Another Argument Against Flat Earth

[A_Thinker]

I wish you well, and hope the best for you and yours. Spherical or flat, we're all in this together.

A perfectly christian response.

Who is denying your christianity ?

 

[Zetetica]

Eh, it just seems rather weak though.

I can understand the existence of other conspiracies because there is more at stake. Something like 9/11 for example where thousands of people died. The prospect of getting on an airplane that might not make it to its destination intact is a very real fear and I can understand why conspiracies evolve out of such tragedies.

But flat Earth? Okay, so let's pretend that NASA is secretly conspiring to convince everyone the world is flat. So? There doesn't seem to be anything at stake here.

That's why I have trouble seeing the motivation.

On the other hand, I can easily see the motivation of people wanting to just troll by pretending to advocate for a flat Earth.

Giving I am failing to find my favorite video on why such a lie exists, I will leave you with another video instead, though it lacks the luster of the one I was hunting for.

 

[Strathos]

I suppose I could see someone at the very fringe of Christianity trying to make an argument for a Biblical Flat Earth. But even that is so fringe it's hard to believe it exists.



Is there no deeper reason though?

The reason I ask is that having done prior research into why people believe conspiracies, there are usually deeper motivations associated with them. Fear seems to be a common factor which is why so many conspiracies arise out of tragedies. It's basically a type of coping mechanism.

Flat Earthism doesn't seem to have anything like that associated with it. There just doesn't seem any reason to believe in it. As far as conspiracies go, it's pretty lame.

There are several issues that contribute to this.

First is a distrust in science. Many people are raised with the belief that the ToE is a Satanic lie and a huge conspiracy invented to discredit Christianity. If they can believe that about one of the most well-attested theories in all of biology, it's not so much of a stretch for them to jump to geocentrism, and then flat earther-ism. After all, if the scientific establishment is lying to us about one thing, why should be trust them in regards to anything else? They just paint NASA and all astronomers and cartographers with the same brush that creationists paint biologists.

Second is the appeal of a conspiracy theory. People believe in massive conspiracy theories because they want to feel special. And the more insane, huge, and ridiculous a conspiracy theory is, the more it makes them feel like the few brave rebels who are standing up to the truth against an evil establishment. It's a juvenile wish-fulfillment fantasy. In reality, the likelihood of any given conspiracy theory being true decreases drastically in proportion to how many people/organizations would have to be involved in covering it up, how long they've supposedly been covering it up, how much evidence they would have to fake, etc. But the more implausible a conspiracy is, the more believers in it will be mocked, and to them, that counts as verification that they're right.

Third is extreme Biblical literalism. There are passages in the Bible that can be interpreted as saying the earth is flat, as well as saying many other things that we know to be scientifically inaccurate. Instead of just accepting that the Bible was never meant to be a scientific description of reality (it's something much deeper than that), they simply take everything at face value, especially when it conflicts with what science says. I'm still waiting for the emergence of the bottlists - the group who insists that meteorology is a huge conspiracy and rain really comes from bottles in the sky, as described (poetically) in the Book of Job.

 

[Zetetica]

Some Flat Earthers are on a mission to convert the world to their beliefs ...

Not me. While I do believe the world is flat, I don't see reason to convert everyone I come across. It's not something everyone can digest and it can even pull sone people into a dangerous labyrinth. It's my belief and I'm okay with that, and feel I'm blessed to have had it revealed to me. I do praise God for this revelation as all others He has given me.

However, if I'm wrong about the world's shape, that's okay and may God forgive me; I'm just a woman.

 

[Zetetica]

A perfectly christian response.

Who is denying your christianity ?

Some in the Introduction area, on a post I decided to make, dealing with "Statement of Faith". I'm not Trinitarian. I follow scripture, I follow God, not doctrines of men.

Thank you for your kind comment, by the way.

 

[Zetetica]

Third is extreme Biblical literalism. There are passages in the Bible that can be interpreted as saying the earth is flat, as well as saying many other things that we know to be scientifically inaccurate. Instead of just accepting that the Bible was never meant to be a scientific description of reality (it's something much deeper than that), they simply take everything at face value, especially when it conflicts with what science says. I'm still waiting for the emergence of the bottlists - the group who insists that meteorology is a huge conspiracy and rain really comes from bottles in the sky, as described (poetically) in the Book of Job.

Goodness! Surely most can understand poetry from literal wording? The poetic language and allegories used is done to emphasize, so it's literal, though only to an extent and here, good reason and God are all which are needed to understand such things.

 

[pitabread]

I follow scripture, I follow God, not doctrines of men.

One of these things contradicts one of the other things.

 

[pitabread]

Surely most can understand poetry from literal wording?

If creationists are anything to go by, apparently not.

 

[Zetetica]

One of these things contradicts one of the other things.

Oh dear! I forgot for a moment you are Agnostic. Sorry! I understand you consider scripture to be doctrines of men.

 

[Zetetica]

If creationists are anything to go by, apparently not.

I'm a Creationist.

 

[USincognito]

Any, it was a question.

Huh?

 

[Zetetica]

Huh?

I was asking a general question and not referencing any group in particular.

By the way, your signature amuses me. I once loved that movie and book.

 

[pitabread]

I understand you consider scripture to be doctrines of men.

Do you own a Bible?

 

[pitabread]

I'm a Creationist.

And?

 

[Strathos]

Goodness! Surely most can understand poetry from literal wording? The poetic language and allegories used is done to emphasize, so it's literal, though only to an extent and here, good reason and God are all which are needed to understand such things.

You'd be surprised at the kind of passages some people insist are or are not literal.

 

[Zetetica]

Do you own a Bible?

Yes.

 

[Zetetica]

You'd be surprised at the kind of passages some people insist are or are not literal.

Perhaps I would be.

 

[patrick jane]

Look it up online folks. Tell me what altitude curvature is visible. I'll wait and then you can all eat your words. See what NASA says while you're at it.

 

[pitabread]

There are several issues that contribute to this.

<snip>

1. Regarding distrust in science, I can understand the issues with accepting the ToE. We're talking about science that is a bit more esoteric once one gets into the details and where conceptualization of things like the evolution of complexity can be difficult. So I can understand people having challenges there.

But the science behind the Earth's curvature is a lot more straightforward and subject to immediate observation. Unless people who believe in a flat Earth have never traveled, ventured much above sea level or looked at the night sky, I have trouble accepting that they are *that* closed off from basic observation.

2. I understand the appeal of conspiracy theories, but I'm not seeing the hook for Flat Earthism as a conspiracy. It consequence free. As I said, so what if NASA convinced everyone the world is flat? There's no point. It's a weak sauce conspiracy theory without any meat to it.

3. I'll admit I'm not as familiar with the Biblical literalist side of this. Heck, I have trouble believing creationists are serious most of the time, so to take it a step further into geocentrism or flat Earthism seems almost too absurd to be real.

Considering the propensity for people to also troll on the Internet, it seems more plausible to me that your average Internet flat-Earther may be just doing it for the fun of it. I mean, how would you ever tell otherwise?

 

[pitabread]

Look it up online folks. Tell me what altitude curvature is visible. I'll wait and then you can all eat your words. See what NASA says while you're at it.

Curvature of what?