Bill,
I think the purpose of the Foucault pendulum was to demonstrate the
rotation of the earth. A related phenomenon would be the spiraling of the
winds into or out of a low or high pressure system. Of course, you might
be able to save geocentricity by making all the laws of physics hopelessly
complicated rather than given by the simple equations we are used to
using.
The people in your church who believe in geocentricity probably don't know
enough science to understand the scientific arguments and are influenced
by the perceived credibility of Mr. Buow.
Gordon Brown
Department of Mathematics
University of Colorado
Boulder, CO 80309-0395
On Thu, 21 Sep 2000, William T. Yates wrote:
> Hi--
>
> I was stunned recently to discover that several people in my church (an
> independent Reformed Baptist church) believed in geocentricity!
> Otherwise normal, rational, and very nice people, I believe they have
> been suckered into taking some Biblical references literally and not
> figuratively. They are aided in this mistake by the Biblical Astronomer
> site of Dr. Gerardus Buow.
>
> I have read his material and as well as I can decipher it, he claims to
> have a solution for the apparent rotation and revolution of the Earth.
> There is a response to these claims on TalkOrigins by E. T. Babinski and
> a theological response posted on the web by Bernard E. Northrup, Th.D.
>
> What I am looking for are arguments, both scientific and theological,
> which will, to the best extent possible, refute the arguments of
> 'modern' geocentricity. Some of the best scientific arguments against
> geocentricity are the superluminal velocities of almost everything in
> the universe required to have them rotate the Earth every 24 hours; the
> variations in the length of the day caused by earthquakes (how would an
> earthquake affect the rest of the universe?); and the latitudinal
> variation in the diurnal aberration of starlight, that is, the apparaent
> displacement of star postions caused by the speed of the Earth's
> rotation, which varies from the equator to the poles. Can anyone think
> of others?
>
> I know these people are sincere in their desire to honor the Word of
> God, but it seems they have strained at a gnat and swallowed a camel.
>
> Thanks,
>
> --Bill Yates
>
>
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