Geocentrism
From RationalWiki
The belief that the sun, the planets and all the stars revolve around the Earth. You can thank the Old Testament for the lingering belief in this one. It has at least four verses claiming that the earth "cannot be moved," and one stating that the sun goes around the earth.
This theory was accepted as standard throughout the Western world through the middle ages and the Renaissance It was held up by Scripture and Ptolemy's model of the solar system, which placed all celestial bodies orbiting around the Earth, with epicycles introduced to compensate for the retrograde motion of planets such as Mars The theory was not formally challenged until the works of Nicholas Copernicus, who suggested the idea of a Heliocentric universe in 1514. However, probably as a consequence of the Galileo controversy, his book was still listed on the Index (the list of books banned by the Catholic Church) between 1616 and 1758.
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[edit] For the Bible Tells Us So. (So it must be true, right?)
In order of appearance, the verses are:
- 1 Chronicles 16:30 - Fear before him, all the earth: the world also shall be stable, that it be not moved.
- Psalms 93:1 - The LORD reigneth, he is clothed with majesty; the LORD is clothed with strength, wherewith he hath girded himself: the world also is stablished (sic), that it cannot be moved.
- Psalms 96:10 - Say among the heathen that the LORD reigneth: the world also shall be established that it shall not be moved: he shall judge the people righteously.
- Psalms 104:5 - (Bless the LORD . . .) Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever.
- Ecclesiastes 1:5 - The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose.
Be aware that the psalms were songs sung in praise of Jehovah. Psalms 93 seems to thank Jehovah for the floods (of Noah?). Psalms 96 commands the listener to pray to Jehovah because the gods of other nations are false (idols). Psalms 104 thanks Jehovah for all he created and for his protection against outsiders. (Verse 26 also mentions the Leviathan.)
However - and this is a point that bible fundamentalists overlook - nowhere does the psalmist or any other biblical writer claim to be an astrophysicist.
[edit] The demographics of geocentrism
Modern geocentrism is the domain of a minority of particularly dense fundamentalists. They are few in number but rather vocal, and would like you to know that at least they're not as dumb as those heretic Flat earthers.
Conservapedia's article on geocentrism -- linked above -- is titled "Geocentric Theory." (Note the claim that a "small number of people" believe that the Bible supports geocentrism. Just like a "small number of people" believe that the Bible supports Young Earth Creationism.)
[edit] Biblical Support for Geocentricism
The Bible contains many statements supporting geocentricism.
[edit] The earth is fixed and unmovable
As we know the earth does not have a fixed location in space but instead orbits around the sun. Contrary to modern knowledge however the Bible makes it clear in numerous passages that the earth is fixed and cannon be moved; "He set the earth on its foundations; it can never be moved."(Psalm 104:5), "The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved."(Psalm 93:1), "Say among the nations, ‘The Lord reigns.’ The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved."(Psalm 96:10), "Tremble before him, all the earth! The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved."(1 Chronicles 16:30).
[edit] The sun travels around the earth
Ecclesiastes 1:5 says "The sun rises and the sun sets, and hurries back to where it rises." which certainly seems to be saying that the sun travels around the earth. Psalm 19:6 says "It [the sun] rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is hidden from its heat.".
[edit] Ceasing the rotation of the sun
Joshua 10:12-13 reads "On the day the LORD gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the LORD in the presence of Israel: "O sun, stand still over Gibeon, O moon, over the Valley of Aijalon." So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the nation avenged itself on its enemies, as it is written in the Book of Jashar. The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day."
Aside for the purely mechanical difficulties of having the sun and moon stand still this would only work it the sun were traveling around the earth. For the sun to appear above one city for an extended amount of time the earth would have to stop rotating, it would not matter if the sun were moving or not.
