Vatican forgives Galileo after only 400 years

[Kralizec]

I don't really know where the bible says earth is flat but in that case I see two options, go ecomenic because noone can claim to know anything really, not even the pope, or become an atheist which is what I'm personally tending to anyway.
If there is no infallible word of god as a guideline, anything could be right.

I remember this one:

It is He that sitteth above the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in;

(Isaiah 40:22)

[Boyar Son]

lets petition for the withdrawal of the apology

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

I remember this one:

(Isaiah 40:22)

That passage is already so loaded with metaphors that how do we know that "the circle of the earth" isn't one as well?

[Husar]

Well if we had the infallable word of God it wouldn't be faith, would it?

The faith part is to believe that this actually is the infallible word of God, the faith is kinda based on it.

If you do not believe the bible has the word of God then what makes it better than the Quran or the Kamasutra or any other nice book? Or is your faith based on the pope saying he's the pope, in which case, what makes him better than any mullah or guru or whoever?

[Philippus Flavius Homovallumus]

The faith part is to believe that this actually is the infallible word of God, the faith is kinda based on it.

There is a difference between believing it to be the inspired word of God and it being the litteral word of God. The Gospels have manifest errors of fact, they cannot agree on the date of Jesus' birth. To suggest that the Bible is the infallable word of God is to suggest that God is incompetant.

In other words, it is blasphemy.

If you do not believe the bible has the word of God then what makes it better than the Quran or the Kamasutra or any other nice book? Or is your faith based on the pope saying he's the pope, in which case, what makes him better than any mullah or guru or whoever?

I'm able to distinguish between the direct Word and the Word as passed through human voices, hands, and minds.

As regards the Pope, let me state, once again, I am not a Papist.

The Pope's willingness to excomunicate has been the cause of most formal schisms, one might compare with the conduct of the current Archbishop of Canterbury who has not excomunicated the American or African Primates, and has avoided formal schism.

[Kralizec]

That passage is already so loaded with metaphors that how do we know that "the circle of the earth" isn't one as well?

Well, I only remembered it because I had an internet discussion with someone who thought that the Bible told us the Earth is round before it was scientifically proven- ignoring the fact that circles are two dimensional.

If I recall correctly there was a fuss once about Pi (number) because the Old Testament implicitly declared that the proper number was a round 3