Here is a good article debunking the flat earth myth, it also includes a referrence to an atheist historian who over 20 years ago wrote showing that the flat eartg tale was untrue.
Link:-The flat earth myth · Creation.com
Alturnatively here is an article by a professional astronomer who supples a lot of maths and technical explanations as to why the astronomical evidence supports a spherical world.
Link:-The Analemma and Flat Earth | Answers in Genesis
Can you cite some credible scientific sources? While I agree that flat Earth was not a blanket belief, Answers in Genesis is certainly not one. The answer is much more nuanced.
Interesting that rather than read what the sources I quote say you make fact free assertions.
Do you know who:- Historian Jeffrey Burton Russell (1934–) thoroughly debunked the flat earth myth over 20 years ago in his definitive study Inventing the Flat Earth
Is, Ive copied direct from the creation.com article and are you familiar with the work of the astronomer I quoted an article from with AiG?
I read the article, and of course I know who Dr Russell was. My point is that your sources that are quoting him are not historically or scientifically credible.
I don’t know what you mean by historically creditable, unless it is that any one with scientific credentials, phds etc etc and is a yec Christian is not creditable.
Being a Christian does not make anyone an authority on science or history. Educational credentials and the intense work required to become a scientist or historian.
One author:-Dr Jonathan Sarfati was born in Ararat, Australia in 1964. He moved to New Zealand as a child and later studied science at Victoria University of Wellington. Dr Sarfati holds citizenships of Australia, New Zealand, and the USA. He obtained a B.Sc. (Hons.) in Chemistry with two physics papers substituted (nuclear and condensed matter physics). His Ph.D. in Chemistry was awarded for a thesis entitled ‘A Spectroscopic Study of some Chalcogenide Ring and Cage Molecules’. He has co-authored papers in mainstream scientific journals on high temperature superconductors and selenium-containing ring and cage-shaped molecules.
The other auther:Dr. Danny Faulkner holds an MS in physics from Clemson University, an MA and a PhD in astronomy from Indiana University, and he taught at the University of South Carolina—Lancaster for over 26 years. He has published over 100 papers in various journals.
May I politely request that you read the articles they wrote and assess from them there relevance.
@DaughterOfEve24, Revelation 7:1 is found in a highly-symbolic and figurative book. Flat-earthers must interpret books and passages of the Bible according to the kind of literature they are, for example, history, letter, song, or apocalyptic, the last of which is the Book of Revelation like many other pieces of literature of that same time, only, of course, inspired of God.
As a result, the verse is clearly figurative when it describes the four “corners” of the earth, just as “four winds” refers to the four directions, not that there are only four winds. We have literal winds from other directions, such as northwest and southeast winds.
Rev 7:1 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, that no wind might blow on earth or sea or against any tree.
The Bible compromises multiple genres, like poetry, prophecy, apocalyptic literature and historical narrative, and wisdom writings, each with its own rules, @DaughterOfEve24 and @Bruce_Leiter
Interpreting everything ignores this, leading to errors like assuming poetic metaphors describe physical reality.
Like
Apocalyptic texts (e.g., Revelation) use symbolic imagery to convey spiritual truths, not blueprints for cosmology.
Apocalyptic texts (e.g., Revelation) use symbolic imagery to convey spiritual truths, not blueprints for cosmology.
2. Key Passages
Rev 77:1, 20:7-8 ad Isa 11:12 are some considerable passages, where there is a claim that a square, flat Earth with literal corners..
In apocalyptic and prophetic genres, “four corners” symbolizes completeness or the four cardinal directions (north, south, east, west) emphasizing God’s global reach. Its like ancient rulers calling themselves “King of the Four Corners” to mean universal dominion, not a literal shape. Revelation’s visionary style (full of beats and seals) isnt a geography lesson…
Earth as Immovable or on Pillars (1 Chronicles 16:30, Psalms 96:10, 1 Sam 2:8, Job 9:6)
Earth is “firmly established” and cannot be moved…
These are from poetic hymns and wisdom literature, using metaphor to highlight God’s unshakeable order amid chaos. Pillars means stability, not literal supports. Job 26:7 counters this by saying God “hangs earth on nothing” aligning more to suspended globe rather than a flat disk.
Sun Standing Still (Joshua 10:12-13)
The sun halting proves it orbits a stationary flat Earth…
Sorry
This historical narrative uses phenomenological language, describing events as they appear to human observers. The miracle is God extending the daylight for Israel’s victory. Theologically, this demonstrates God’s sovereignty over time and nature for redemptive purposes.
Circle of the Earth (Isaiah 40:22): God sits above a circle (flat disk) of Earth
But
Isaiah’s prophetic poetry contrasts God’s transcendence with human fragility. The Hebrew chug means circle or vault, but its not specifying shape, its awe inspiring imagery of God’s throne over creation.
Doctrine of Divine Accommodation
God accommodates revelation to human limitations, like a parent simplifying explanations for a child.
John Calvin articulated this: Scripture speaks in the “language of appearance” to convey salvific truths, not to teach astronomy or geology.
The Bible’s authors wrote in their cultural idiom (eg a three-tiered universe), but the Holy Spirit ensured accuracy in what matters: faith, morality and redemption.
Insisting on literal Scientific inerrancy misapplies the doctrine of inspiration; the Bible is infallible in its intended message, which isnt eath’s shape.
“It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to dwell in;” Isaiah 40:22
Watch/listen to a weather forecast and note the language of ‘ Sun rise and Sun set’ these words used by a modern scientific weather programme are the language of a belief in a Sun that revolves around a flat earth!
The earth is round!
You may be surprised to learn that the Bible revealed that the earth is round. Job 26:10, Prov 8:27, Isaiah 40:22, Amos 9:6. Today, we chuckle at the people of the fifteenth century who feared sailing because they thought they would fall over the edge of the flat earth. Yet the Bible revealed the truth in 1000 B.C. 2500 years before man discovered it for himself!
The earth does appear flat to landlubbers, but if you’ve ever been asea on a clear day, you can see an obvious curvature to the horizion. Especially at dawn and dusk.
There are flat-earthers out there! Not sure if any are on this forum…
But yes, I think that’s a good point that even in our modern day with modern science, we still often use figurative language to describe scientific events. We all know that what the meteorologists mean when they say “sunrise” or “sunset” is that the sun is going beyond the horizon and where we can see it from our vantage point, but not that the sun actually disappeared. The Bible uses similar figurative language at times.
If this doesn’t tell you something… One of the most famous touters of the flat-earth proponents today, at least in pop-culture, is Kanye (Ye) West. *eye-roll*
Anyways, here is the wiki page on modern flat-earth beliefs. You might be suprised to know how many members of the ‘Flat earth Society’ there are around the world. [pun intended]
Note the articles word choices used: ‘Earth is roughly spherical.’ - It is preportedly slightly egged shaped… egg-earthers?
More modern language for you : Round trip ticket. More apt if you’re flying around the world.
If there are any flat-earthers on the forums here, I really would like to know how they fit that into their Christain beliefs.
Well after reading that article i see how they fit that in their beliefs, but maybe way back then everyone believed the earth was flat. Now a days we know the earth is round (i hope it is) because we have the technology that shows it is. I have seen pictures that clearly shows the earths shape from outer space. Now that we know it is round do we read the bible different and say the verses that indicate it to be flat be read as a parable? This i do not know because when the bible was wrote they may have actually believed it was flat. So why make assumption and change how the bible reads because we know the truth now. I say if the bible reads that the earth is flat than let it be read the way it was wrote, doesnt mean that nothing in the bible is true. It just means the apostles didnt have a rocket ship to travel in space and see the shape of the earth. Im with you though Joe the earth is cleary round and to believe otherwise is just a little ridiculous. I think people seem to forget that the bible was wrote by humans, even though everything was wrote and witnessed first hand there is still room for error. As in the earth being flat. God wrote the 10 commandents not the bible, and with this beings said i say lets read the bible as it was wrote and stop trying to make it read the way modern day science says it should be read. Jesus didnt heal people with modern day scientific surgery, He healed them with his hands through miracles.