Churchmen Refuse to Learn
Notice how Galileo's threat to the church's hold on the minds of men is graphically described by one authority: "The nearly 100 years of Protestantism had been marred with cruel wars between the two religions, and the leaders of the Roman Church were resolved to stamp out any new innovations that would have a tendency to undermine the faith that had been taught for [almost] 1600 years. Their undeviating belief was that Holy Scripture taught a stationary Earth and a moving Sun. . . . And for Galileo to teach the reverse was rank heresy, of which the Holy See must take notice. . . .
"Late in 1615 Galileo again returned to Rome in a supreme endeavor to convince the Church authorities of the truth of the Heliocentric system, as proved by his telescope. But all the arguments and facts he could advance fell upon deaf ears, for Cardinal Bellarmine and Pope Paul V had decided that the doctrine of a stationary Sun and a moving Earth was not only unscriptural, but constituted one of the gravest perils to the Catholic religion" (Norton Wagner, Unveiling the Universe, p. 33)
Instead of following scripture, professing Christianity continued to follow past error in order to retain their influence on men. "Truly, they [the Catholic Church fathers} failed to take unto themselves the spirit of the specific injunction of the great Apostle to the Gentiles, which they themselves taught, to prove all things and hold fast to that which is good."
"And thus Christian Opinion, founded upon what they mistakenly believed to be true interpretations of the Scriptures, controlled and disquieted the thoughts of men throughout the long silent centuries of the sword-swept dark ages of Europe" (Ibid., p. 21).
Because of gross misrepresentation of Scripture and the violent suppression of the truth — even by the sword — a growing movement against religion began in all fields of science. "The idea that present conditions [in contrast to the clear Biblical statement that God, created the heavens and the earth) furnish the safest basis for thinking about the past emerged as a REACTION against the time-honored and almost UNIVERSAL belief that the earth and its physical features are products of mysterious supernatural events.
"A great deal of weight was placed on a strict interpretation factually a strict misrepresentation) of Scripture, which limited the existence of the physical world to a relatively short time and required the compression of universal creation and other tremendous events into a few thousand years" (Stokes, Essentials of Earth History, p. 31 — Emphasis ours throughout the article).
Scientists Ignorantly Reject God
Notice! The movement which began against religious teachings about 400 years ago was NOT actually against the teachings of the Bible. The real teachings of the Bible were not even known! It was the misinterpretation of Scripture that scientists were fighting. They were fighting a medieval superstition that had its origin in pagan wretchedness, not in the Bible.
Realizing the error in Catholic and Protestant teachings, scientists organized to thrust out of men's minds the knowledge they assumed to be the Bible's teachings. Since these churchmen all said they got their scientific beliefs from the Bible, the scientists ASSUMED they were fighting the Bible.
And, getting God out of the picture also meant men could now rationalize they did not need to obey their Creator. Evolution and spontaneous generation were taught as truth in place of God's Word.
Let's understand. Both the professing Christian churches and the scientists were in error.
Churchmen said they had the Bible's teaching about the earth's history and place in the universe. Yet they rejected the Bible's teaching and the knowledge God wants us to discover for ourselves! They called the truth HERESY! Some today reject clear knowledge — still preferring to live in the dark ages and to call truth heresy.
Scientists had the facts God wants us to learn by exercising our five senses, but they interpreted all the facts through the eyeglass of evolution and uniformity, fulfilling the prophecy that ungodly men in the end times would teach that ". . . all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation" (II Peter 3:3-7 ). They were unwilling to retain God in their knowledge (Rom. 1:18-23).
Neither the professing Christian church nor the scientists checked to see what the Bible actually says! Churchmen assumed the Bible agreed with their superstitions and scientists who heard these teachings assumed the Bible taught silly, childish fables they knew to be untrue.
It's time to stop assuming and check up! Why follow medieval, dark-ages superstitions? Why not be willing to "prove all things"?
Scientists, instead of turning to God "felt in their bones that there must be a natural explanation for organic as well as geological change, but the method was not easily to be had" (Scientific American, Aug. 1959, p. 102 ).
Is it truly scientific to reject the proof of God's existence on the basis of a "feeling in one's bones"? Admittedly, it was a difficult task!
Why Such Utter Confusion?
What a ridiculous spectacle! Men — both in religion and society — each going his own way. One claiming to teach the Bible, and in reality teaching traditions of men. The other, openly rejecting the Bible and, "feeling in his bones" that a natural explanation could — and must — be found.
When geologists say "Early geologists fought to free people from the myths of Biblical creation" (Geotimes, August 1957, p. 12), they are only saying that men fought to replace one ERROR with another.
Now, the Catholic Church has accepted the evolutionary concept of the earth's origin and life upon it. Numerous Protestant churches have also taken the evolutionary concept into their teachings, justifying their actions by saying the Bible was never meant to be a book on science.
This line of reasoning denies II Timothy 3:16 which says that ALL — not just a part — of Scripture is given by inspiration of God. This modern approach makes God's Word a mere book of traditions of men.
The Bible plainly tells us that either ALL of the Bible is given by inspiration of God or NONE of it is. It is not part tradition — or "stories" — of men and part inspiration of God. It stands as ONE UNITY. When the Bible does speak about history, geology, astronomy, etc., it agrees with scientific facts.
Of course, in some few cases one needs to understand that the Bible records conversations of men. In so doing it accurately records what they said. But that does not automatically mean that what the men said was of God.
For a simple example, Job 1:16 accurately records a message given to Job by one who said a fire from "God" destroyed Job's servants and sheep. But earlier in the chapter the Bible makes it clear that it was Satan — not God — who sent this destruction! Read it in Job 12. We should read the scripture as it is, and not read our meaning into it.
The Bible tells us: "The fear of the Lord is the BEGINNING of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that DO (KEEP) his commandments . . ." (Ps. 111:10).
And, 'The fear of the Lord is the BEGINNING of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction" (Prov. 1:7).
It's time to quit assuming, and to start obeying and fearing God!
Because the truth about the earth's history has been buried under a trash heap of medieval pagan superstition and ignorance, men have assumed all of chapter one of 'Genesis is speaking of the same time. Some have been unwilling to admit that "in the beginning," in Genesis 1:1, is not speaking of Adam's creation, but of a time long before Adam.
Man's 6000 years of reasoning himself astray, of being led into deception by Satan the Devil, are rapidly nearing a climax. You need to write for our free, highly illustrated booklet entitled "1975 in Prophecy" to understand the prophesied events which are to literally SHAKE this earth in the next few years. Events which will bring to completion man's tragic 6000-year history of wars and suffering and usher in the wonderful world tomorrow!