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The earth was certainly flat...until Columbus sailed the wrong way to find more land and the contrary veiwpoint expressed by a tiny minority proved correct after all.
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This is oft-repeated but factually wrong. Columbus wasn't a pioneer about proving the Earth was round -- even the ancient Greeks knew it was.
http://www.phy6.org/stargaze/Scolumb.htm
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Sometimes the claim is made that those who opposed Columbus thought the Earth was flat, but that wasn't the case at all. Even in ancient times sailors knew that the Earth was round and scientists not only suspected it was a sphere, but even estimated its size.
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The Greek philosopher Aristotle (384-322 BC) argued in his writings that the Earth was spherical, because of the circular shadow it cast on the Moon, during a lunar eclipse. Another reason was that some stars visible from Egypt are not seen further north.
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The simple truth, as I understand it, is that WE HAVE NO EVIDENCE FOR HOW THE UNIVERSE BEGAN.
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There is ample evidence that the universe began with a giant explosion (the Big Bang). What there isn't evidence of, and quite possibly never will be evidence of, is what caused the Big Bang and what, if anything, existed prior to it.
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What troutman said.