> To fill everyone in, the basics (ha!) of this book come to something like this:
> There is a "Gravitational Time Dilation", to try and put it in most basic terms, at different places time passes by at different rates. Gravity distorts time. At higher altitudes, time (even by microseconds apart), are different then they are at lower altitudes. By using this we can see how what may be billions of light-years away from us, would not run on the same "clock" we are running on. To except this theory you have to hold to a few basic premises...
> 1. Matter in the universe is bounded (there are definite "ends" to the universe... it doesn't go on forever.
> 2. There is a definite center.
> The Big-Bang theory disagrees with these points though, according to their theory there is NO boundaries, and there is NO center. There are a few problems though... for the Big Bang to "work", there has to be gravitational forces pointing toward the assumed center of the Big Bang, and those forces would be so strong that the initial phases of the Big Bang would be a black hole... but like I stated before, the Big Bang Theory REJECTS a definite center. Every point in space would have an equal amount of matter at large distances in all directions at every point! It cancels out the "pattern of gravitational forces", removes the Big Bang's "Black Hole", and DESTROYS THE THEORY!
> The theory presented in the book is most interesting though. Using the Bible as his guide, Humphreys does (what I feel) is a great job of explaining how we are able to view galaxies that are billions of light-years away. In the theory the universe has a definite boundary (the "Waters above the Expanse"), and has a definite center, our solar system!
> The belief that we ARE in fact the "Center of the Universe" wasn't much of a shock to me, this theory was introduced to me in the "Galaxy Sphere" theory (which basically says that there are 7 (or more) densely packed "spheres" (packed with galaxies) that surround our galaxy, each one encompassing the others (I hope you can understand the point I'm trying to make, it's hard without a diagram). Humphreys' theory, takes the Creation story, and helps explain Genesis 1:6-7:
> "And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so."
> In the book, it states that the waters "above the firmament" is the boundary, or end of our universe! Think of our universe as a large sphere, the outer layer of the sphere is the "waters". In the center of the sphere is little ol' us! The "firmament" or "expanse" is Interstellar Space!
> Up unto this point many have said that the "Waters above the firmament" was a "canopy of water" that surrounded the Earth, and the firmament was our "sky". I've always had a problem with the "canopy of water", because I just don't see that in the texts of Scripture. This theory that Humphreys says seems to fit in with the Bible much better!
> Well, I know that this is a LONG post, but I would like to seem some info from the others on this board. Maybe some input from Rob (who's read the book), other Creationists, and Evolutionists (so basically this means I want to hear from EVERYONE!!!)