Customer Reviews

Scientific Facts in the Bible: 100 Reasons to Believe the Bible is Supernatural in Origin (Hidden Wealth Series)

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I am a Christian, and I certainly don't think you have to be an idiot to believe in the Bible and I think there are some wonderful sources in the world if you feel pressed to justify your beliefs on an intellectual level, BUT...this is not one of those sources. It is full of mistakes and misinformation. I hope it is accidental rather than deliberate, but I do have to warn you that using these arguments to justify the Christian faith will only feed the secular view that there is nothing intelligent about Christianity.
He tells outright lies about Columbus that even a grade-schooler could catch (as another reviewer mentioned)...buy something by Chuck Missler instead...he's a little more esoteric, but a far better scientist and scholar (as well as a Bible believer).

This book is loaded with specious reasoning, half truths and deceit. He takes sections of the bible either out of context or he ignores the knowledge of what the writers of the bible may have had and presumes a supernatural influence without showing any valid reason for his conclusions. Typical biblical literalist dogma. For example, he quotes the bible saying that the world is a circle and then goes on to proclaim this knowledge was not "known" until much later. But, in fact, a circle is *not* sphere (which is the earth actually is).

This title could be more properly classified as a booklet, instead of a book. The author tries to show through examples why the Bible must be supernatural in origin. In thirteen chapters and 95 pages, Mr. Ray Comfort talks about science, book of Job, medical science, genesis, scientists, biology, accuracy of prophecies, astronomy, historical figures, archaeology, historical accuracy and evolution and their relation to the Bible. You need to read to take your own conclusions.

I'm outraged by the number of idiots who call themselves scientists, then write crap like this book disguised as a scholarly scientific work. This in turn reaches masses of people whose scientific knowledge is lacking, and they believe the lies written therein based upon the authority the moron authors claims to have because they're "scientists." This is deplorable and immoral behavior to say the least; and these people call themselves Christians. This helps contribute to the problem that now we have a multitude of people in America with false scientific views and an utter inability to think critically. The results are sad and ominous. Our country is falling behind even third world countries in science education. Science is the foundation by which nations prosper. The future of our country, as a result, is bleak. In the future, when we need great feats and ingenuity to overcome trying times, will the masses rely on prayer to solve our problems, or will they turn to the educated sector of society for some real and tangible help? Will we have enough strong scientific minds to even make a difference? Scary indeed! Don't believe me? Watch the coming global warming catastrophe. It's easy for the deniers to say, "It's alright, God won't let anything happen to us." When it hits the fan, who will they turn to? More faith? Clowns like this author propagate a dangerous state of Bronze Age idiocy to further their own agendas. This guy is basically a circus ringmaster disguised as a man of science. He's all pomp and smooth talk without substance. He's trying to sell his show, no matter the cost. I just hope reason wins in the end.

Ray Comfort's latest dead-pan satire of "Bible believing Christianity" is sure to be a family favorite.

I won't ruin any of the books numerous bon-mots, but from the blurb on the back of the paperback edition:
"Most people don't know that the Bible contains a wealth of incredible scientific, medical and prophetic facts. The implications are mind boggling..."

And now from Meriam-Webster:
incredible - in'kred'b'l/ - adj: impossible or difficult to believe

Comfort's many (ir)rational arguments and (il)logical contortions that come "straight from the Bible" are sure to leave gentle readers in stitches and give them the impression they've just read a "Biblical" translation of Monty Python.

"I've cut off your arm."
"No you haven't."

I wish I had read this book in high school. I rejected Christianity in my early years because I thought, by accepting it, I would be throwing my brain away. Ray's book hits some very thought provoking chords and gets the reader to realize that the bible is not some outdated book full of myths and nonsense. I liked his approach to showing the validity of the bible by pointing out how man's scientific discoveries have always been one step (or several steps) behind what the bible has contained for nearly two thousand years (or more in some cases). One reviewer (who gave the book a one-star rating) pointed out what he thought were inconsistancies in the bible. These are commonly raised objections, and they demand an answer. Here are the points made and my answer to them. They might make a good appendix to Ray's next writing. (However, I'm sure he can improve upon them.)

*Bats are birds! (Leviticus 11:13-19 & Deuteronomy 14:11-18)

The original Hebrew word doesn't just refer to birds. It doesn't say that bats are birds.

*Whales are fish! (Jonah 1:17 & Matthew 12:40)

The original Greek is "a huge fish". It doesn't say a whale is a fish.

*Snakes eat dust! (Genesis 3:14)
The original Hebrew word for eat can be literal or figurative. Snakes have little choice but to inhale dust due to their proximity to the ground.

*Birds have four legs! (Leviticus 11:20-21)

The two translations I checked didn't translate the word as "birds" but used winged creeping things or something similar. It seems to be a stretch to try to invalidate the Bible on an issue that would have been readily observable to the recipient of the message. If God was clearly wrong Moses would have said, "wait a minute, there is no such thing as that thing you just told me not to eat."

*Insects have four legs! (Leviticus 11:22-23)

Ditto above

*Camels don't divide the hoof! (Leviticus 11:4)

A camel's hoof is joined at the rear. This is another example of something that is readily observable.

*Rabbits chew the cud! (Leviticus 11:5-6)

"Chewing the cud" is better translated "refection" which is something that hares do.

*Snakes talk! (Genesis 3:1-6)

With God, all things are possible. The Bible is pretty clear that miracles can be performed.

*Donkeys talk! (Numbers 22:30)

Ditto above

*Unicorns are real! (Numbers 23:22; 24:8 & Deuteronomy 33:17)

The King James (a human translation) says Unicorn. Most others say it's a "wild bull" or an "ox".

*Dragons are real! (Job 30:29, Isiah 13:22 & Malachi 1:3)

Scientists are discovering new species every day. It wasn't that long ago that the first dinosaur fossil was discovered.

*Satyrs are real! (Leviticus 17:1-7)

The verse refers to worship of goat demons. I don't know if this is a real or spirit being. If it's a spirit, there won't be fossil evidence. If not, then ditto the previous answer.

*Cockatrices are real! (Isaiah 14:29)

Ditto above.

*Giants are real! (Genesis 6:4)

Ditto above. It's debatable and there's little point in debating unresolved issues.

*Having goats mate whilst looking at streaked rods produces streaked offspring! (Genesis 30:37)

Again, all things are possible with God. Using this as cause to discount the Bible is weak at best.

*You can dig brass, an artificial alloy, out of the ground! (Deuteronomy 8:9)

Actually the Hebrew says Copper not Brass.

*Pi = 3! (1 Kings 7:23 & 2 Chronicles 4:2)

If you round the answer, that is correct. Again, placing your entire belief system on the issue of whether something was rounded to the nearest whole number is rather risky.

*The Earth does not move! (1 Chronicles 16:30 & Psalms 93:1)

It is a message to people that they should fear or respect God. The earth (original Hebrew could mean earth, ground, or land) is "stable" or won't be out of course. You're not going to move it. (I can't move my property either.)
Here is another way to view it. Moved is an English word used in some translations, because it fits as well. To say a person won't be moved doesn't mean you can't change their location. The Hebrew word actually means, by implication, its inhabitants; specifically a particular land.

*The sun moves around the earth! (Joshua 10:12-13, Habakkuk 3:11 & 2 Kings 20:11)

This is given from the perspective of the viewer on earth.

*The sky is firm and stretches out over the earth like a tent! (Isaiah 40:22 & Isaiah 44:24)

I don't see where that word picture is a problem.

*The earth is a flat disk! (Isaiah 40:22, Job 26:10, Matthew 4:8 & Daniel 4:10-11)

The first verse referred to says "the circle of the earth", so I'm not sure what the argument is here.

*The earth rests on pillars! (Job 9:6 & 1 Samuel 2:8)

This is a figure of speech. There are plenty of other verses in the Bible that show that it declared the earth round far before scientists figured it out.

*The stars are affixed to the sky roof and can fall down to earth! (Daniel 8:10, Matthew 24:29 & Mark 13:25)

Daniel is a prophetic book so many of the contents haven't happened yet.

*The moon produces its own light! (Isaiah 30:26)

It doesn't say that. The Hebrew also means "illumination" of the moon. The ancients would have to be pretty intellectually challenged to believe the moon made its own light. Waxing and waning moons would be difficult to explain. Why would any part of the moon be dark at any time? Does this mean I can't enjoy the song "Dance by the Light of the Moon"? No more "It's a Wonderful Life".

Yes, in addition to the outstanding moral standards set within its pages, such as that it is OK to sell your daughters into slavery (Exodus 21:7), OK to stone your disobedient children to death (Deuteronomy 21:18-21), that men are worth more than women (Leviticus 27:1-7), or that it is OK to kill blasphemers (Leviticus 24:16), homosexuals (Leviticus 20:13) and adulterers (Leviticus 20:10), we can teach our children these wonderful, "scientific" truths.

Step 1) Read the old testament in context. Step 2) Read Romans 9 and realize that the "pot" referred to is us.

This is the silliest, goofiest book I have read in a long time. There is no gentle way to say this: the author is a man of exceedingly modest intellectual capacity. He does not understand evolution. He does not understand science. He has an idiosyncratic understanding of the Bible that one can only marvel at - or else heartily laugh at!

If his intended audience was kindergarten classes, then he has been successful.

Here are some examples of the Bible's science:

Evidence of atoms: "things which are seen were not made of things which do appear." Hebrews 11:3

Radio waves: "Can you send lightnings, that they may go, and say to you, Here we are?" Job 38:35

Job 38:19 "Where is the way where light dwells?" This implies electromagnetic radiation and light travelling at 186,000 mpsecond.

By talking of heavens & "highest heavens", the Bible was explaining galaxies and clusters of galaxies.

"...neither shall you eat any flesh that is torn of beasts in the field..." Exodus 22:31 He hails this as insight into bacterial contamination!

He quotes a lot of notable people on their biblical faith - but most are centuries dead and not a few are taken out of context (e.g. Einstein who clearly stated his "God" was not the Christian God). His section on archeology is a farce - or state of the art for the 17th century if you prefer. His discussion of evolution is so warped as to make one wonder if he has EVER bothered reading even a high school biology textbook.

I don't think any reasonable, rational, semi-conscious Christian can take much "comfort" in this embarrassing book. I went to Comfort's web site to get further insight and I came away thinking this is a man with a GIANT ego and he has absolutely no basis for his self-congratulatory egotism.

This book is useless, except for chuckles.

This book is fun to read, yes, no question about that, the problem are the facts inside.

In the first pages I found the first error. I continued, but without knowing if what I was reading was true. For example, Mr. Comfort, in page 12, states: "It was another 2000 years later (at a time when science believed that the earth was flat) that the scriptures inspired Christopher Columbus to sail around the world." Well, the problem is that, first, Columbus wasn't inspired by scriptures and, second, in those times people didn't believe that the earth was flat.

I am a Christian, and I'm very disappointed. Mr. Comfort's efforts to find evidence of modern science, modern hygiene and even dinosaurs in the Bible are simply unbelievable, and many times feels forced. He even quotes famous people on the Bible, I mean, if Napoleon said anything good about the Bible, that is a proof of is supernatural origin? He founds what his eyes want to find, he understands what he wants to understand... The worst is that he sees things that are not there and compares it to data that is wrong... The result is a fun but messy book.

Does this man know what science is? Also, the title doesn't make a lick of sense. But then again this is from the man who believes that there's something scientific and also godly about the shape of a banana.

*Bats are birds! (Leviticus 11:13-19 & Deuteronomy 14:11-18)

*Whales are fish! (Jonah 1:17 & Matthew 12:40)

*Snakes eat dust! (Genesis 3:14)

*Birds have four legs! (Leviticus 11:20-21)

*Insects have four legs! (Leviticus 11:22-23)

*Camels don't divide the hoof! (Leviticus 11:4)

*Rabbits chew the cud! (Leviticus 11:5-6)

*Snakes talk! (Genesis 3:1-6)

*Donkeys talk! (Numbers 22:30)

*Unicorns are real! (Numbers 23:22; 24:8 & Deuteronomy 33:17)

*Dragons are real! (Job 30:29, Isiah 13:22 & Malachi 1:3)

*Satyrs are real! (Leviticus 17:1-7)

*Cockatrices are real! (Isaiah 14:29)

*Giants are real! (Genesis 6:4)

*Having goats mate whilst looking at streaked rods produces streaked offspring! (Genesis 30:37)

*You can dig brass, an artificial alloy, out of the ground! (Deuteronomy 8:9)

*Pi = 3! (1 Kings 7:23 & 2 Chronicles 4:2)

*The Earth does not move! (1 Chronicles 16:30 & Psalms 93:1)

*The sun moves around the earth! (Joshua 10:12-13, Habakkuk 3:11 & 2 Kings 20:11)

*The sky is firm and stretches out over the earth like a tent! (Isaiah 40:22 & Isaiah 44:24)

*The earth is a flat disk! (Isaiah 40:22, Job 26:10, Matthew 4:8 & Daniel 4:10-11)

*The earth rests on pillars! (Job 9:6 & 1 Samuel 2:8)

*The stars are affixed to the sky roof and can fall down to earth! (Daniel 8:10, Matthew 24:29 & Mark 13:25)

*The moon produces its own light! (Isaiah 30:26)

Yes, in addition to the outstanding moral standards set within its pages, such as that it is OK to sell your daughters into slavery (Exodus 21:7), OK to stone your disobedient children to death (Deuteronomy 21:18-21), that men are worth more than women (Leviticus 27:1-7), or that it is OK to kill blasphemers (Leviticus 24:16), homosexuals (Leviticus 20:13) and adulterers (Leviticus 20:10), we can teach our children these wonderful, "scientific" truths.