Heliocentrism proposes that the sun is at the axis of the planetary system, and the planets revolve around it.This model emphasizes that; the sun which is heavier than the other planets exerts a higher gravitational force that draws the planets towards its axis. The planets are accelerating towards the centre of the solar system making them acquire a centripetal force that maintains them along a circular path around the sun (National Aeronautics and Space Administration). Conversely, Geocentric model postulates that the earth is at the centre of the universe, with the sun revolving around it (Astrol 801 1). This paper investigates the controversies and illustrations linked to the two models, with the aim of ascertaining if the earth indeed orbits the sun or the reverse happens.
The Roman Catholic Church was the chief supporter of geocentrism. First, they alleged that the earth was stationery and it was situated at the center of the cosmos. This argument was based on (1 Chronicles 16: 14 New International Version) which says that the earth is immovable. Secondly, they postulate that the sun is in motion around the earth because in (Joshua 10:12-13), Joshua successfully requested God to make the sun to ‘stand still’. Next, they hypothesize that the earth is flat, based on (1Thessalonians 4: 16-18) which states that during rupture the dead will rise and together with the living meet Jesus on the air. Similarly, they argued that orbits have a regular spherical shape (Christians verses Astronomies).
To some extent, there are some grounds to the assertion that the earth is flat. Literally, if the earth was indeed globular, and there were some people living on the other side, it means that they would not be able to see Jesus during the time of judgment. Besides, if there were people living on the other side of the globular world, the scripture would have mentioned them in the lineage of Adam. In addition, if the sun was created four days after the earth, one might wonder where the earth was revolving in those four days.
Conversely, there is some irrelevancy in the geocentrists’ arguments. For instance, if the earth was really flat, a straight view of the whole earth could be possible. Furthermore, various observations have noticeably demonstrated the spherical shadow of the earth on the moon. Conversely, the Christians do not explain the force that could possibly maintain the sun’s movement around the earth, whose weight is negligible as compared to that of the sun. Similarly, there are fewer chances that the earth is the only flat planet in the planetary, yet it is subjected to similar forces as other planets (Christian verses astronomy 1).
Going back to the postulation that the earth is flat; notably, the Christians were against the idea of the globular nature of the earth. What disturbed them most was the fact that if indeed people existed on the other side of the earth, they would not be able to behold Jesus during rapture. Nonetheless, even though the Christians did not provide sufficient proof to this allegation, they opposed the proofs given by the scientists without any consideration. In facts a renowned scientist, Galileo, was persecuted by the church for opposing the flat earth opinion (Christian Verses Astronomy).There are strong scientific evidences that offset the allegations that the earth is flat.
First, experiments have established that, identical objects at a considerable distance on the surface of the earth at particular time produce varying shadows. This means that the sun rays reached the objects in diverse ways. This observation can only be attributed to the curving on a spherical earth (NASA). Secondly, space photos of the earth and lunar eclipse indicate curving around the earth planet. Next, the assumption that the earth is flat, automatically contends the presence of gravity. If the earth was indeed flat, the gravitational pull at varying positions would not be the same. This would result tochangeable weight of a specific object on earth; but this does not happen. Also, different time zones can only be attributed to the rotation of a globular earth around its own axis (The True Origin Archive 1).
In conclusion, heliocentrism was endorsed as the original astronomical model over a long period of time. Controversy arose when the geocentrists led by the Roman Catholic Church developedanother model that suggested that the earth was flat and fixed in the centre of the universe. This group used biblical illustrations to support the allegations that the sun orbits the earth as opposed to the heliocentric model. Nevertheless, many scientific researches countered the geocentric model which tends to contend with evident phenomenon like gravity, eclipse, space photographs and time zones. This paper is of the opinion that, the geocentrists should have considered the proof provided by the heliocentrists, in order to counter it with concrete evidence. Also, they should have provided tangible proof to support their model. Furthermore, geocentric contends with obvious phenomenon leading to conclusion that it is a pseudoscience and the earth orbits the sun.
Works Cited
ASTRO 801″Planets, Stars, Galaxies, and the Universe” Web. 24 Feb 2017
https://www.e-education.psu.edu/astro801/content/l2_p4.html
Christians Verses Astronomy “The Earth Orbits That Sun” Web. 24 Feb 2017
https://www.vexen.co.uk/religion/christianity_astronomy.html
National Aeronautics and Space Administration.Web. 24 Feb 2017https://www.nasa.gov/
The Bible.The New International Version, 3rd ed., Oxford UP, 2001.
The True Origin Achive.”Does the Bible say Earth is Flat? “Web. 24 Feb 2017
https://www.trueorigin.org/flatearth01.php