Today is March 14, 2012. So, how is that Pi day?

No, not that kind of pie. This kind of Pi:

And why is that, you say? Because it’s a little math pun: The date: 3/14 reminds us of the value of Pi, generally accepted to two decimal points as 3.14.

However, if you happen to believe the Bible is infallible; without error, then that means we have to take the statement below at face value:

1 Kings 7:23 And he made a molten sea, ten cubits from the one brim to the other: it was round all about, and his height was five cubits: and a line of thirty cubits did compass it round about.

“So what?” you might be saying. Well, the above scripture is talking about the brasen sea, used for baptisms, in the temple. From the description above we know it was round, with a diameter of 10 cubits and a circumference of 30 cubits.

We also know that Archimedes of Syracuse came up with the value of Pi in the 3rd Century BC. This handy little number ‘Pi” was determined to be 3.14. To be even more accurate, we can figure it to be 3.1415926535. The Guinness world record for recitation is 67,890th decimal place. The point is, in pursuing precision, this value has been figured out to tens upon tens of thousands of decimal places.

How is Pi computed? Well, perhaps the easiest way to compute it is Pi = circumference/diameter.  And now…here’s the rub. The circumference of the molten sea is 30 cubits. The diameter is 10 cubits. Therefore, the biblical value of Pi is 30/10…or 3; just three…3.0, no decimal points, just a round easy number.

So, if you take the Bible to be infallible, then you must accept that any math, engineering, or astronomy problem that assumes Pi to be any other value than three…is wrong.

But that is ridiculous, you say. No one would take that sort of stance.  One would hope not, but we don’t have to look very far to see otherwise. When you get a chance, read up on what happened to Galileo when he came up with a scientific position at odds with the Bible. Not sure where to look? Wikipedia is often a good place to start:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galileo_affair

The lesson? Strive for truth. Sometimes you may find it in science. Sometimes you may find it by spiritual means. But always beware if someone tries to insist their “truth” is absolute. Examples:
1. The early church’s absolute insistence that all heavenly bodies revolve around the earth.
2. Scientists’ insistence that the speed of light could not be exceeded. That one is still being debated, but I have every confidence in the failure of this absolute declaration.

“Why?” is the most important question in the world. Never stop asking it.