The earth is fixed at (or near) the center of the universe. The sun and
other planets travel around it. That is what the Bible plainly says
(Ps. 93:1; Ps. 19:1-6; Josh. 10:12-14) and what the evidence indicates.
Source:
Willis, Tom, 2000. "The Laws of Cause and Effect, and the 1st
and 2nd Laws of Thermodynamics have been invalidated by modern science",
Part 2. CSA News 17(2) (Mar/Apr): 1-2.
Jones, Steven, 2005. Geocentric universe.
http://www.midclyth.supanet.com/
Response:
A rotating earth produces observable, and observed, effects:
The most noticeable is the Coriolis effect, the apparent deflection
of the path of an object that moves in a rotating coordinate system.
This affects ocean currents, wind patterns (including the path and
direction of the spin of hurricanes), and iceberg drift. It must be
taken into account when aiming long-range missiles.
The rotation of the earth is also demonstrated by a Foucault pendulum,
the swing of which rotates in relation to the earth's surface as the
earth rotates beneath it. (The rate of rotation equals the rate of
earth's rotation times the sine of the latitude.)
The orbit of the earth around the sun is also observable:
The nearest stars show a parallax. Their apparent position shifts
relative to more distant stars as the earth moves from one side of
its orbit to the other. (The effect is the same as the apparent
movement of a nearby telephone pole relative to distant mountains as
you move a few feet to the side.)
Stellar aberration shows up as the need to point the telescope
slightly ahead of the star's true position, due to the earth's
motion perpendicular to the star. It was first measured by James
Bradley in 1728.
Stars near the plane of the earth's orbit show a radial velocity, a
slight red shift as the earth moves away from them in its orbit, and
six months later, a slight blue shift (Herrick 1935).
Related to radial velocity, the "light time" effect affects the
timing of pulsars and short-term variable stars. General
relativistic calculations are needed to correct for it.
Since the earth's orbit is elliptical, it is closer to the sun in
January than in June. The difference in the apparent size of the
sun can be observed.
If the earth were stationary, these effects could only be explained if
every star in the universe were moving in unison relative to the
earth with a periodic variation that matched the earth's year.
Heliocentrism falls out naturally from the law of universal
gravitation.
Heliocentrism is useful. As implied above, it is used for predicting
hurricane and iceberg paths and for aiming missiles. The space program
would be impossible without it. (The Cassini probe, for example, used
the earth's motion around the sun to slingshot the probe to Jupiter.)
As with all of creationism, strict geocentrism is useless.
To the vast majority of Christians, the Bible is not plainly saying
that the earth is stationary. They have accepted that reality is more
important than their interpretation of what is "plainly" said.
See for Yourself:
You can make your own Foucault pendulum with a weight on a long, thin
cable in a room with a high ceiling. It must be long enough so that air
resistance does not stop it before the rotation is evident, and it should
be sheltered from winds and drafts.
References:
Herrick, Samuel, Jr., 1935. Tables for the reduction of radial
velocities to the Sun. Lick Observatory Bulletin 470: 85-90.
