It has taken me about three months to put out this first post on this topic. It took about two of those three months to process the emotional elements associated with a paradigm shift and the remaining month to more positively embrace and learn about what originally seemed as an archaic and outlandish pile of beefdirt (slightly different from hogwash).
Before considering anything, I want you to first try an experiment. Regardless of what you believe about anything, I want you to approach someone, perhaps a teacher, a lawyer, or someone else of repute and simply make a statement. In order to get them to cooperate, I recommend prefacing the questions with something like this: “I wanted to get your feedback on a few people I know and their positions on things” The first survey question is this:
“Someone I know believes that earth is a kind of experiment and that aliens from another planet put us here. This guy basically believes in aliens. What do you think?”
Now, we are not looking here for their opinion, nor do we care about our own. What we are looking for is their *reaction*. Now it’s time for the second question to the same person:
“Someone else I know believes that there is a God. Like a real person who created the whole world. What do you think about this?”
Again, we don’t care about their opinion or ours, just their *reaction*. Finally, the third and final one:
“This other guy I know believes that the earth is flat and that everything we’ve been taught in our textbooks about the ‘ball earth’ may not be true.”
And note the reaction between all three.
It has been my experience that people will react politely and with respect to the first two. They may disagree, think they are ridiculous or like a fairy tail, but there still an element of respect in the way they communicate. However, what is most intriguing to me is that when someone is presented with the idea that the earth is flat, for some reason this one creates a very clear reaction. It goes like this:
1. Shocked Disbelief
In this first stage you typically hear things like “You’ve got to be joking, right?” and “You aren’t serious, are you?” and “HA, HA, HA!!!”
2. Insulting Ridicule
During this stage, and it comes right away, statements like “Did this person even go to elementary school?” and “Did this person die in the dark ages and wake up today?” or even things like “Does this person even have a brain?” The tone is often quite insulting and loaded with ridicule -akin perhaps to an adult who believes in Santa.
3. Separation
During this stage you will notice that people around the flat earther who is considering the idea that the earth might be flat will be treated as if they had just dropped a nasty fart. Slowly and politely people start separating from them and try to avoid being connected with this person. This person is now socially awkward. Keep in mind that green aliens were not…
4. Anger
Should the person who is considering the flat earth model make it through stages 1 to 3, the next stage is more challenging. Family, friends and anyone else in the tight circle will begin to get a bit angry. Without any in depth study of the model, they will make bold statements such as ‘You’re wrong” and “You need to drop this flat earth thing” and “You are crazy and I don’t want to talk about this any more” or “Seriously, WTF is wrong with you?” You know – angry statements.
So unlike the alien or deities, for some odd reason this topic shakes people up. It really gets to their core. It stirs something up inside of them that other discussion topics don’t. I was left to truly ponder this and think about why it was that such emotions and reactions were incited. In fact, it was these reactions that propelled me to study it beyond a surface glance.
Then I thought about 9/11.
The 9/11 incident used to be in a similar position. When Loose Change came out, it was highly unpopular to discuss the possibility that a power higher than the public authorities and governments may have been involved in the destruction of the buildings and the innocent lives on USA land. Yet after much investigation it is quite obvious that there is either ‘significant proof’ or ‘a strong reason to dispute the public report’. Yet, all of the above stages/reactions could be observed if one were to present such an unpopular idea.
Yet, many of the people I know who believe that 9/11 was an inside job still display the above stages towards me when I present the flat earth idea to them. Even though there is significant physical evidence to support the model, the reactions overpower the willingness to look.
So I was forced again to think about why the flat earth is even more unpopular than 9/11 as a inside job. I have now concluded that the reason is quite simple.
The Bible clearly preaches the flat earth model.
The world hates God, has an agenda against the Bible, and fights tooth and nail against all truth found therein.
Other such examples of faith-based emotion-stirring topics are:
- we evolved from monkeys randomly VS a loving God created us thoughtfully
- me and my interests are most important VS God and God’s interests are most important
- store up treasures in earth VS store up treasures in heaven
- if someone hits you, hit them back VS if someone hits you, turn and let them hit the other cheek, too
- if someone wrongs you, it’s ok to hate them VS forgive your enemy continually
- divorce is ok VS divorce is not ok
- abortion is ok VS abortion is not ok
- homosexuality is normal VS homosexuality is not normal
- we are specks of random dust, on a random ball, flying through space VS we are created beings, on a flat surface on the centre stage of everything God made for us
And so my conclusion is that in order for this topic to be so vehemently opposed, and with such gusto, there must be truly something here worth investigating further.
Stay tuned as I slowly explore this most interesting topic.
I am enjoying your articles on the FE. I am a Pastor and I am very new to the subject matter. While teaching out of Genesis 1 I was converted to a geocentric stationary earth model. I really did not want to look at the FE model because I new that it could be true. So, up until a year ago I continued to hold to a geocentric stationary ball earth. I knew the Bible verses very well which did not conform to a ball earth cosmology. Also, my senses were telling me that there was no curve especially with water which makes up 70 percent of the earth. Another convincing truth was the fact that by siding with a ball earth model, I was in bed with the NASA, the big bang, and evolution which are all lies. So, I am presently putting together a series of messages to teach my church the truth in regards to the shape of the earth. So, I just wanted to thank you for your thoughts concerning this issue. Continue the good work! I really think the movement is growing.
Good news for you. We plan to launch a full-blown community and website on the topic. Can’t release the info yet, but I’ll try to respond to this post whenever it’s done. The group is also publishing a bona fide book on the topic and it is the result of a small group poring over the Bible in extreme depths. This work was not done overnight, nor is it done as a joke or quick work. They are passionate on the topic and believe firmly that this truth is among one of the most important ones since it leads to many other dark lies. If the Bible is true (and it is) on the topic, the house of cards falls down on a bunch of ‘scientific’ fairy tales. Remember this: you WILL be socially outcast. Also, always encourage the congregation to engage their own brains. Ultimately, fight the good fight for the truth – all of it. Onwards brother.
If the earth is flat and finite, meaning it doesn’t just extend forever, what is on the edges that separates it from what lies beyond? Is there a theory about that, and does the flat-earth society believes that nobody has ever been to the edge of the earth?
Hi Mike.
First, we / I / us have nothing whatsoever to do with any kind of society. We’re just thinking and writing. So no connection to whatever this society is to which you are referring. In terms of what lies beyond, I haven’t given it a lot of thought but I believe the Bible and so to me it would be water above the dome. Water lying beyond. That’s where I’ve landed. So, as much as I hate to use this limited analogy, picture a snow globe dunked under water. That. And then somewhere above that is the ‘heavenlies’. This is where the throne of God is. That’s where I’ve landed. One thing is for sure, is that I am not flying through space or spinning. The rest I will figure out over time 🙂 Thanks for your comment. It was a great one. For the edge of the earth, again, my own independent thought on the matter (I haven’t read much of other people’s thoughts) is that the edges are both a) impassible (ie. even if you got there, that’s where your trip would end – see Truman Show for a cute example of what I envision) and b) extreme in weather so that even if you got there, you’d not have a long time you’d want to stay there. That’s where I’ve landed on that one.