Bacon and the Geocentric Universe

It is easy to see why many believed in the idea that the earth was at the center of all celestial activity in the seventeenth century. This is, in part, because the church was not only a religious, but also an educational institution and scripture and the bible as they saw indicated that the earth was center of creation and existence. Due to the power of the church, this must have seemed like a very acceptable view, even though new evidence and theories about a sun-centered universe were emerging. Seeing the earth from a biblical point of view allowed for the continued belief n the geocentric model, and upon giving it some thought, if one were to look at Genesis—the story of earth’s creation—there would be no reason to think that the earth shouldn’t be the center of the universe. If all one had to go upon in the seventeenth century was church teachings, this would be perfectly reasonable and of course, settle well with the church since it confirmed the validity of the bible as “scientific” truth.
Also of note, I think it was somehow important for people during the period of the early seventeenth century to have a discernable truth—something they were comfortable and could grasp. While certainly, God is, in some ways, a far-off concept when you get philosophical about it, the people of this time considered Him to be a natural fact, rather than “just one way of looking at things”. Believing that the earth was center of the universe, just as the bible told them, was reassuring to them—it gave them a sense of belonging in the universe and a way to know their place in the grand scheme of things. Certainly, one could argue that as time passed and the century ended, new scientific theories were slowly shattering these long-held beliefs. Isn’t it reasonable to argue that if anything, the geocentric theory provided the average person with a way of being sure about the world—all science aside?