One thing I don't understand is how would satellites in geosynchronous (I don't know how to spell that word) orbit work if the earth was not spinning?

If the progress of science showed later that that conception of the world rested on no sure foundation, that the spheres imagined by our ancestors did not exist, that nature, the number and course of the planets and stars, are not indeed as they were then thought to be, still the fundamental principle remained that the universe, whatever be the order that sustains it in its parts, is the work of the creating and preserving sign of Omnipotent God, who moves and governs all, and whose glory risplende in una parte piu e meno altrove; and though this earth on which we live may not be the centre of the universe as at one time was thought, it was the scene of the original happiness of our first ancestors, witness of their unhappy fall, as too of the Redemption of mankind through the Passion and Death of Jesus Christ. (In Praeclara Summorum 4; my emphasis)

None of us are bound to be geocentrists.

It's a theory, and one that is more believable than the other theory of heliocentrism thrown around as a "fact" regularly.

I lean towards geocentrism as a theory, personally. If it's been proven, great, I haven't heard, but I do know that heliocentrism has NOT been proven, and as such is still a theory.

According to the Catholic physicist Wolfgang Smith, since motion in space is a relative thing, there is no hard physics-based reason to demand heliocentrism...

Lacking hard physics, the question boils down to one of philosophy, and he makes the argument that - from a Catholic standpoint - a philosophical heliocentrism is dangerous and should be jettisoned in favor of a traditional philosophical geocentrism, in accord with immemorial Catholic tradition. His line of argument has persuaded me to stand with tradition in this matter (see his book - Cosmos and Transendence).

According to the Catholic physicist Wolfgang Smith, since motion in space is a relative thing, there is no hard physics-based reason to demand heliocentrism...

Then it stands to reason there is none for geocentrism as well!  Seriously guys, does it really make any difference which is correct?  We're not bound to believe either, but I definitely have a bias towards the individuals with evidence and logic on their side.  If the earth revolves around the sun, does that in any way diminish our dignity as the only creatures made in the image and likeness of God, and destined to spend all of eternity with Him?  Does it lessen His glory in any way?  I can't see how it could.  

We're not bound to believe either, but I definitely have a bias towards the individuals with evidence and logic on their side.  

Who are "the individuals with logic and evidence on their side?"

Would they happen to also be the same people who claim human beings evolved from apes?

Quote from: BTNYC

According to the Catholic physicist Wolfgang Smith, since motion in space is a relative thing, there is no hard physics-based reason to demand heliocentrism...

Then it stands to reason there is none for geocentrism as well!  Seriously guys, does it really make any difference which is correct?  We're not bound to believe either, but I definitely have a bias towards the individuals with evidence and logic on their side.  If the earth revolves around the sun, does that in any way diminish our dignity as the only creatures made in the image and likeness of God, and destined to spend all of eternity with Him?  Does it lessen His glory in any way?  I can't see how it could.  

It most certainly does not lessen God's glory in anyway. In fact the argument could be made that God has us hurtling through space yet giving us the perception that the earth is at rest. And we do not ending up a 100 miles from our starting point by simply jumping up of the ground. He has also been very good to us when we use trampolines or jump from a plane with a parachute.

Now that I'm thinking about it, all they showed us form the Moon landing was photographs of the earth at rest. Why didn't they take film to show it spinning on it's axis? Curious.

Either way, the problem is that the earth moving caused a gigantic shift in perception. Many of us started to feel insignificant, like specks of dust. If you don't believe me, watch an old episode of Carl Sagan from PBS from the late '70s or early '80s. And let us not forget the spinning of the Galileo myth to make the Church seem like a bunch of censors of truth and being against the so-called scientific method.

Einstein and his ever changing equations also should be pointed out to help people think more critically in all areas worth pondering. Instead we live in a scientific dictatorship of sorts where you must believe the scientific dogma or be labeled a fool.

The worse thing that happened, IMO, was that people like Newton attached a chaotic view of the world and a dog eat dog economic system to the universe itself. The idea has been sold that we are simply a bunch of atoms flying off each other and Darwin came along and finished the job with his survival of the fittest nonsense. When the truth of the matter is that God does feed us and has provided everything we need as a gift. Just like it says in Psalm 103.

Think about this. Food really is free. It does grow on trees. But money does not. You have a couple of goats or cows and soon you can have a small heard capable of feeding your family while increasing the amount you have by letting them breed. Lakes and oceans can be fished and its really easy to kill a bird or two or have chickens and geese laying eggs and providing for your needs. All free, or had at the price of a little sweat equity. Unfortunately, they moved us off the land and make us work in factories, at least they did once upon a time, and make us buy our food and everything else with their paper money.

So the cities become the Sun, metaphorically speaking, or centers of mass on earth and man is attracted to it. He gives up his rights to the land and the free food and before you know it he agrees that time is money rather than a gift which makes his existence possible and eats his food out of cardboard boxes. And he does not bother to even question such a life. To him that's just the way it always was.