Rebuttal to Flat Earth argument: Lines of latitude and longitude are distorted to hide the flat earth



LINES OF LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE ARE DISTORTED TO HIDE THE FLAT EARTH or
DISTORTIONS OF LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE MAKE FLAT EARTH SEEM LIKE A SPHERE or
DOES IT MAKE SENSE FOR FLAT EARTH ADVOCATES TO CONTEND THAT DISTORTIONS AND/OR STRETCHING OF LINES OF LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE ON BOTH LAND MASSES AND OCEANS MAKE THE SPHERICAL EARTH MODEL SEEM TO BE CORRECT ON LAND MASSES BUT IT FAILS ON THE OCEANS WHERE IT REALLY CANNOT BE VERIFIED?
PROBLEM STATEMENT AND RESPONSE by T. Mark Hightower 9/19/2017
SUMMARY OF THIS ARGUMENT USED IN FAVOR OF FLAT EARTH THEORY
I cited to a flat earth advocate how the closest distance between Perth Australia and Sydney Australia on the spherical earth model is a little over 2000 miles, whereas the closest distance between these two cities on the flat earth model (azimuthal equidistant map most often cited and shown by flat earth model advocates) is over 5000 miles.  And surely Australians would know that the 2000 mile distance makes sense if they have driven and/or flown between these two cities, whereas the 5000 mile distance is absurd.  How can flat earth advocates explain this?  The explanation I got from the flat earth advocate I posed the question to was that the azimuthal equidistant map is not a correct flat earth map and that they do not yet have a completely correct flat earth map.   Also it was stated that, and here I am doing the best I can to explain how I understood what was said, there is evidence that on land masses on the earth the latitudes and longitudes are distorted and/or stretched to make them come out consistent with the spherical earth model, but out on the oceans where you can’t really know where you are and nobody can check these things, further distortion and/or stretching is done to make it appear that the spherical earth model is correct, when in reality the earth is actually flat.
Although I did not push the point in my conversation with the flat earth advocate, based on the above explanation it seems like flat earth advocates are not able to tell us where well established geographical locations on the earth such as major cities are on their flat earth map.
T MARK HIGHTOWER'S RESPONSE
When I heard the above explanation I thought it seemed to make some sense although I couldn’t quite visualize how this might work.  Later as I have reflected upon this more, I believe that this explanation is convoluted and incoherent.  I find it difficult to explain or to prove that the explanation is convoluted and incoherent.
But if I can bring in some other information that is often seen presented by flat earth theory advocates I think I can clearly show that there is a serious problem here of convolution and incoherence.  Flat earth theory advocates often show the disk shaped flat earth represented by the azimuthal equidistant map and they show the sun and moon circling around the disk in order to explain why those on the earth see what they see and that it is consistent with their flat earth theory.  However, as soon as they claim that the sun and moon are circling around the disk shaped flat earth and that is why we anywhere on the earth see what we see, they have just implied that those on the earth can know where they are on the earth in terms of the flat earth model and its map.
But it was previously said that flat earth advocates do not yet have a flat earth map.  I say if they do not have a flat earth map, they have no business speculating about what is moving around above their undefined flat disk shaped earth.
My challenge to flat earth theory advocates is that they should start locating well know geographical locations on their flat earth map.  May I suggest the following list of cities well distributed on the earth:  Sao Paulo, Brazil; Johannesburg, South Africa; Sydney, Australia; Perth, Australia; San Francisco, United States; New York City, United States; Santiago, Chile; London, England; Berlin, Germany; Moscow, Russia; New Delhi, India; Beijing, China; Tokyo, Japan; Honolulu, Hawaii.
If flat earth theory advocates know how the stars, wandering stars, sun, and moon travel above the flat earth, they should be able to use this knowledge to locate where all of these cities are on the flat disk shaped map of the flat earth, and establish where any other cities or locations are on it as well.
END OF PROBLEM STATEMENT AND RESPONSE by T. Mark Hightower 9/19/2017

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