Christian Monthly Standard

What Happened To Pluto?

How many planets are in our solar system? If you said, “Nine,” you are incorrect. We all thought that we had nine planets in our solar system, but scientists have declared Pluto to be a “dwarf planet.” According to astronomer Mike Brown, of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, “There are finally, officially, eight planets in the solar system” (Pluto Not A Planet, Astronomers Rule; www.nationalgeographic.com). Though so many theories in science are changing, one would have thought that the number of planets in our solar system would never change.

Why do we spend so much time trying to reconcile science with the Bible when we find science changing even the things we thought were the most certain? Nine planets used to be scientific fact. Now we have eight planets and a “dwarf” hanging out there on the fringe. Just a few years ago science declared that the Brontosaurus was never really a dinosaur. It turns out that scientists had put the bones of two smaller dinosaurs together and created Brontosaurus. Now, the plant-eating behemoth that we grew up with turns out to be a figment of scientists’ imaginations. Should we be so concerned with the declarations of science when it seems that science is no longer “knowledge,” but rather humanity’s best guess or most popular explanation?

I understand our need to be ready to give a defense for our faith (1 Peter 3:15). But many times we act as if man’s scientific knowledge is fact, causing us to change the Bible to fit our current knowledge. Perhaps it would be wise to stop changing the Scriptures to try to fit our modern science theories and wait for science to catch up with the facts revealed to us by the Creator.