Maths For Christian Students

Inspired by the introduction to the two-volume Biology for Christian Students, I thought I would produce a little maths primer for Christian students based on the same principle. Creationist homeschoolers will find it especially useful.

The introduction to the Christian biology book, written by creationist Stephen S. Pinkston and publish by Bob Jones University, states on page 1:

1. 'Whatever the Bible says is so; whatever man says may or may not be so,' is the only [position] a Christian can take..."
2. If [scientific] conclusions contradict the Word of God, the conclusions are wrong, no matter how many scientific facts may appear to back them.
3. Christians must disregard [scientific hypotheses or theories] that contradict the Bible.

So, the principle is that the 'Word of God' trumps all, even evidence, logic, common sense, etc. Whatever 'God's Word' says is so, and that's that.

So this little primer is based on the maths in the Bible. It must be right because it's 'God's Word'.

1. Simple Arithmetic:
   

   Q: If a king died aged 40 and was immediately succeeded by his 42 year old son, how old was the king when he fathered the son?
   
   A: -2
   
   Proof:
   

   Thirty and two years old was he [Jehoram, son of Jehosephat] when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years, and departed without being desired. Howbeit they buried him in the city of David, but not in the sepulchres of the kings.
   
   

   2 Chronicles 21:20

   So 32 + 8 = 40
   
   

   And the inhabitants of Jerusalem made Ahaziah his youngest son king in his stead: for the band of men that came with the Arabians to the camp had slain all the eldest. So Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah reigned. Forty and two years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother's name also was Athaliah the daughter of Omri.
   
   

   2 Chronicles 22:1-2

   40 - 42 = -2 (This was the kings youngest son who was born two years before his father. The king was even younger when his older sons were conceived.)
   

   No arguing! 'God's Word' trumps everything, remember.
   

2. Counting:
   

   Q: In a list of 13 generation how many generations are there?
   
   A: 14
   
   Proof:
   

   And after they were brought to Babylon, Jechonias begat Salathiel; and Salathiel begat Zorobabel; And Zorobabel begat Abiud; and Abiud begat Eliakim; and Eliakim begat Azor; And Azor begat Sadoc; and Sadoc begat Achim; and Achim begat Eliud; And Eliud begat Eleazar; and Eleazar begat Matthan; and Matthan begat Jacob; And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.
   
   

   Matthew 1:12-16

   Remember this is a counting test, so count the generations!
   

   So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations. [My emphasis]
   
   

   Matthew 1:17

   Therefore a list of 13 generations has fourteen generations in it. God says so.
   

3. Addition:
   

   Q: Add up these numbers:
   

   30
   1000
   29
   30
   410
   1000
   ____
   

   A: 5400
   
   Proof:
   
   

   Then rose up the chief of the fathers of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests, and the Levites, with all them whose spirit God had raised, to go up to build the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem. And all they that were about them strengthened their hands with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, and with beasts, and with precious things, beside all that was willingly offered.
   
   Also Cyrus the king brought forth the vessels of the house of the Lord, which Nebuchadnezzar had brought forth out of Jerusalem, and had put them in the house of his gods; Even those did Cyrus king of Persia bring forth by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, and numbered them unto Sheshbazzar, the prince of Judah. And this is the number of them: thirty chargers of gold, a thousand chargers of silver, nine and twenty knives, Thirty basons of gold, silver basons of a second sort four hundred and ten, and other vessels a thousand.
   
   All the vessels of gold and of silver were five thousand and four hundred. All these did Sheshbazzar bring up with them of the captivity that were brought up from Babylon unto Jerusalem.
   
   

   Ezra 1:5-11

   God's Word! Numbers add up to whatever God wants, obviously.
   

4. More simple division:
   

   Q: Given that the average lifespan of a human is 70 years (Psalms 90:10) and assuming the average age of becoming a parent is 25 years, how many generations have come and gone between Jesus' going to Heaven (about 35CE, supposedly) and today?
   
   A: 1
   
   Proof:
   

   For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.
   
   Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.
   
   

   Matthew 16:27-28

   
   

   ---

   
   And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power.
   
   

   Mark9:1

   
   

   ---

   
   But I tell you of a truth, there be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the kingdom of God.
   
   

   Luke 9:27

   
   Since Jesus has not yet returned and no one has yet seen 'the Son of man coming in his kingdom', this means someone alive then is still alive today.
   

   God's Word, remember! Can't be wrong! Whatever God says is so.
   

5. Division and multiplication:
   

   Q: Scientists estimate there are 2.2 million multicellular species alive today. Of the fossils found, 99% are of extinct species. Adam named all these species. (Genesis 2:19)
   
   

   1. Given that all species were created on the same day 6000 years ago (Genesis 1:20-23), calculate how many species were created on the 5th day of Creation.
   2. Assuming God brought a different species to Adam to be named at the rate of one every fifteen seconds, calculate how many years it would have taken to name all the animals (ignore any leap years).
   3. Assuming this Creation was 2,000,000 days ago, calculate the average daily species extinction rate up to now.

   
   A: God doesn't say so you're on your own with this one. Use a calculator if needed.
   
   For what it's worth, I, a mere mortal, reckon it's:
   
   

   1. 220 million species.
   2. 105 years working 24/7 with no refreshment/comfort breaks or sleep, 157 years working 16/7 or 183 if God still needed his day to recuperate after 6 days work.
   3. 11 species per day but obviously much higher early on.

   
   This must have happened because God says it did.
   

In the next lesson we will be looking at geometry where we will learn that the ratio of the diameter of a circle to its circumference, which mathematicians call pi (π) is exactly 3 and that there is a single unidentified high place somewhere where the entire surface of Earth can be seen - the only place in the Universe where all points on the surface of an opaque sphere are visible from a single point.

We will also be calculating the average number of mutations needed in the human genome to account for the known genetic diversity having arisen in just 4000 years from a very small, closely related founder population and what the effects of several generations of enforced incest would have been, so bring a calculator.

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