??? Flat Earth ???
- Nov 15, 2017
- 4 min read
Out of pure curiosity I decided to take a long look at the recent flat earth discussion. It was while I had been studying the scientific discoveries over the past 20 years that have supported the biblical account of creation and further disproven the “Big Bang” theory. The flat Earth theory has gained popularity over the past 10 years after the formation of the “Flat Earth Society”. Only a small group of scientists support this theory while the majority of astrophysicists and cosmologists either discount or refuse to debate it. The merits of the flat earth theory haven’t had basis or enough evidence to bring it to a major debate in forums on geology or astronomy.
Through a flat-earther's eyes
First, a brief tour of the worldview of a flat-earther: While writing off buckets of concrete evidence that Earth is spherical, they readily accept a laundry list of propositions that some would call ludicrous. The leading flat-earther theory holds that Earth is a disc with the Arctic Circle in the center and Antarctica, a 150-foot-tall wall of ice, around the rim. NASA employees, they say, guard this ice wall to prevent people from climbing over and falling off the disc. (In keeping with their skepticism of NASA, known flat-earther conspiracy theorist Nathan Thompson recently approached a man he said was a NASA employee in a Starbucks in mid-May 2017. In a YouTube video of the exchange, Thompson, founder of the Official Flat Earth and Globe Discussion page, shouted that he had proof the Earth is flat — apparently saying an astronaut drowning was that proof — and that NASA is "lying.")
Earth's day and night cycle is explained by positing that the sun and moon are spheres measuring 32 miles (51 kilometers) that move in circles 3,000 miles (4,828 km) above the plane of the Earth. (Stars, they say, move in a plane 3,100 miles up.) Like spotlights, these celestial spheres illuminate different portions of the planet in a 24-hour cycle. Flat-earthers believe there must also be an invisible "anti-moon" that obscures the moon during lunar eclipses.
Furthermore, Earth's gravity is an illusion, they say. Objects do not accelerate downward; instead, the disc of Earth accelerates upward at 32 feet per second squared (9.8 meters per second squared), driven up by a mysterious force called dark energy. Currently, there is disagreement among flat-earthers about whether or not Einstein's theory of relativity permits Earth to accelerate upward indefinitely without the planet eventually surpassing the speed of light. (Einstein's laws apparently still hold in this alternate version of reality.)
As for what lies underneath the disc of Earth, this is unknown, but most flat-earthers believe it is composed of "rocks." [Religion and Science: 6 Visions of Earth's Core]
Then, there's the conspiracy theory: Flat-earthers believe photos of the globe are photo shopped; GPS devices are rigged to make airplane pilots think they are flying in straight lines around a sphere when they are actually flying in circles above a disc. The motive for world governments' concealment of the true shape of the Earth has not been ascertained, but flat-earthers believe it is probably financial. "In a nutshell, it would logically cost much less to fake a space program than to actually have one, so those in on the Conspiracy profit from the funding NASA and other space agencies receive from the government," the flat-earther website's FAQ page explains.
Written by Natalie Wolchover, appeared on Live Science Oct. 26, 2012
It would seem that observable truths:
Differing lengths and angles of shadows.
Parallax; Astronomers use an effect called parallax to measure distances to nearby stars. Parallax is the apparent displacement of an object because of a change in the observer's point of view.
The Coriolis Effect (Force) – Most notable and easiest to understand in the point of view of a Sniper, as many have pointed out. Please do your research on the Coriolis force as it related to the Earth, and this fact alone will leave the Flat Earth Theory Debunked.
Moon Orientation – Very simply, how the moon appears in relation to where you are located. If you are on the northern hemisphere, the moon appears one way. If you are in the southern hemisphere, the moon will appear to be flipped or the opposite at the very moment that the other observer (if you could be two places at once) looks at it.
– Simply put, gravity can’t exist with the flat earth theory, or at least in the way we understand it. Even if gravity was “different” though, it still wouldn’t work. There are literally thousands of sources that prove gravity exists, and there are hundreds of ways to prove it. Though, the Flat Earthers often have to point to the fact that they believe NASA and the governments of the world with their space programs are all fake.
Satellites that orbit the earth; cable, weather, military, news.
Photos from weather balloons.
All other observable planets and stars are spheres.
I have no doubt the earth is a sphere, based on my own observation apart what I was taught in science class. I’ve seen the earth’s curvature on ships at sea and high altitude plane flights. I’ve owned a telescope that I observed the shadow of the Earth on the face of the moon. I’ve also observed Venus and Mars as spheres in space. Astronomy has only confirmed what I have consistently observed. Far too many things I’ve personally witnessed conflict with the flat earth theory. I’ve spent time reading some of the Flat Earth Societies literature and watching their videos. They misrepresent many known laws of physics to make their point. They spend a lot of time refuting NASA and other reputable scientist without offering evidence or proof to substantiate their own claims.
I’m a Christian that believes in God and the Bible before anything else. That is my bias. In all the years I’ve studied astronomy and cosmology, I’ve not found any proof that conflicts with the bible. Every year more evidence further proves the bible is correct. I’ve not found anything in the bible that disproves the earth is a sphere. I believe God has created everything with a system of laws that is consistent throughout His creation.
In conclusion, in the solar system and galaxy that we can see, all the stars and planets have a basic spherical shape and predictable behavior. The world on which we live is a sphere consistent with the other planets God has wonderfully made.
Please do your own research. Consider the evidence as presented by actual astronomers, astrophysicists, cosmologists, and geologists.
https://www.livescience.com/24310-flat-earth-belief.html
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