Some of you may not understand what 'geocentric' and 'heliocentric' mean. It simply has to do with the position and orbit between the sun and the earth.
If we stop to think about it, just looking outside can't tell us much concerning orbital rotation because our perspective limits our understanding of what we're seeing. The sun does, even from space, appear to moving, but if we went to the sun, and looked at the earth, the earth would appear to be moving. Without being able to go far out into space and film it from a distance in a stationary, third-party perspective, we really can't know for sure, but there are some scientific experiments we can do to give us an idea of what's happening.
Before we get to the experiments involved, let's first look at the Biblical arguments that come from some born-again Christians. Since the Bible is our final authority, we need to look at what information God has given us before we turn to our analysis of experimentation. One of the first arguments a geocentric-believing Christian will present is from the book of Joshua, and though they typically only quote verse 13, I'd like to start at the beginning of the paragraph in verse 12:
Then spake Joshua to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon. And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day.
-Joshua 10:12-13
Go back and read Joshua carefully, and notice that it says "in the sight of Israel." Joshua is speaking to the Lord in verse 12, and all of the people were watching this, so the perspective is from the Jewish people here on the earth, who watch the sun as it appears to move across the sky just as we see it today as earth-bound observerers. As people on Earth, looking up into the sky, the sun stopped moving.
Another important point is to consider is the sun is stood still over Gibeon, and the moon stood still over "the valley of Ajalon," which I believe is the same valley in Gibeon mentioned in Isaiah 28:21. This creates a large problem for the "flat-earth" folks as well, since they believe the sun and moon rotate in circular patterns opposite each other over the earth. The Bible is describing the position of the sun and the moon being at very close angles simultaneously to one another in the sky, which defies the "flat-earth" model.
Notice it also says the sun "hasted not to go down," so I would ask: If this is talking about orbit, how does the sun "go down?" The only time we mention the sun "going down," is when it is setting on the horizon, which is what it appears to do from our earth-bound perspective as the earth rotates on its axis.
Geocentric Christians tend to make the argument, "Why didn't God just come out and say the earth stopped if this was the case?" First of all, God can phrase anything the way He chooses to do it, and if you think that God has to meet your personal standards of phrasing, then the Word of God is not your final authority. (i.e. Your brain is your final authority, which means you have a heart problem that needs to be fixed.) God chose to have this written from Israel's perspective, so we can either choose to accept that or not. Secondly, even if the sun was orbiting the earth, the earth would still have to stop spinning in order for the sun not to move across the sky. This point seems to be ignored because the geocentric Christian tends to overlook that the perspective, and thus, |
Further still, it says "the sun stood still in the midst of heaven," which specifically uses the word 'heaven' singular. This is also important. Three heavens are mentioned in the Bible:
And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.
-Gen 1:7-8
And lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun, and the moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven, shouldest be driven to worship them, and serve them, which the LORD thy God hath divided unto all nations under the whole heaven.
-Deuteronomy 4:19
I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven.
-2 Corinthians 12:2
When the Bible talks about the 'heavens' (plural), it is talking about all three, or the concept of dimensional space in general.
Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
-Genesis 2:1
(New-age versions change the word to the plural 'heavens' in Gen 1:1, making them wrong from the first verse.)
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
-Genesis 1:1
Let's look at correlating verses talking about the movement of the sun:
Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race. His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.
-Psalm 19:4-6
tabernacle (n): a tent; a temporary habitation
(See 'tabernacle', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved Feb 18, 2014 [webstersdictionary1828.com])
Further still, notice that it says "his going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his cicuit unto the ends of it." Are the geocentric Christians trying to tell us that the sun travels across the entire universe in its cycle? This is obviously talking about the sun's coming and going as it appears to us as earth-bound observers looking into the sky (heaven), looking from one horizon to the other.
And finally, "there is nothing hid from the heat," but there are unmeasurable amounts of places in outer-space that are hid from the sun's heat. These are the kind of mental gymnastics one has to perform if they take Joshua 10:13 as talking about outer-space and orbit. This is obviously talking about the sun's coming and going as it appears to us as earth-bound observers looking into the sky (heaven).
So when Joshua 10:13 says "the sun stood still in the midst of heaven," it stopped moving across the sky as we would observe it standing on the earth and looking up into the sky. This makes it easy to understand for the average layman reading his/her Bible (giving understanding to the simple - Psa 119:130), and doesn't require outside knowledge of the universe to create an interpretation.
In discussion with geocentric Christians, I've had the following verses quoted to me:
The LORD reigneth, he is clothed with majesty; the LORD is clothed with strength, wherewith he hath girded himself: the world also is stablished, that it cannot be moved.
-Psalm 93:1
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.
-Psalm 96:10
Fear before him, all the earth: the world also shall be stable, that it be not moved.
-1 Chronicles 16:30
The answer is that geocentric Christians take it out of context, and don't define their terms. Let's consider the following verse:
The LORD reigneth; let the people tremble: he sitteth between the cherubims; let the earth be moved.
-Psalm 99:1
And it shall come to pass after the end of seventy years, that the LORD will visit Tyre, and she shall turn to her hire, and shall commit fornication with all the kingdom of the world
-Isaiah 23:17
The earth is the LORD'S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. For he hath founded it
-Psalm 24:1-2
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
-John 3:16
We also need to define the word "move," which has quite a few different meanings.
move (v): 1. To impel; to carry, convey or draw from one place to another; to cause to change place or posture in any manner or by any means
2. To excite; to affect; to agitate; to rouse
3. To cause to act or determine; as, to move the will
4. To persuade
5. To excite tenderness, pity or grief in the heart (Mat 9:36)
6. To make angry; to provoke; to irritate
7. To excite commotion (Ruth 1:19, Mat 21:10)
8. To influence or incite by secret agency (2Ch 18:31, 2Pe 1:21)
9. To shake or tremble (Psalm 46:5, Jer 49:21)
10. To prompt (Acts 17:28)
(See 'move', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved Feb 20, 2014 [webstersdictionary1828.com])
And they said unto him, We have dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter of it. And Joseph said unto them, Do not interpretations belong to God? tell me them, I pray you.
-Genesis 40:8
The LORD reigneth, he is clothed with majesty; the LORD is clothed with strength, wherewith he hath girded himself: the world also is stablished, that it cannot be moved.
-Psalm 93:1
O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth. 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. Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof.
-Psalm 96:9-11
Fear before him, all the earth: the world also shall be stable, that it be not moved. Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice: and let men say among the nations, The LORD reigneth.
-1 Chronicles 16:30-31
Now let's go back to Psalm 99 and notice the change of words:
The LORD reigneth; let the people tremble: he sitteth between the cherubims; let the earth be moved.
-Psalm 99:1
A geocentric Christian recently emailed me and made the argument that those who are standing firm on God's Word "shall not be moved," just like the earth "shall not be moved," and therefore, the earth does not move. This is an extremely weak argument, but let's address it anyway. As we have already seen, the earth is different from "the world" in Biblical classifications, but let's look closer at this argument:
I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
-Psalm 16:8
And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in all the way of David his father, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left.
-2 Kings 22:2
Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies.
-Psalm 27:11
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
-Psalm 119:105
Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
-Matthew 7:14
There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early.
-Psalm 46:4-5
More arguments from geocentric Christians:
He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing.
-Job 26:7
And they answered the angel of the LORD that stood among the myrtle trees, and said, We have walked to and fro through the earth, and, behold, all the earth sitteth still, and is at rest.
-Zechariah 1:11
The sun and moon stood still in their habitation: at the light of thine arrows they went, and at the shining of thy glittering spear.
-Habakkuk 3:11
And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him.
-Genesis 15:12
The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot entered into Zoar.
-Genesis 19:23
The Bible does not deny or confirm a heliocentric position. The Bible is silent on this matter. |
So after explaining what the Bible does and does not say, which any Christian can pick up and read for him/her self, why is it that I choose to lean towards a heliocentric position? Well, as aforementioned, the Bible doesn't confirm or deny either position, so at that point, I turn to experimental observations if I want to gain that knowledge. Some geocentric Christians who have an axe to grind may complain about this, but the Bible doesn't confirm or deny the existance of digital circuitry and code, yet here we are using them to read articles on websites.
There are many things in the world that the Bible does not mention specifically; this is because is a book of doctrine and spiritual matters, not a science textbook, and therefore, the Bible will not have every specific details about all the things of this world. The Bible does not tell us how to navigate the stars, not does it tell us how to make bagels, and sometimes, we need to fill in the blanks with observation. If God's Word says something specifically about the world, then we take that first and foremost as the truth, despite out presuppositions, but if the Bible is silent, we can use our own observation in conjunction. (Just makes sure not to rely on observation over the Word of God; our senses are not 100% reliable!)
One of the experiments that helps demonstrate the earth's rotation, and its orbital path around the sun, is the Foucault Pendulum:
its natural movement based on Earth's rotation)
If you're driving your car down the highway, you'll notice that bug splatter all over your windshield. That's why most cars have spraying devices that store windshield cleaning fluid on the front side of the vehicle, but rarely on the rear side.
The leading side of the moving object takes the most impact from scattered particles, and this would also apply to the movement of a planet. |
Probes have been sent to the planet Mars, and returned. Very precise calculations have to be made to determine approximately when the probe must leave earth's atmosphere, and arrive at Mars's atmosphere, and vice versa. If the geocentric model was true, in the 300 days it takes for the probe to reach Mars, wouldn't NASA have to calculate to avoid the probe getting caught in the sun's path?
There's no calculation necessary to avoid the sun if it's not in an orbital path. The accuracy of mathematical calculations for probes is more evidence that points to the sun being stationary, and the earth moving around it in orbit like the other planets. |
In discussion with geocentric Christians, I've often gotten a lot of arrogant letters and messages, where they
Cease, my son, to hear the instruction that causeth to err from the words of knowledge.
-Proverbs 19:27
We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.
-1 John 4:6