Why does Joshua 10:13 say that the sun stopped when it would have to be the earth that stopped?
Question:
I am currently speaking to an atheist man. We've been debating over the past couple days about the creation of the universe and how the existence of man came about. I hold to the divine truth of a God, and that his Word found in scripture is Truth and inspired. He brought up a point that I cannot seem to argue with. Perhaps you can help me with a response?
He claims that if the bible was truly "God breathed and inspired" (II Timothy 3:16), then why does Joshua 10:13 go against the fact that the earth revolves around the Sun, and not the other way around as the Bible states. I cannot think of an appropriate response since the Bible clearly says the Sun stopped. Shouldn't it have been the earth that stopped?
Please help!
Answer:
Then why does he say the sun rises in the east and sets in the west? It is perfectly acceptable to describe things from the point of view of the writer. We do it all the time. By the way, such an idea is also a part of Einstein's Theory of Relativity.
"First, there is no "absolute" frame of reference. Every time you measure an object's velocity, or its momentum, or how it experiences time, it's always in relation to something else." [http://www.livescience.com/48922-theory-of-relativity-in-real-life.html].
