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Scientific Knowledge in Religious Texts: A Look at Cosmology

The night sky is filled with stars above a mountain range

Religious texts like the Torah, Bible, and Qur’an contain accounts of the universe that, when interpreted literally, can conflict with modern scientific understanding. One of the most significant examples is the geocentric worldview—the belief that the Earth is the center of the universe—which dominated ancient cosmology and is reflected in these scriptures.

1. Geocentrism in Religious Texts

Geocentrism—the idea that Earth is at the center of the universe and everything revolves around it—was widely accepted in ancient societies. This worldview is reflected in various religious texts, which were written before the development of modern astronomy and the eventual shift to the heliocentric model.

The Torah and Bible (Old Testament)

One of the clearest examples of a geocentric view appears in the Book of Joshua (Joshua 10:12-13), where Joshua commands the sun to stand still:

“Then Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel: ‘Sun, stand still over Gibeon; And Moon, in the Valley of Aijalon.’ So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped…”

This passage implies that the sun revolves around the Earth and that its movement can be halted. However, modern science has shown that it is the Earth that rotates around the sun, making this depiction scientifically inaccurate when interpreted literally.

Additionally, Psalms 104:5 refers to the Earth as immovable:

“He set the earth on its foundations; it can never be moved.”

This verse reflects the belief in a fixed, central Earth, which contradicts our understanding of Earth’s rotation and orbit within the solar system.

The Qur’an

Some interpretations of the Qur’an also suggest a geocentric perspective. For example, Surah 36:38-40 mentions:

“And the sun runs to its resting place… And the moon, We have determined for it phases… It is not allowed for the sun to overtake the moon, nor does the night outstrip the day.”

Although poetic, this description reflects a geocentric viewpoint, though many scholars interpret it metaphorically.

Another verse, Surah 21:33, says:

“And it is He who created the night and the day and the sun and the moon; all [heavenly bodies] in an orbit are swimming.”

While this can be seen as acknowledging the movement of celestial bodies, it is unclear whether Earth’s motion is included in this description, as the text reflects ancient cosmology.

2. The Creation Narrative and Cosmology

Religious texts often contain creation stories that reflect an ancient understanding of the universe, which contrasts with modern scientific explanations of cosmology.

Genesis (Torah and Bible)

The creation account in Genesis 1 describes the creation of the universe over six days. On the first day, God creates light, separating it from darkness, but the sun, moon, and stars are not created until the fourth day (Genesis 1:14-19). This narrative conflicts with modern cosmology, which shows that stars and galaxies, including the sun, existed long before Earth formed.

The Qur’an

Similarly, the Qur’an’s creation story includes the formation of the Earth in two days and the heavens in another two days, with Earth taking central importance. Surah 41:9-12 describes this process, which, like the Bible, gives Earth a unique place in the universe, inconsistent with modern astronomy.

3. The Firmament and Dome of the Sky

Ancient cosmology often depicted the sky as a solid dome or “firmament” separating Earth from the heavens. This concept appears in several religious texts.

The Bible

In Genesis 1:6-8, God creates a firmament to divide the waters above from the waters below:

“And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.”

This reflects the ancient belief that the sky was a solid barrier holding back cosmic waters. Modern astronomy shows that space is a vast, open expanse, with no firmament or solid dome.

The Qur’an

The Qur’an also mentions the concept of “seven heavens” in several places (e.g., Surah 67:3), which some early scholars interpreted as layers of the sky. However, modern science describes the universe as made up of billions of galaxies, not layers of heavens.

4. Earth’s Shape

While many ancient cultures believed in a flat Earth, modern science has long since confirmed that the Earth is spherical. Religious texts, however, are ambiguous about the shape of the Earth.

The Bible

Some passages have been interpreted as suggesting a flat Earth. For example, Isaiah 40:22 refers to God sitting “above the circle of the earth,” which some take as evidence of a spherical Earth, but others interpret as describing a flat, circular disc.

The Qur’an

Similarly, verses in the Qur’an, such as Surah 15:19, describe the Earth as being “spread out,” which some interpret as a flat Earth. However, many modern Islamic scholars argue that these verses are metaphorical.

5. Other Cosmological Concepts

In addition to geocentrism, other ancient cosmological ideas in religious texts also diverge from modern science.

Stars and Meteors

In the Qur’an, Surah 67:5 mentions stars as being placed in the nearest heaven and used as missiles to drive away devils:

“And We have certainly beautified the nearest heaven with stars and have made [from] them what is thrown at the devils…”

This reflects a view of stars and meteors that contrasts with modern astronomy, where stars are distant celestial bodies, and meteors are space debris entering Earth’s atmosphere.

Conclusion

The cosmological views in the Torah, Bible, and Qur’an reflect the scientific understanding of their times. Geocentrism, the firmament, and creation narratives aligned with ancient worldviews that have since been revised by modern science. While many religious scholars interpret these texts metaphorically to reconcile them with scientific discoveries, a literal reading often reveals factual discrepancies.

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