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[teiresias]

I ask this because today I was at the science museum and ran the scheduled planetarium show. It consists of a first part that shows pictures from the various orbital telescopes and then goes into a normal planetarium show showing constellations, etc. This is a regular show, nothing too controversial.

That is unless you have a whole school group from a religious group. I'm guessing they were Muslim because of their dress, but I could be wrong. This old guy came up to me and said we needed to update our show's information because apparently 1400 years ago it was proven that the sun revolves around the earth. I just wanted to know if this was something claimed in the Qu'ran, so i could be sure if they were Muslim or not - maybe the 1400 years ago has something to do with it too.

Of course, this isn't confined to Muslims. We occasionally get the wacko creationist christian in here who wants to rewrite the entire presentation or movie you just showed.

 

[Particle Physicist]

:lol i wish i was there.

 

[Warm Machine]

1400 years ago! Think of how the planets would have had to have moved around for that to happen!

 

[RiZ III]

no it doesnt.

 

[Dice]

That's about the time it was written, but I don't know the ins and outs of what it teaches.

 

[bionic77]

no it doesnt.

Doesn't mean the guy was or wasn't muslim. I have seen people rationalize everything through their religion, even when it is flatly contradicted by scripture.

And stupidity isn't just limited to religion. You see a lot of this in politics, school, just life in general.

 

[RiZ III]

Heres some actual verses from the Quran.

"He is the One who made the sun to emit light, and the moon to reflect it" 10:5
-Note, at this point in history, it was thought that the moon made its own light.

It does say that the sun and the moon run in their orbits, which they do even though the sun has a really small wiggly one, but it doesn't say that the sun revolves around the earth.

It also says that the sun runs its coarse to a settled place, but once again, it doesnt say it revolves around anything. Modern astronomy confirms that the solar system is indeed moving in space at a rate of 12 miles per second towards a point situated in the constellation of Hercules ( alpha lyrae ) whose exact location has been precisely calculated. Astronomers have even give it a name, the solar apex.

It also mentions the expansion of the universe:
“I built the heaven with power and it is I, who am expanding it.” 51:47

So yea.. I dont know where these people got their information. Possibly the hadith books, which are a bunch of sayings stuffed into the mouth of Muhammad more than 200 years after his death.

 

[Azih]

Yes the dude was Muslim

And he was referring to excerpts like these:

"...He has subjected the Sun and the moon (to continue going round)! Each running (its course) for a term appointed……" [ Ar-Ra'd (13:2)]


"And He it is Who has created the night and the day, and the Sun and the moon, each in an orbit running." [Al-Anbiya(21:33)]


But he's also a dumbass.

 

[Gibbles]

Do religious groups even visit science museums? Why?

 

[teiresias]

The guy actually used the phrase "run in their orbits" so he probably was thinking of one of the verses you all mentioned. Though given how much translation ambiguity there is in the Bible I'd assume there is some of the same in the Qu'ran.

It was just extremely disturbing that a whole group of the adults left muttering stuff about having to teach their kids "the truth" and then watching the whole group of little 10 year olds follow them out, knowing they're going to grow up indoctrinated into thinking the sun revolves around the earth.

 

[Particle Physicist]

they probably also think that the sun is smaller than the earth, the moon is made of cheese, and man can fly using contraptions made of metal! :lol

 

[Dice]

Note, at this point in history, it was thought that the moon made its own light.

Perhaps among the common man, but Aristarchus figured it was reflective 800 years prior.

 

[RiZ III]

Yea I was talking about Arabia.