REASONABLEST

Do creationists believe that the earth rotates about the sun?

Some 500 years ago, while Christianity insisted that the sun revolved around the earth, Copernicus offered the "Heliocentric THEORY" that the earth actually turned on its own axis and orbited the sun. Christians opposed this view.

A hundred years later when Galileo proved that Copernicus was right, the Church, citing the Bible that the earth was stationary, threatened Galileo with torture and death. He recanted his "theory."

For generations thereafter, Protestant and Catholic denominations denounced the Copernican theory as contrary to scripture. Today Christians find the theory of evolution contrary to scripture. If they'd had the power, they likely would have forced Darwin and others to renounce that view as well.

Assuredly, scientists who rely on observation and reason, are right about the earth's movements and evolution. But religionists who believe in divine designs are determined to rationalize those beliefs.

Eventually they will have to embrace organic evolution as surely as they now accept planetary revolution.

Or do they?

ex-robot

If you mean does any one creationist believe this, the answer could be yes. If you mean creationists in general, the answer is no. See the following for more info.


<a href="http://www.answersingenesis.org/home/area/magazines/tj/docs/tjv15n2geocentrism.asp" target="_blank">Geocentricism and Creation</a>

xr

KeithHarwood

Sorry to be nit-picky, but not even professional astronomers believe the earth rotates about the sun. They believe it revolves around the sun. It rotates about its own axis.

theyeti

Actually, there a quite a few creationists who believe in geocentrism. It's bascially just a bit more to the extreme end of what is a long continuum of creationist belief. And like YEC and OEC in general, it's foundation is the Bible. Here are two geocentrist websites: <a href="http://www.geocentricity.com/" target="_blank">Biblical Astronomer</a> and <a href="http://www.csama.org/" target="_blank">CSAMA</a> (Creation Science Association for Mid-America).

That last one is run by Tom Willis, who spear-headed the Kansas school board's decision to remove evolution, references to an old Earth, and the Big Bang from the state science standards. Incredibly, Philip Johnson and the ID movement quickly lined-up to support him.

Geocentrism is relatively rare, as the major YEC organizations (ICR, AiG) do not support it. But I think it's instructive to read through geocentrist material to see how their argumentation style is identical to that of other creationists.

theyeti

[ May 09, 2002: Message edited by: theyeti ]</p>