(Answers In Genesis) To misrepresent and discredit creationists by comparing their position to a belief in a flat earth is a straw-man fallacy. The fact that some people in history believed the earth to be flat highlights the fallibility of man’s reasoning. Throughout history, scientists’ confident assertions have later been disproven, such as the common medical practice of bloodletting or the futile quest of alchemists to turn common metals into gold.
Scientists today are not exempt. We often elevate people in white lab coats as if their conclusions were inerrant. But an extensive education and high IQ can’t overcome any human’s inherent limitations. Scientific findings today are often contested or disproven. …
No matter how precisely the scientific method is followed or how carefully the variables are controlled, the margin for error cannot be eliminated. How much greater the margin for error when scientists seek to make conclusions about events of the past?
Particle-to-person evolution is a belief system built on assumptions about the past. It cannot be tested by the scientific method. Therefore, those who doubt it are not anti-science. Rather than trusting man’s philosophy about the past, biblical creationists trust the Word of the Creator.
Detractors of the Bible might point to passages like Isaiah 11:12, Revelation 7:1, and Revelation 20:8 to claim that the Bible teaches a flat earth. But the phrase, “the four corners of the earth,” must be interpreted within its context, and figurative language must be recognized. When the historical-grammatical approachis followed, “the four corners of the earth” is identified as a figure of speech describing the whole word using the cardinal directions (such as on a compass) from north and south to east and west. The passages are all within prophetic books, which are known for using poetic language.
Interpreting the Bible literally doesn’t mean ignoring figurative language of which the Bible is rich (e.g., 1 Samuel 2:8 and Psalm 75:3 poetically describe the earth as sitting on pillars that God founded). After all, if someone says the sun has set, we don’t accuse him of not understanding that it is the earth that is spinning around the sun.
Being inspired by God the Creator, Scripture describes our globe accurately—including its shape. Passages like Job 26:10, Proverbs 8:27, and Isaiah 40:22 describe the earth’s shape accurately.
Astrophysicist Dr. Jason Lisle made some observations about these passages: