I'm far from being an expert on what the Bible says. But certain things I do know.
1.) The measurements used in the Bible were not imperial. The Hebrew texts used ancient Hebrew and Egyptian units. Two that come to mind is the shekel and the cubit. The New testament written in Greek used Greek units, like the stadium. Thus it seems the units used followed the custom of the times. 2.) Imperial has its roots in Babylon, which the Biblical god considers an abomination. Following the customs of nations considered an abomination was also an abomination. Thus one can stretch the logic to say that the biblical god considers imperial an abomination. 3.) There is a passage in Leviticus 19 that is the only reference to weights and measures as a command and the emphasis is on honest weights and measures not any particular unit. By this very statement we can surmise that the accomplishments of the BIPM in defining precise units for the SI is in complete harmony with this law. If one wanted to, one can say that the historical variations in the non-SI units was not in the spirit of the law. http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?language=english&passage=LEV+19&version=NIRV Leviticus 19 35 " 'Be honest when you measure lengths, weights or amounts. 36 Use honest scales and honest weights. Use honest dry measures. And use honest liquid measures. I am the Lord your God. I brought you out of Egypt. 37 " 'Obey all of my rules and laws. Follow them. I am the Lord.' " Euric ----- Original Message ----- From: "Bill Potts" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Saturday, 2004-08-07 20:38 Subject: [USMA:30672] Re: Stupid anti-metric poem > To many of us (and I honestly don't know how many), the idea that a deity > would concern him/her/itself with such matters is bizarre anyway. > > Observing that others are using a religious justification for their position > is one thing. Countering with a "God is on our side" argument, when the > issue is rational and scientific and unrelated to religion or a theistic > belief, is quite another. > > This is not an attempt to denigrate anyone's basic religious beliefs -- just > a request, from one participant to others, that they not be aired here. > > Bill Potts, CMS > Roseville, CA > http://metric1.org [SI Navigator] > > > >-----Original Message----- > >From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > >Behalf Of David King > >Sent: Saturday, August 07, 2004 15:03 > >To: U.S. Metric Association > >Subject: [USMA:30671] Re: Stupid anti-metric poem > > > > > >The idea that imperial units came from God is rather ridiculous. The > >ancient Israelites did not use imperial units, although the early > >Christian Church would have perhaps used the Roman imperial system as it > >was the commonly used and dominant system in the world at that time, at > >least in the Roman Empire. Today metric is the dominant system, and I > >believe that God would want us to use the dominant system, just as we > >have the Bible today in modern English and do not have to learn ancient > >Hebrew and Greek to understand it, so we should not have to use ancient > >measurement units in our daily lives just because something similar was > >once used in the Bible. > > > >The whole thing about pyramidology I know little about, but it sounds > >very ungodly to me -- it was the ungodly Egyptians who built pyramids, > >and the ancient Israelites who were rescued from Egypt, and the Bible > >refers to Egypt as a sinful place. > > > >Thus I cannot see any reason why God would want His people to use > >imperial units in the modern age. But He would have wanted them used > >before metric was invented back in the Middle Ages. > > > >If we revert back to imperial measures, then why not revert back to old > >English, old currency, get rid of all the modern things of society like > >cars, planes, computers, electricity, and free speech, and go back to > >the days of old when no one had freedoms except the very rich, and > >everything measured in imperial. Is this what anti-metric people really > >want? I doubt it, but they probably want the modern world, or least the > >benefits and comforts of it, but without the thing that makes it so > >good. The imperial system is totally inadequate for scientific use in > >regards to the technology of today, so those who want imperial should > >really be shunning all modern technology otherwise they are hypocrites. > > > >David King > > > > > > > >Han Maenen wrote: > > > >>James, > >> > >>I know that other poem, it was from the 19th century. It was > >connected with > >>Pyramidology, which claimed that Imperial and US units were given by God. > >> > >>A Prod is an insulting term for Protestant. Another insult used > >in Northern > >>Ireland is Taig. A Taig is a Roman Catholic. > >> > >>----- Original Message ----- > >>From: "James Wentworth" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >>To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >>Sent: Saturday, 2004-08-07 13:01 > >>Subject: [USMA:30662] Re: Stupid anti-metric poem > >> > >> > >> > >> > >>>It's bigoted poetry, too. I don't know what a "Prod" is, but the term > >>> > >>> > >>"Mick" is considered a nasty anti-Irish slur in the US. > >> > >> > >>>At least some of the old anti-metric verse was creative. One of the > >>> > >>> > >>better ones I remember goes like this: > >> > >> > >>>Then down with every metric scheme taught by the foreign school! > >>>We'll worship still our fathers' God, and keep our fathers' rule! > >>>A perfect inch, a perfect pound will still on Earth be found, > >>>When time shall come unto an end, and Gabriel's trumpet sound! > >>> > >>>-- Jason > >>> > >>>----- Original Message ----- > >>>From: Han Maenen <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >>>To: U.S. Metric Association <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >>>Sent: Saturday, August 07, 2004 3:08 AM > >>>Subject: [USMA:30661] Stupid anti-metric poem > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>>>Here is the whole stupid junk. Apart from the anti-metric nonsense, how > >>>> > >>>> > >>>can > >>> > >>> > >>>>he claim that the English language is in danger? English is assaulting > >>>>language after language and it is spreading all over the world. > >>>>He even wants to go back to LSD money, what kind of a dinosaur is this > >>>>Manderson? > >>>> > >>>>Han > >>>> > >>>> >
