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From: charlie@cca.UUCP (Charlie Kaufman)
Newsgroups: net.religion,net.misc
Subject: Earth Centered Universe
Message-ID: <5146@cca.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 14-Jul-83 12:43:52 EDT
Article-I.D.: cca.5146
Posted: Thu Jul 14 12:43:52 1983
Date-Received: Thu, 14-Jul-83 19:39:44 EDT
Lines: 17

I  find it interesting to watch the "science" contingent make fun of the
"religion" contingent based  on  the  biblical  statement  of  an  earth
centered  universe  when "everyone knows" the earth spins, it orbits the
sun, which orbits the  galaxy...   What's  amusing  is  that  scientific
doctrine  has  changed  and  no one seems to have noticed.  According to
relativity theory, which is not wholly accepted, but is the current most
widely  recognized  model  of  physics,  there  is  no prefered frame of
reference.  This means that  a  stationary  earth  (the  universe  spins
around it) is as valid a model as any other.

In  my mind, the thing which distinguishes science from religion is that
scientists don't claim to know anything "for sure".   Contrary  evidence
is  always  being  sought and new "facts" created.  A "fact" is simply a
theory with a high degree of confidence.  A corollary  is  that  science
cannot "prove" any (religious or otherwise) statement false.  Scientists
might reasonably challenge the methods by which a conclusion is reached,
but not the conclusion itself.