Sabbath Broadcast (UNSHAKEN FOUNDATIONS: THE VICTORIAN MASTERMIND WHO STOPPED THE SPINNING EARTH)
Blessed Sabbath Brothers and Sisters
October 2, 2026
UNSHAKEN FOUNDATIONS:
THE VICTORIAN MASTERMIND WHO STOPPED THE SPINNING EARTH
INTRODUCING DAVID WARDLAW SCOTT:
Unshaken Foundations: The Victorian Mastermind Who Stopped the Spinning Earth
Continuing the series on the men and women who believed and promoted biblical cosmology. Sapphire Stone, in publishing these articles, does not necessarily agree with or endorse the personal views, theories, or conclusions of the individual authors.
"...let God be true, but every man a liar..." — Romans 3:4 (KJV)
David Wardlaw Scott was a Scottish-born Congregational Minister and author who lived much of his later life in Wood Green, London. Prior to focusing on cosmology, he wrote poetry, including The Contrast, and other Poems and Dora Marcel, alongside several religious treatises such as God Misunderstood, The Purpose of the Ages, Hades and Beyond, and Water and the Spirit. He was married to Theodora Scott, and his family included children such as Margaret Annan Scott, Margaret Balfour Scott, and Douglas Gillbee Scott.
Scott’s cosmological framework was anchored in Zetetic astronomy and culminated in his 1901 book Terra Firma: The Earth Not a Planet, Proved from Scripture, Reason, and Fact, which represented the ultimate climax of his life's work. Scott argued that the Earth is not a spinning spherical body orbiting the Sun, but rather an immovable, circular plane resting on fixed foundations and surrounded by impassable waters. His approach combined literal readings of Biblical scripture with practical observational arguments. For example, he cited major engineering projects—such as the Manchester Ship Canal and North Sea Canal—where no allowance was made for curvature, claiming this demonstrated that body waters always maintain a horizontal level. For Scott, modern heliocentrism and evolutionary biology were unprovable fancies that fostered religious skepticism, making his Biblical Cosmology a direct defense of biblical authority however using theologians and lexicons.
Scott was closely affiliated with the Biblical Cosmology movement in England, aligning with organizations such as the Universal Zetetic Society alongside prominent figures like Lady Elizabeth Blount. He credited Biblical Cosmology periodicals with shaping his worldview, explicitly noting in Terra Firma that he was first converted to Zetetic astronomy by reading The Earth (not a Globe) Review. He maintained direct correspondence with leading biblical cosmologists of his era; most notably, he sent his completed manuscript of Terra Firma to "Zetetes" (Albert Smith), the former editor of The Earth (not a Globe) Review, who reviewed the text and wrote back confirming his agreement with Scott's arguments. Scott also drew heavily on and cited other prominent Zetetic authors, such as William Carpenter (One Hundred Proofs that the Earth is not a Globe) and Thomas Winship (Zetetic Cosmogony), weaving their ideas into his final work.
Scott signed off on the preface of Terra Firma in March 1901 and passed away shortly thereafter in April 1901. Terra Firma was quite literally his dying testament—a final labor of love completed at his home desk in Wood Green while battling near-total blindness.
"Modern Astronomy, like the Pagan system from which it has sprung, is an elaborate system of unprovable fancies... so contrary to the Word of God, and so conducive to the promotion of Infidelity"
David W. Scott, 1901 Terra Firma
TERRA FIRMA
By David Wardlaw Scott
1901, London, England
PREFACE TO THE BOOK:
I am now an old man, and, had I consulted my own comfort, would never have penned a line of this book, as for some years I have had cataract in both eyes, so that it was not without difficulty that I could read or write.
So great, however, appeared to be the need, and being still anxious to serve my generation, I determined to undertake this work, in order to expose the fallacies of Modern Astronomy, which are so contrary to the Word of God, and so conducive to the promotion of Infidelity.
I do not enter the lists arrayed in the panoply of Neo-Science, to fight this great Goliath, but only with a few pebbles of the brook, yet I trust that, with God’s blessing, the attempt may not be altogether fruitless.
I am well aware that—
“As it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of Man.”
—Luke xvii. 26.
But, while we should be ever ready for His Coming, it is not for us “to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in His own power.”
—Acts i. 7.
And we are exhorted—
“In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand, for thou knowest not which shall prosper.”
—Ecclesiastes xi. 6.
It may be that these pages may meet the need of some, who have not altogether been misled by unprovable fancies, and who will rejoice to find that the Biblical account of Creation is, after all, the only one which can be depended upon.
And that Modern Astronomy, like its kindred theory of Evolution, that dangerous and degraded form of Buddhist metempsychosis, is nothing but “a mockery, a delusion, and a snare.”
Thus may the eyes of the understanding be cleared of that obstructive cataract, which obscures the sight of many otherwise sound minds, owing to the evil effects produced thereon by “science falsely so called.”
—1 Timothy vi. 20.
Not being a professional Astronomer, I required to read and think much while writing this book, and had to weigh every matter in an even balance, so as to make no statement which is not in strict conformity with Scripture, Reason, or Fact.
I am especially indebted to “The Earth (not a Globe) Review,” which was the means of first inducing me to begin this work—to Dr. Rowbotham’s (Parallax) “Zetetic Astronomy”—to Mr. Carpenter’s “One Hundred Proofs that the Earth is not a Globe”—and to Mr. Winship’s “Zetetic Cosmogony.”
I would also express my best thanks to “Zetetes,” the late Editor of “The Earth (not a Globe) Review,” who, at my request, carefully read my manuscript before its being sent to the Printers, and who, on returning it wrote—
“I am pleased to be in perfect accordance with so much that is in your book.”
I could not expect him to say more, as it rarely happens that men of independent thought can see everything in exactly the same light.
The favourable testimony of such an expert in Astronomic subjects as “Zetetes,” gives me confidence in placing the result of my labour before the Public.
And I sincerely trust that it may not be “in vain in the Lord,” but that it will be helpful to those of my Readers who are desirous of searching out the truth of God, as revealed in His works of Creation.
D. WARDLAW SCOTT
25 Trinity Road,
Wood Green, London.
March, 1901.
TERRA FIRMA
By David Wardlaw Scott
1901, London, England
CONCLUDING REMARKS:
I am thankful to have now come to the closing pages of my book, a work which I would never have undertaken, had I not known the urgent necessity for a strong protest against the assumptions of a false science, which has so greatly tended to foster and increase the infidelity of the day.
Owing to the badness of my sight, during a great part of its progress, both reading and writing have been very trying, and I believe that I never could have done as I have, had it not been as an answer to much prayer, and I can, therefore, the more readily hope for its success.
If I have made any mistakes, I shall consider it a real kindness to be corrected, but I have endeavoured to be very careful, as to the truth of every statement which I have made, and every passage which I have quoted.
Of one thing I am perfectly certain, namely, that I have proved that the Earth is NOT a Planet, and all the Astronomers of Christendom will never be able to overthrow that fact.
I confess that at times I have felt sad that the stability of the Earth should ever have required proving at all, as such shows into what a low condition sin has brought the erring intellect of man.
Another matter, which caused me much pain, arose from reading certain attempts, made by some Christian writers, to reconcile Scripture with Modern Astronomy.
It seemed to me as if Christ were again being wounded in the house of His friends.
—Zechariah xiii. 6.
And Moore’s lines in “The Fire-worshippers” rushed into my mind—
“Oh! colder than the wind that freezes
Founts that but now in sunshine play’d,
Is that congealing pang which seizes
The trusting bosom when betray’d.”
Instead of boldly upholding Scripture, which “cannot be broken.”
—John x. 35.
They coolly speak of this world as “a globe,” as if it were a reality, and plausibly seek to accommodate the phrase to the teachings of a false Astronomy—a terrible mistake, and utterly useless, for one might as soon essay to reconcile iron with clay, as Scripture with Modern Astronomy.
As a kind of soporific to their conscience, they say that Scripture does not attempt to teach science.
Certainly not, as science is taught in the schools, but it never contradicts facts, and, to the true Christian student, it teaches more real science than all the schools and colleges in the world.
Some foolishly say, “What does it matter to us whether the Sun goes round the world, or the world goes round the Sun?”
It ought to matter very much indeed; BOTH statements cannot be true, and it matters everything whether it be God or man who does not speak the truth.
I take my stand with Paul and say—
“Let God be found true, but every man a liar.”
—Romans iii. 4.
It is a matter of FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLE, and in charity I hope that those, who ask such a question, do not think of what it involves, for often, as Hood wisely said—
“Evil is wrought by want of thought,
As well as by want of heart.”
What is there in Modern Science of which we may be so proud?
It is only the old under another name, for as Solomon says—
“There is no new thing under the Sun.”
—Ecclesiastes i. 9.
Adam, before the Fall, intuitively gave names, from their inherent properties, to every beast of the field and fowl of the air.
—Genesis ii. 19, 20.
Before the Flood, his descendant Jubal was “the father of every one handling harp and organ,” and Tubal-Cain, the Vulcan of heathen mythology, was “an instructor of every artificer in brass and iron.”
—Genesis iv. 20, 21.
What could equal the grandeur of Solomon’s Temple, the great halls of Tadmor, or the stately columns of Baalbac?
Who could rebuild the wonderful Ramesseion of Medinet Aboo, or the magnificent temples of Luxor and Karnak, all memorials of the No or No Ammon of Scripture—the hundred-gated Thebes of which Homer sang?
Who could now reconstruct the Great Pyramid of Gizeh, with its Astronomic teachings, and its geometric proportions, or redesign the esoteric adaptations of its marvellous interior?
Mr. Alexander McInnes, a member of the Glasgow University Council, in his able pamphlet, “The Opposition of Science to Religion,” shows that even Electrical Science is only a revival, or rather a further development of the Magnetic Magic exhibited of old, when the statue of Memnon uttered a cry of joy as the Sun arose, and wept as it appeared to set—when a magnetic image of Venus, held suspended in the air, an iron one of Mars—and when Lucian declared he saw “a very old image of Apollo lifted aloft by the priests, and left hanging without any visible support.”
It is fashionable now to exalt Neo-Science at the expense of the old, but I am not loath to think that many useful lessons may be learned from the past, and that, in more arts than one, the Moderns are only now nibbling the left parings of the cheese which the Ancients ate.
With respect, at least, to the Science of the Heavens, our Astronomers have utterly failed to discern the truth, and it would be well for them to return to the “old paths,” and humbly walk therein, with as little delay as possible.
Sir Isaac Newton said—
“The Sun is the centre of the Solar system and is immovable,”
and on this theoretic basis, the calculations of Modern Astronomy have been made.
When Sir William Herschel discovered that the Sun DOES MOVE, as he supposed towards Hercules, and others followed in his wake, surely in common honesty, our Astronomers were bound to confess that their previous theory of a stationary Sun was wrong, instead of which they still continued to palm the results of their former calculations on the public, as if there had been no cause for any change of opinion.
Being a plain man I call such conduct “deceptive,” though, perhaps, the Loyolas of the day would only consider it to be “smart.”
Some may probably imagine that on this point I speak too strongly, but I think not more so than the occasion demands.
It is as useless to palaver with error as to soft-soap a crocodile.
It was not with honeyed words that our Lord rebuked the Scribes and Pharisees, but he boldly exposed their hypocrisy.
—Matthew xxiii. 13–33.
We are told that “the wisdom which is from above is first pure, then peaceable.”
—James iii. 17.
“Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you.”
—James iv. 7.
If this had been done when Modern Astronomy was first introduced, its godless and absurd theories would never have saturated so many minds with infidelity as they have done—if Sacerdotal Ritualism had been nipped in the bud when it first appeared, our land would not now have been shadowed by the upas-tree of Rome.
My dear Reader, for your own sake, as well as for that of our beloved country, be bold and firm against error and evil of every kind.
I have no hesitation in saying that I believe the real source of Modern Astronomy to have been SATAN.
From his first temptation of Eve in the Garden of Eden until now, his great object has been to throw discredit on the Truth of God—
“Yea, hath God said that ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?”
Here the Tempter insinuates the meanness of God in withholding even one fruit from man, and, when Eve replied, that they might eat of every tree except that in the midst of the garden, which they were not even to touch on the pain of death, he at once gave God the lie direct by saying—
“Ye shall not surely die, for God doth know that, in the day ye shall eat thereof, your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.”
—Genesis iii. 1–5.
Just so, when God has so expressly told us in His own Word that the Sun moves round the world, and our own senses corroborate the fact, Satan, by his delusive teaching, daringly asserts that this fact is not true, but that our eyes deceive us, and that the world moves round the Sun.
Thus again he seeks to make us believe that God is a liar, and many, alas! trust the lie of Satan before the truth of God.
This is one of the chief causes of the abounding infidelity in this sceptical age.
Say not, dear Christian Reader, that it matters little to you whether the Sun goes round the world, or the world goes round the Sun, because the PRINCIPLE is involved—whether God or Satan is to be believed.
But, while I am, for the reasons already given, so opposed to Modern Astronomy, I have not the smallest feeling of ill-will against Astronomers themselves, or, indeed, against anyone in the whole world.
I therefore wish well for all our Astronomers personally, hoping the best for them in days to come, and trust that they will forgive any seemingly harsh expressions I may have used, kindly remembering that it was not against themselves, but against their erroneous theories, that my remarks have been made.
“Each one of us shall give account of himself to God.”
—Romans xiv. 12.
And I sincerely hope that each one of my Readers, as well as myself, may be found at last to have been true and faithful to Him.
In His hands I leave this book, praying that it may be for His glory, and our fellow-creatures’ good.
Amen.
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Matthew 5:14-16 (KJV)
Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill can not be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
From the Pen of Inspiration
THE UNERRING STANDARD
"There should be a settled faith in the divinity of God's holy word. The Bible is not to be tested by men's ideas of science, but science is to be brought to the test of this unerring standard. When the Bible makes statements of facts in nature, science may be compared with the written word, and a correct understanding of both will always prove them to be in harmony. One does not contradict the other. All truth, whether in nature or revelation, agrees."
The Signs of the Times (March 13, 1884) / Selected Messages, Book 3, p. 310
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