There exists in our modern world an organization for which the Earth is one immense, flat plain, with the North Pole at the center and
all the continents - North America, Asia, Africa, and the rest - encircle that center. Beyond the continents and the oceans exists the
realm of the South Pole, which forms the impassable outlying barrier beyond exploration. The basic tenet of the Flat Earth Society
is that our world is, indeed, flat. Well, maybe it bulges up a bit in the middle like an upturned saucer, but, you know.
After all, that whole notion about a spherical Earth is so last millenium. Copernicus was the first person to come right out and
say it, even though scholars had pretty much noticed the nature of the world's surface centuries before; and Columbus's voyage kind of
put paid to any competing ideas, at least in the Western world.
But, there are always brave souls who refuse to accept such Godless cosmology, even though it means their Earthly reputation may
suffer. One such stalwart was a fellow by the name of Samuel Birley Rowbotham, who formed the Zetetic Society in the 19th century; he
laid out the zany map described above, refusing to believe otherwise. (Zetetic means, basically, skeptical.) In 1956 the organization
changed its title to the current, more accurate Flat Earth Society (or, to go by its proper name, the International Flat Earth
Research Society).
But, wait - there's more. The organization also believes that the Moon is only 32 miles in diameter, with the mighty Sun only a bit
larger; they both encircle us (not the other way around) from a mere 3,000-odd miles in space. Thus, the Society rejects the whole
crazy notion of a heliocentric universe. After all - judge the empirical evidence for yourself: clearly, we are stationary, while the
heavenly bodies revolve about us.
Not surprisingly, the Society gets part of its inspiration from that immutable bastion of accuracy, the Holy Bible. First Chronicles
16:30 sez, "He has fixed the earth firm, immovable." And Psalm 93:1 offers, "Thou [God] hast fixed the earth immovable and firm." So
there you have it. Case closed, bitches.
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send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to:
Flat Earth News
PO Box 2533
Lancaster CA 93539-2533
But, there are always brave souls who refuse to accept such Godless cosmology, even though it means their Earthly reputation may
suffer. One such stalwart was a fellow by the name of Samuel Birley Rowbotham, who formed the Zetetic Society in the 19th century; he
laid out the zany map described above, refusing to believe otherwise. (Zetetic means, basically, skeptical.) In 1956 the organization
changed its title to the current, more accurate Flat Earth Society (or, to go by its proper name, the International Flat Earth
Research Society).