The Earth is flat

I'll just start with the arguments immediately. Flat Earth CreationismMy opponent attempts to use the Biblical creation story to support his argument that the Earth is flat. I will be arguing that science clearly demonstrates the Earth is a sphere and that this scientific explanation of Earth's shape trumps the Bible's implication of Earth's shape. 1. The Earth Is A SphereThere are many, many scientific observations that both imply and prove the idea that the Earth is spherical in shape. First, we can look at photographic evidence. [1] Many photographs of the Earth have been taken from satellites orbiting the planet. Regardless of which angle a photo is taken from, the Earth appears to be a circle. If the Earth were flat and circular, photographs of Earth from space would appear circular from only one angle. From others, it would appear to be an ellipse or simply a thin line, if taken from the side view. Clearly these photos would not be possible if the Earth were not spherical. Next, we can notice that if the Earth were flat, there would be a distinct edge (where one might fall off.) However, Man has created maps of the world that do not indicate a 'falling off', or edge. There are very few unmapped places left, implying that an edge likely does not exist. [2] Additionally, all parts of the globbed have been seen from satellite imagery and an edge has not been found. Given the size the edge must necessarily be if it exists, the fact that we haven't found one implies its non-existence. Additionally, we can look at the force of gravity and understand why planets are round. As a planet forms, it draws matter toward it. Additionally, the forming planet is rotating. This causes rough edges to be rounded out by new matter being drawn toward the planet. [3] A flat planet cannot form through any scientific means. Additionally, if one did somehow exist (maybe a god created it), it would quickly collapse into a round shape, again due to gravity and rotation. We can observe that the earth often casts shadows on the moon. These shadows always take the form of an oval shape, no matter what specific orientation the Earth is currently at. This implies that the Earth is round. If it were flat, the shadows on the moon would take a radically different shape dependent upon the orientation of the Earth as it relates to the moon (and sun).Another observation supporting the idea that the Earth is round was made long ago. People noticed that as ships left a port, they would appear to sink into the ocean as they got further and further away. This was due to the fact that the earth is round, causing the ship to slowly become hidden by the Earth itself. In a flat world, one would be able to get a telescope and watch a ship sail into the ocean infinitely. This is not the case.Lastly, I'll point out that planes have circumnavigated the globe before. [4] What this means is that they have started at point A, travelled along the circumference of the Earth, and ended up back at point A. This would not have been possible if the world were flat, as the plane would reach a point where the Earth suddenly ended. This did not happen, again showing the Earth to be round. 2. Science vs BibleSo it is quite clear that science shows the Earth to be round. Our next question should be: In this case, does science have more pull than the Bible? The answer is an obvious yes. The veracity of the Bible is meant to be taken on faith, but said faith is no longer a valid reason for believing something whenever physical observations point to a contrary answer. The topic being discussed here today does not relate to some abstract, unproveable idea (like God), but rather a very physical object that exists. It makes sense, therefore, that we would prefer physical evidence in determining the nature of this physical object.Additionally, a large portion of the Bible was told in parable, or metaphor. This makes sense, as there are many abstract concepts in the Bible that cannot be explicitly explained. Instead, parables attempt to describe the nature of said abstract ideas. It's quite possible that the Creation story is one such parable, since the majority of it conflicts with known scientific facts. It's likely (if God is real and the Bible is His Word) that Genesis was meant to demonstrate the thought processes God had in creating the circumstances that made the world possible. One must remember that 2,500 years ago (around the time Genesis was written), Man did not have a deep understanding of science. If the Bible said: "In the beginning, God crafted a Big Bang in such a way that humans would exist 14 billion years later..." and went on to describe the physical proceses he designed to make this happen, Man at that time would be so utterly confused that he would miss the important bits, like why God created the Earth/Man and how he intended the Earth to be. A parable of creation is a much easier way to get his point across. ConclusionScientific evidence clearly shows that the Earth is not flat, but instead round. Furthermore, a literal Biblical explanation does not trump said scientific evidence in terms of reasons for rational belief. Sources:(1) - www.livescience.com/20369-earth-pictures-space.html (2) - www.bbc.com/future/story/20141127-the-last-unmapped-places(3) - http://www.universetoday.com...(4) - http://www.didyouknow.cd...