Various ancient cultures held very interesting mythologies. “Wise men” would sit around and contemplate deep subjects such as the origin of the universe and other interesting questions. One such question involved the Earth and its place in the Solar System. In a certain commonsensical way, everything we observe around us seems to be sitting on or is supported by something else. Many ancients wondered what was supporting the Earth itself. The Earth, in a sense, is the ultimate “foundation” for virtually everything we directly interact with each day. The cell phone you use is supported by your hand, which is supported by your arm, which is in turn supported by the rest of your body, which is perhaps supported by the chair you are sitting on, which is supported by the floor in whatever room you are in, which is supported by joists or concrete which is part of the house or building structure you are in, which is supported by the ground, which is part of the Earth! Talk about run-on sentences!
So, the million-dollar question is, “If all that is supported by the Earth, what is the Earth supported by?” The ancients wondered. One theory, as bizarre as it sounds, was that the Earth sits atop seven giant elephants! Really? Yes, really! But what were the elephants supported by? They were all on the back of a giant turtle or tortoise! Wow, what an imagination! Wait a minute. What was the giant turtle standing on? Well, it was on another giant turtle. OK. What was THAT giant turtle on? Hey, it’s turtles all the way down! Have you ever heard the phrase, “Turtles all the way down”? Now you have!
There’s no end—no “bottom” in a sense. It goes on forever. It’s called an infinite regress. That’s a silly idea, but you get the picture. It is not my intention to focus on the physics of the Earth, but I will mention that, once again, the Bible got it right, even before we had modern science or the likes of Isaac Newton.
He stretches out the north over the void and hangs the earth on nothing
(Job 26:7).
That’s a pretty accurate description of how the Earth stays in orbit due to the gravitational pull of the sun (not sitting or hanging on anything). But that’s not even my point. Everything in this article up to now has been a bonus. Lucky you! 😁
So, here’s my point, and it should be very practical.
For every argument, there is a counterargument. Some counterarguments are extremely well-constructed. Others may be extremely weak, completely baseless, and entirely illogical. Let’s ignore the completely irrational category for now.
Let’s think through a generic discussion between a Christian and a skeptic, both of whom are considered somewhat of an expert in their field.
Level 1:
The Christian expert makes a claim you agree with, and you feel it is certainly biblically sound. You are encouraged to hear it because it supports what you already believe. It gives you additional confidence and is perhaps an argument you can use going forward in any discussion you may have with someone else.
Level 2:
The expert skeptic makes a counterclaim that, as far as you can tell, seems to negate or at least strongly call into question the initial claim made by the Christian. You’re feeling a bit nervous about this because it goes against what you believe, but you are not able to see any flaws in the counterargument.
Level 3:
The Christian expert makes a counter-counterargument, claiming to show why the skeptic’s counterargument is invalid, which in turn means the initial claim by the Christian is true. Now you’re feeling good again.
Level 4:
The expert skeptic makes a further argument, seemingly negating the counter-counterargument made by the Christian. You’re back to feeling uncomfortable again because it goes against what you believe, but once again, you are not able to see any flaws in this latest argument.
