Do Christians believe the earth is flat or round?
It is commonly stated that because of ignorance, that Christians at one time did not believe that the earth was round until the scientific evidence was so overwhelming that they changed their beliefs. Because of this, Christians are often called “flat earthers” as a derogatory term to indicate their stupidity and to belittle their beliefs. Do Christians believe the earth is flat?
Most don’t know the history of earth shape teaching
Unfortunately, those who make these comments are ignorant of the facts of history and what the Bible says about it. First, history is full of examples of many civilizations and respected individuals that believed the earth was flat. For the record, early Egyptians and Mesopotamians believed the earth was a flat disc floating on the sea. Likewise, poets such as Homer and Hesiod believed the same.
Well respected philosophers such as Thales, Leucippus, Democritus, and others believed the earth was flat until about the 5th century B.C. Even the Jain and Buddhist religious traditions also taught a flat earth belief. Ancient Norse, German, Japanese, and Chinese believed in a flat earth as well.
In the days of Christopher Columbus, it was a common belief that the earth was flat and that if one sailed too far from shore, they would fall off the edge of the earth. Columbus noted that as ships sailed away from a point of observation, they slowly disappeared from view starting with the hull until the only thing that was left to see was the tops of the masts. To sailors, this suggested a hill or curvature of water between the observer and the ship.
Was there conflicts between flat and round earth believers?
So why pick on Christians, saying they believe the earth is flat? Well, a lot of the criticism is based on the persecution by the Catholic Church in Rome of those such as Galileo. He believed that the universe, including the sun, did not rotate around the earth, but that the earth rotated around the sun. The Catholic Church reported on this “Galileo Controversy” by essentially saying that scientists of the day claimed that Galileo did not prove his case scientifically.
Yet, some claim that persecution of Christians in general who didn’t believe the earth was flat, is a myth. In fact, there were many, including the sailors in Christopher Columbus’ day, that still believed in the superstition of a flat earth and sea monsters that would attack ships that went too far from land. This is despite the fact that the science affirming the earth was round had been around nearly 2000 years.
Greek philosophers and geometry scholars knew of a round earth
Greek philosophers Pythagoras in the 6th century B.C. and Parmenides in the 5th century B.C. wrote that the earth was round. This was because of the invention of the Geometry required to prove it was just beginning to be discovered. In fact, Euclid (330-260 B.C.), known as the Father of Modern Geometry, is alleged to have learned mathematics from students of Plato.
Despite Euclid’s relatively late arrival on the scene, if we were to presume that the math necessary to prove the earth was round existed in the 6th century B.C. according to Pythagoras, it does not explain the fact that the prophet Isaiah knew nearly 200 years before the invention of Geometry that the earth was round.
Bible prophets knew of a round earth hung in space before geometry
In the 8th century B.C., the prophet Isaiah wrote in Isaiah 40:22 (KJV) that the earth is a circle:
Isaiah 40:22 KJV. “It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:” (Emphasis mine)
These words, written by Isaiah, clearly refer to the earth being a circle. How did Isaiah know this before Geometry was invented? Better yet, how did he know that the heavens or atmosphere were like a curtain spread out like tent that covered the earth? He knew it the same way that Job knew that the earth hung in space on nothing: because God had told him so. Job knew that the earth was hung upon nothing in space in as stated in Job 26:7
Job 26:7 KJV. “He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing.” (Emphasis mine)
Job is considered by most scholars to be the earliest book written in the Bible. It is amazing that a book written long before “respected scientists” came on the scene reports of the earth hanging in space.
What have Christians really believed about the earth’s shape?
When answering this question about if Christians believe the earth is flat, we come to three conclusions. First, the idea that this was a common belief among Christians has virtually little if any credible supporting evidence. Second, if anything, Christians knew BEFORE non-Christians that the earth was round and hung in space because the Word of God said so. Finally, no matter what a church, movement, or individual says about it, the fact is that God said otherwise in the Scriptures.
How can we test for a round globe earth?
What about those today that do not believe the Scriptures or say that when Isaiah wrote about sitting on the circle of the earth, it was a flat disk like a coin and not a globe? There is a way to prove to them that the earth is a globe, and it is based on Geometry. There is simple and practical way to demonstrate it.
The ball test
Take a large ball like a basketball or even a volleyball and mark a starting point at the top. Then, take a piece of string and hold one end at the starting point and stretch it out over the ball to a point half-way between the top and the bottom and mark a second point. Next make a 90 degree turn to the right and take the same length of string as the first measurement between the first two points and stretch it out from the second point to mark to the end and mark a third point. Finally, make another 90 degree turn to the right and stretch out the string between that point up to the top of the ball and you should arrive at the starting point you marked where you began. All told, you would have traveled in three straight lines and made two 90 degree right turns to end up where you started.
The flat paper test
Now, take a large piece of paper and lay it flat on a table and do the same test. Mark a starting point and travel in a straight line the same distance that you marked out with the string on the ball. Make a 90 degree right turn and make a straight line the same length as the first one and make a mark at the end. Then, make a second 90 degree right turn and make a third straight line the same length as the first two and make a mark at the end. Now, you have traveled in three straight lines and made two 90 degree right turns like you did on the ball.
Compare the ball and paper test results
Now, look where you ended up on the paper. You are one 90 degree turn and another straight line, string length distance away from where you started. If you compare the markings on the ball with the markings on the paper, the markings on the ball make a triangle and the markings on the paper make 3/4 of a square. If you draw a straight line on the flat paper from the third point back to the starting point, you will have a complete square. All told, if you navigate the same way on earth, you will get the same results as you got on the ball. The total travel miles on earth will be 18,000 miles and you will arrive back to the point where you started.
Why are the ball and paper test results different?
So how does this happen then? Because of the geometry of a sphere, like the earth, as you travel in a straight line is not over a flat surface. Instead, under your feet you are also making another 90 degree turn vertically (up and down) under your feet as you travel around the globe. When you make the second 90 degree turn, you are reversing the direction from where you started to the first the 90 degree right turn, only vertically under your feet.
How does the differences affect real world navigation?
Technically, this earth shape test would be the same as traveling from the north pole on top of the globe 6000 miles south to the equator. Then turning 90 degrees toward the west and traveling along the equator another 6000 miles. Then turning north and traveling in a straight line another 6000 miles from the equator back to the north pole. All told you traveled 18,000 miles and your route looks like a triangle if you look straight down on each line. However, in reality your route is shaped more like an upside-down bowl if you look straight down on each line. Or, a piece of bundt cake that is cut into four same size pieces.
North on a map and on a globe are different
Many of us have served in the military or some other service where global navigation had to be done. We learned that if you are using a flat map and compass, you must adjust for magnetic variation differences. These differences are between the true north on a flat map and a magnetic or polar north on a globe. They vary greatly based on how far away we are from the north pole. To assure you are traveling in the desired straight-line direction globally in coordination with a flat map you must make regular adjustments on your mapped compass headings between the two.
When you plot out your route, what starts out as straight lines on a map, but you must take into account your curve in direction related to magnetic north. This is because polar north on a compass can move depending on where you are because of the curvature of the earth. This can often be seen on international airline travel maps where routes look like large, curved lines.
In practice flat maps are of a round earth are distorted
You can often find some maps of the whole earth that look like a it has cuts that are v-shaped curves on the top and the bottom. This is because, like peeling an orange, when the peel is laid flat, it loses the curves that made it one piece. Similar maps can be found that when laid flat make the different countries look bigger or smaller. Their look gets distorted the further they are away from the equator because most maps of real global maps countries are distorted as they are flattened out.
For example, a country that wraps a quarter of the way around the earth that is far away from the equator is tiny by comparison to a country that wraps a quarter of the way around the earth at the equator. That is also why when looking at the east-west border line between the western United States and Canada it often looks curved despite it being in a straight horizontal line that follows a certain path across the earth.
How to respond to those saying Christians believe the earth is flat?
So, if anything, when Christians are called flat earthers, ask those making the remarks to explain how is it that the prophet Isaiah knew the earth was round before geometry was invented by the Greeks? Ask them how Job knew the earth hung in space from nothing even before that? Then be prepared to see who has the lack of knowledge.
At the heart of this issue, is that Biblical illiteracy or ignoring Biblical truth leads to false teaching. God’s Word says in 2 Timothy 2:15-16:
2 Timothy 2:15-16 KJV. “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. {16} But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.”
Final Thoughts
Finally, my motto concerning Biblical application is: “If you know the normal, the abnormal stands out.” Only by knowing the normal according to what God says in our Bible is normal, can we successfully sort out the facts from fiction. So then, to answer the question using the facts, the answer to the question if Christians believe the earth is flat, is: No, we do not.
Dr. Michael L. Williams, Head of Ministry Operations and Technology at Christianity Every Day, is a Christ-centered Author, Educator, Biblical Counselor and Advisor. He is ordained in Pastoral Ministry and formerly the founding Pastor of Selah Mountain Ministries, a church started along with his wife, Pamela Rose, after several years of pastoral experience and training in Biblical Counseling. Selah Mountain provided Biblical counseling and education to the public on how to overcome life issues Biblically on topics such as anger management, marriage, addictions, and other subjects – often referred to as mental illnesses. To learn more about Dr. Mike visit the About page.
