Flat earth, seriously?
 

Have any of you come across people who actually believe the bible teaches the earth is flat, and are making a huge issue out of it?

I know someone who recently swallowed it hook, line and sinker. Unbelievable!

Re: Flat earth, seriously?
 

I know there are followers of that idea who live in the antelope valley near Lancaster, California. But I have never met one.

Re: Flat earth, seriously?
 

Someone posted it on the UPCI Facebook group. They included a link to a YouTube video that had lots of "proofs" from the Bible (all taken out of context of course) that the earth is flat.

Re: Flat earth, seriously?
 

They run on the scriptures that say the earth was set on pillars, and the firmament in the sky is a solid mass, and the circle of the earth is not a sphere. They take things that are poetic imagery of what ancient man would be familiar with -- foundations and pillars -- that are meant to to indicate the sureness of God's creative work, and make these things literal. They believe in literal pillars holding up the earth.

They claim it all means there's a dome around the earth, and the earth is more or less what you'd see if you took the globe and flattened it with the north pole at the centre and the south pole the outer rim of the circle. And the four pillars are placed in four evenly spaced locations around the circle making the four corners of the earth.

It reminds me of the JW's who focus on outward things like a torture stake instead of a cross, hell is only the grave, etc. A totally fleshly, material focus

I tried appealing to my friend who's into it by saying, "who cares?! even if it was true?" But how absurd such an idea is. Wow.

Re: Flat earth, seriously?
 

I have seen it pop up on several Christian sites and it is total nonsense. I almost wonder if it is not just a scam to make Christians look like total buffoons.

Re: Flat earth, seriously?
 

This is what I have against sensationalism and conspiracy theories. They just make Christians lose credibility.

Re: Flat earth, seriously?
 

Flat earth appears to be designed as an attack on geocentricism.

BTW, some of their points are actually valid, although some of their models are unworkable and falsifiable (like explaining sunrise and sunset - the flat earth model doesn't account for what is observed).

Re: Flat earth, seriously?
 

I agree.

Re: Flat earth, seriously?
 

I don't know any that believe in a flat earth, but am incredulous, along with you, that someone could really believe this... wow.

Re: Flat earth, seriously?
 

I am not a flat earther. But I do see that any viewpoint assumed by us to be "obviously and clearly refuted" is easily dismissed, without ever actually examining the claims and the data.

Probably 95% of people who believe the earth is spheroid, believe it because they were told it, and not because they actually investigated and concluded on their own. Which, sadly, seems to be true for most any question. People generally just believe whatever their authorities tell them without much critical examination.