The Flat Earth Tactic

A new blog link has been posted to this site. It is David Anderson's 'The British Centre for Science Education: Revealed.' This particular blog will focus on one of David's blogs entitled 'The BCSE And The Recycling Of Anti-Christian Mythology.' It deals with a common tactic that has been employed against both advocates of intelligent design and Christians who deviate from orthodox norms. It seeks to link the belief in a flat earth to those in the forementioned groups. The following italicized quote is taken from David's linked blog:

The fact that the earth is not flat has been known for over 2,500 years. In fact, in 276BC, one astronomer (Eritosthenes) made a calculation of the size of the earth, to within an impressive degree of accuracy (either within ½% or 17% of the modern value, depending on the question of how his units translate to modern ones).

And contrary to modern mythology, nobody tried to dissuade Christopher Columbus from travelling round the world because of the danger of falling off the end. Columbus' critics and Columbus both acknowledged that the earth is spherical - but protested that the world was too big for him to reach his intended destination by sailing west. As one author writes, " The common impression that Columbus proved that the world is round is completely destroyed when one realizes that he probably never sailed farther west than Cuba, falling far short of circumnavigating the earth." (http://www.creationresearch.org/creation_matters/97/cm9711.html)

That the earth is not a flat piece of land is also implied in the Bible. Indeed the book which may be the very oldest book in the Bible states that the earth is suspended in space:


[God] stretches out the north over empty space; He hangs the earth on nothing.

Job 26:7 - http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Job%2026:7&version=50


So if the belief is not documented in the Bible why even allege it? Of course the motive is to discredit people whose views do not accord with their own. When you see the flat earth ploy you find evidence that those bandying about the phrase would rather mud wrestle than engage in sincere dialog, avoid thinking in favor of flame throwing or maybe just indulge their juvenile impulses.