As for the "churchmen" part, do try to lay off of the snide comments about "religious folk," if that was your intent. The geocentric universe was not a Christian theory (it was Ptolemy's--from A.D. Alexandria), and there is mention of the world being round in the Bible.
The geocentric universe was not a Christian theory (it was Ptolemy's--from A.D. Alexandria), and there is mention of the world being round in the Bible.
The Geocentric Universe had nothing to do with the shape of the earth - round or flat. It was a system that placed the Earth in the center of everything. While not strictly Biblical, there are passages in Genesis 1:9 that hint at a flat Earth, as do passages in Psalms (75:3), and at least half a dozen other passages. It was endorsed by many members of the early Church, as were other ancient philosophies (philosophy and science were synonymous back then). There was no attempt to put down religion nor religionists in my post.
The Church has seldom spoken with one voice. While the Pope was the final authority, there have always been those who disagreed with him - and were usually branded heretic. Copernicus’ De Revolutionibus was placed on the Index in 1616 and only removed in 1835. This paper espoused the idea that the Earth was not the center of the universe. In 1633 the Inquisition convicted Galileo of heresy and forced him to recant his support of Copernicus.