Pages

Sunday, September 17, 2023

6 Facts From the Bible That Have Actually Been Proven

The following article was obtained through the website, Equipping Godly Women, and written by Jessica Clark. Artwork by Microsoft Bing Images.

The Bible is a religious and historical text that contains a mix of spiritual teachings, moral lessons, and historical accounts.

While some events and details from the Bible have been corroborated by archaeological and historical evidence, it’s important to note that the Bible is also a matter of faith for many people, and not all of its stories and events can be definitively proven.

Fall of Jericho

Archaeological evidence suggests that the ancient city of Jericho did experience a destruction event around the time indicated in the Bible.

"And when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn when you hear the sound of the trumpet, then all the people shall shout with a great shout, and the wall of the city will fall down flat,1 and the people shall go up, everyone straight before him."  Joshua 6:5.

According to The New York Times, the site was discovered to have a three-foot layer of ash that contained numerous pottery shards and mud bricks from a wall. The burned fragments were dated to 1410 B.C., plus or minus 40 years.

Dinosaurs

“Look at Behemoth, which I made along with you and which feeds on grass like an ox. What strength it has in its loins, what power in the muscles of its belly! Its tail sways like a cedar; the sinews of its thighs are close-knit.” Job 40:15-17.
Some commentators claim it was a hippopotamus. The hippo, though, does not fit in all accounts. This enormous creature that God created had a tail resembling that of a very tall cedar tree. And it is obvious that the hippo does not fit that description.

King David

“So David reigned over all Israel, and he administered justice and equity to all his people.” 1 Chronicles 18:14

One of the more well-known figures in the Old Testament, King David, is famous for defeating Goliath, ruling the Kingdom of Israel, and having Solomon as a son.

According to the Biblical Archaeology Society, Archaeologists in northern Israel discovered the broken stone slab known as the Tel Dan Stele in 1993. The carved stone monument honors a Damascus king’s victory over two rival enemies.

The phrase was translated as “House of David,” according to archaeologists. Most historians accept this inscription as evidence of the existence of a royal house in the Ancient Near East that bore the biblical character’s name.

Jesus’s Home in Nazareth

“When Mary and Joseph had completed everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to their hometown, Nazareth in Galilee.” Luke 2:39

According to Artnet News, Archaeologist Ken Dark claims that Jesus’ childhood home may have been discovered beneath the Sisters of Nazareth Convent in Nazareth, Israel. A first-century “courtyard house” was found during the excavation.

The remains match the description in the seventh-century pilgrim account De Locus Sanctis, indicating that the courtyard house located beneath the convent may have served as Jesus’ home in Nazareth.

Solomon’s Temple

“He said to me, ‘Your son Solomon is the one who shall build My house and My courts; for I have chosen him to be a son to Me, and I will be a father to him.” 1 Chronicles 28:6.

According to the Bible, Solomon’s Temple was built on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem, where an angel of God had appeared to David.

In 2010, according to Discover Magazine, a group of archaeologists from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem under the direction of Eilat Mazar claimed to have found a monumentally large wall segment while excavating in Jerusalem’s Old City.

According to some radiocarbon dates, the site was occupied during Solomon’s reign. “This is the first time that a structure from that time has been found that may correlate with written descriptions of Solomon’s building in Jerusalem,” Mazar stated.

Noah’s Ark

The LORD then said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this generation.” Genesis 7:1.

As reported by Israel Hayom, Archaeologists working on the Noah’s Ark Scans project have discovered a massive shape in the Turkish mountains whose dimensions correspond to those of Noah’s Ark, according to their advanced 3D scans.

It’s important to approach these historical and archaeological connections with an understanding that they provide context but may not always provide definitive proof for every aspect of the biblical narrative.

The Bible serves multiple purposes beyond historical documentation, including spiritual guidance and moral teachings, and its interpretation can vary based on individual faith perspectives.


Wednesday, September 6, 2023

Images show 'satanism in public schools' are digital creations | Fact check

This article was obtained through USA Today and written by Chris Mueller • 9/9/2023

The claim: Images show evidence of 'satanism in public schools'

An Aug. 22 Facebook video (direct link, archive link) shows a person talking alongside images of schoolchildren wearing horns and sitting around a pentagram.

"Satanism in public schools," reads on-screen text in the video. "Seen what's going on in public schools around the United States watch this."

Several commenters appeared to believe the images were real.

"I cannot tell you how mad that makes me!" reads one comment. "We can't have God in school but this is OK?"

The video was shared more than 500 times in two weeks.

Our rating: Altered

The images were made using artificial intelligence, according to their creator. An expert who examined the images found multiple clues that they are not authentic.

Images were created using AI program

The images were originally posted on Facebook on May 2 by a user named Pumpkin Empress who later edited the post to say, "This is not real. I created these pics with AI (artificial intelligence) software. The children are not real, this never happened."

The user, who is a digital creator, explained in a May 8 post that the images were created using Midjourney, a popular image generator.

"No, these are not pics actually taken," reads the post. "They were generated just in fun."

Holly Alvarez, who runs the Pumpkin Empress account, confirmed to USA TODAY in an email that the images were created using AI, saying, "I used software to create them, as I do with most of my creations."

Alvarez said she is intrigued by the ability to create realistic images using AI.

"I do like to create controversial concepts because people are interested in it," she said. "It triggers the mind."

There are signs in the images themselves that they are not legitimate, James O'Brien, a computer science professor at the University of California, Berkeley, told USA TODAY.

"One big giveaway in all these images is the way things are randomly very blurred while other things are relatively crisp," he said. "A painter might leave out details where the painter thinks they are unimportant, but a camera’s blur needs to be explainable by optical defocus, camera shake, or another physical mechanism."

O'Brien also pointed out some "malformed bodies" in the images, including abnormal hands in both images that show children wearing horns. While a few other issues with the images aren't physically impossible, he said, they're still difficult to explain, including lines that don't seem to line up in one of the images of children sitting around a pentagram.

The images look as if someone created them using AI but did not spend any time touching them up or trying to hide any imperfections, O'Brien said.

"I don’t think the creator tried to fool people, or if they did they didn’t make much of an effort," he said. "Some of the images could be cleaned up by a skilled Photoshop user."

USA TODAY has previously debunked similar false claims, including that images showed satanic merchandise for sale at Target, a satanic hotel opening in Texas and satanic statues being sold at Hobby Lobby.

USA TODAY reached out to the social media user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

PolitiFact also debunked the claim.

Our fact-check sources:

Our fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook.

Related:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Commentary from Who's Right:

Many people around the world believe we are living in the End Times and Satanic infiltration of society has been occurring for many generations. This is not a new concept, but the rate of stories, videos and photos via social and news medias about Satan have skyrocketed in the last 20 years. And it seems that our children are the major ones being targeted. A few related articles and videos, which comes via the internet, speaks volumes...