These verses have been interpreted by many people to mean that the Bible is saying that the earth is flat and rectangular. So are people who believe the Bible to be members of the Flat Earth Society?

Hardly! There is a Hebrew work chuwg (Strong's Number 2328 and 2329) that is used to describe the earth in three places in the Old Testament. This Hebrew word chuwg means "circle."

Job 26:10 - "He has inscribed a circle [2328] on the surface of the waters . . . ." (NAS) This appears to be a reference to Genesis 1:2. Tradition has it that the book of Job was written by Moses. If so, then Moses and Job were aware that the earth is circular.

Proverbs 8:27 - "When He established the heavens, I was there, When He inscribed a circle on the face of the deep." (NAS) This also appears to be a reference to Genesis 1:1-2. So Solomon was aware that the earth is circular.

Isaiah 40:22 - "It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in." (NAS) Isaiah also describes the earth as being circular.

So if the Bible describes the earth as being circular, then why does it also speak of the earth as having "four corners," "four winds," and "four quarters"? Does the Bible contradict itself? Let's examine the use of each of these phrases.

"Four winds" - The wind is commonly described as coming from the north, south, east, or west. These are the four general directions. The term "four winds" can also mean to/from every direction. (See, for example, Jeremiah 49:36, Matthew 24:31, and Mark 13:27.) The term "four winds" does not in itself imply that the earth is flat or rectangular.

"Four quarters" - The four quarters of the earth is simply another way of saying "the whole earth." This could be applied to a rectangle or a sphere. It has nothing to do with whether the earth is flat or round.

"Four corners" - If the earth is round, why does the Bible refer to its "four corners"? Go to the store and buy a map of your city, state, or country. Open the map. What are you likely to see? The map is rectangular with four corners. Does this mean that the cartographers (map makers) think the earth is flat and rectangular? No! Even so, nearly every map has four corners. It is simply a convenient way of picturing the earth. So when the Bible speaks of the "four corners of the earth," it is simply referring to every direction. That is why Revelation 7:1 pairs the "four winds" (every direction) with the "four corners" (every direction). Isaiah 11:12 is also a parallel to Zechariah 2:6. Isaiah warns that the Israelites will be scattered to "the four corners of the earth" and Zechariah states that this happened by scattering them "as the four winds of heaven."

In summary, when each verse is understood in its proper connection we see that the Bible does NOT teach that the earth is flat. It teaches that the earth is circular. There is no conflict here between the Bible and science. The conflict between the Church and science on this point in the time of Galileo was because the Church's traditions were based on a wrong interpretation of the Bible.