Every few years, a Christian apologist pops up claiming the Bible is “scientifically accurate.”
And every time, the Bible helpfully provides a verse so embarrassingly wrong that the whole argument collapses instantly.
Today’s scientific disaster comes from Leviticus 11:6:
“And the hare, because it chews the cud but does not part the hoof, is unclean to you.”
Let’s be very clear:
Rabbits do NOT chew the cud.
They never have.
They never will.
And no amount of apologetics can resurrect this fossilized mistake.
1. What “Chewing the Cud” Actually Means
“Chewing the cud” is a specific biological process:
- An animal regurgitates partially digested food
- Chews it again
- Swallows it for a second round of digestion
This is called rumination.
Cows do it.
Sheep do it.
Goats do it.
Rabbits do NOT do it.
What rabbits do is coprophagy: they eat some of their own droppings to extract nutrients.
Not the same thing.
Not even close.
This is basic biology — the kind you learn in middle school.
2. The Bible Was Written by People Who Didn’t Know Biology
This verse alone destroys the claim that the Bible contains “perfect knowledge.”
Because if God — the creator of rabbits — inspired Leviticus, you’d expect Him to know what His own creatures do.
But instead we get:
- A Bronze Age writer who observed rabbits moving their mouths frequently
- Assumed they were ruminating
- And wrote it into a holy text
This is not divine insight.
This is ancient ignorance.
3. The Apologist Excuse Machine Kicks In
Christians absolutely hate this verse because it’s impossible to hand-wave away.
But they try anyway.
Here are the greatest hits:
“They meant something else by ‘chew the cud’!”
Nope. The Hebrew word gerah (גֵּרָה) explicitly refers to ruminant behavior in this context.
“Maybe rabbits used to chew the cud but stopped?”
Ah yes, evolution — but only when it saves the Bible from embarrassment.
“It’s metaphorical!”
A metaphor in a list of dietary rules? Sure.
“It’s not a scientific text!”
Funny how it magically becomes a scientific text when Christians brag about “biblical accuracy.”
“God simplified it for the people of that time.”
So God dumbed it down and made it wrong? Fantastic argument.
4. If God Can’t Get Rabbits Right, Why Trust Him on the Big Stuff?
If the Bible can’t correctly describe:
- Rabbits
- Insects
- Bats
- The shape of the earth
- The stars
- The firmament
- The sun’s motion
- The age of humanity
- The ancestry of species
…then why would anyone trust it to describe:
- The origin of life
- The nature of the universe
- The destiny of the soul
- The character of God
- Morality
- Salvation
If a book can’t pass a basic biology quiz, it’s not qualified to be the foundation of absolute truth.
5. The Only Reason This Verse Survives Is Faith — Not Facts
Leviticus 11:6 survives because believers ignore it.
Or explain it away.
Or pretend it doesn’t matter.
But it does matter.
A perfect, omniscient God does not make mistakes about the animals He created.
A scientifically accurate book doesn’t confuse rumination with poop-eating.
This verse reveals exactly what skeptics have said for centuries:
The Bible is a human book, written by humans, with human errors.
Conclusion: If This Is “God’s Word,” God Needs a Biology Lesson
The Bible says rabbits chew the cud.
Biology says they don’t.
Reality wins.
If this is the best “science” God can offer, maybe it’s time to stop pretending the Bible is anything more than ancient people doing their best with limited knowledge.
And often failing spectacularly.
