The Final Experiment and Mormonism
Recently Colorado pastor Will Duffy decided to travel to Antarctica to put to the test the flat earther (FE) claim that there is no 24-hour sun in Antarctica. Duffy dubbed this expedition as The Final Experimen. FEs believe the Earth is not an oblate spheroid and that the science demonstrating a spherical Earth is not just wrong, but a lie perpetrated by a globalist anti-flat earth conspiracy that works to keep people from realizing the truth for reasons.
The response of FEs to The Final Experiment reminded me of growing up Mormon because the church, like DEs, has made a long list of claims that can be verified or dismissed by applying rigorous academic analysis. Unfortunately for the church, almost all its claims collapse under independent, peer-reviewed scrutiny. I was raised to believe this was not because the church is wrong, but because there is a vast anti-Mormon conspiracy keeping truth buried.
Duffy did something interesting an invited influential flat earthers (along with globe earthers) to accompany him. The idea was they’d observe together, both FEs and globes, whether the flat earth claim of no 24-hour sun in Antarctica summer is true. Will said if the sun set in antarctica in december he’d admit flat earthers were right and would have to admit he was wrong. Many globers concurred and stated they’d renounce their views and shut down their channels.
However, the flat earth response this ALL-EXPENSES PAID TRIP to the south pole was fascinating and reminded me of the church and its apologists when confronted with DNA or actual Egyptologists. Is the Book of Abraham what Joseph Smith claims? Are Native Americans of Jewish descent? A simple yes or no question with a simple yes or no answer. You’re either right or wrong. Does your claim hold up to the slightest scrutiny?
But what happened after The Final Experiment was announced came out of the Mormon playbook for dealing with scientific or academic repudiations of your claims:
Prominent flat earthers turned down the trip. One said because of demons.
Two flat earthers who accepted were immediately excommunicated and ostracized and labeled shills. They were, apparently, never true FEs or they never actually had faith. Simon Southerton and Thomas Murphy state the very obvious conclusion that DNA findings are problematic for the Book of Mormon.
FEs who had made videos claiming no 24 hour sun suddenly claimed they had never suggested such a thing. They refused to acknowledge video evidence clearly showing their statements on the issue. Past statements were being memory-holed.
Past FE videos claiming no 24-hour sun began to quietly disappear from YouTube.
The apologists emerge. FE followers were told not to trust the final experiment and to make sure to keep in mind:
It had actually been filmed in the arctic six months earlier during arctic summer.
It was going to be green screened in a studio.
They were flying to Antarctica but a giant sun simulator would impersonate the real sun.
It’s all CGI.
Any 24-hour time-lapse video of the 24-hour sun is obviously edited and fake.
- Some flat earthers began to embrace new apologetic theories about a plastic dome being installed over Antarctica and the 24 hour sun being a reflection reflection of the real sun off the plastic.
KEEP IN MIND 1-6 OCCURRED BEFORE THE FINAL EXPERIMENT WENT TO ANTARCTICA.
- As the final experiment wraps up, many flat earth influencers simply stop talking about the final experiment and continue on like nothing happened. Globe earthers are muted on FE live streams and interactions between prominent flat earthers and globe earth influencers are minimized.
And as i enjoyed watching the final experiment it kinda freaked me out. Shit, I’ve participated in this. I’ve seen this. I know this.
The two FEs who went to Antarctica stated they weren’t sure what was happening, but they were clearly wrong about the sun. But they were shunned by this point and were now outsiders.
So new apologetics emerge along with many people simply ignoring uncomfortable reality.
The one thing the FEs will not admit: We were wrong.