Noah's Ark: Figurative or Literal?

Not to mention... if the flood covered the earth, it would have had to rain six miles of water. Mt Everest is nearly 30,000 ft. It would have to have rained enough water to take the ark up as high as a commercial jet, up where the atmosphere is approximately -60 farenheit. Nearly an instant death to anyone who comes in contact with that air.

Just for the sake of giggles; that's 21,969,409,707,803,506 cubic feet of water. That's quadrillions

So you think that's too tough for God? Considering He created everything I'd say that was probably an easy task for Him.

So why does God hate people who live in trailer parks?

And just what makes you think he does Green Witch? The rain falls on the just and unjust alike.

Yeah, but those who live in trailers tend to get trashed, while those who live in mansions just need to do a little yard clean-up.

Green Witch,

People that live in tornado areas, such as where I live, should have the common sense to not live in a trailer. But I think people in New Orleans are kind of nutty for living there too considering they are 200 and some feet below sea level. I know not everyone can afford a well built house. Then again some of those trailers are pretty awesome! :wink:

But the point is bad stuff happens to good people and good stuff happens to bad people. That's just the way life is. Doesn't mean God did it. God is not the God of this world. He gave control of this world over to Satan a long time ago.

No, not too much for god, but it brings up a raft (pun intended) of complications. Assuming that god created enough water (since there is not enough water on or in the planet to accomplish a total flood) to cover the earth, he would have also had to hold the planets in their orbits since he would have increased the mass of the earth by 4% throwing it off into space. He would have had to warmed up the atmosphere by 120 degrees farenheit, then reversed all of it. And for what reason? He screwed up. he disliked the humans he had created, so he picked one family and 46 million critters to stuff into a homemade wooden boat and murdered the rest sending them to hell.

My god wouldn't commit mass murder of everyone on the planet because he screwed up, and she certainly wouldn't condemn them to an eternity of suffering beyond all comprehension.

Oh so it's God's fault because people sin? That is a lie straight from the pit of hell as far as I am concerned. Guess you would have liked it better being a robot? Not me.

What part of "with God ALL things are possible" don't you understand? He could flood the earth one second and in the next dry the water up.

If you don't mind my asking, who is your god?

True debate requires facts not fantasies. Anything can be considered true when one ignores proof. I leave you all to your chatter.

Oh I see, because you don't believe the way I do, it's fantasies? I do appreciate your honesty though and I sincerely mean that Green Witch.

I guess the day that you or anyone else can prove God doesn't exist I might accept that. Yeah, I know. Ya can't prove a negative. I've always found that a pretty lame statement.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bhq7tSELg3o

Wow, how disgusting.

Fresco,

Tell you what, why don't you tell me something that is really important to you so that I can poke fun at it just because I don't agree?

The "flood" was lifted by writers of the OT from the "Epic of Gigamesh" and similar sources.

If that fact is unpalatable to "bible scholars", too bad !

That is opinion Fresco. And by the way, I am sorry I got testy. I really do get tired of it sometimes.

I really find it so disrespectful to make fun of anyone's beliefs like that. No one is asking you to believe what I believe. But I have the right to believe it just as you have a right to not believe it.

I made some disparaging remarks to a Muslim on this forum once. They made it very clear how it effected them and I really felt badly for doing it. I don't agree with Islam but I don't have to make fun of it or be nasty about it.

When you make fun of something, in my opinion, it really weakens your argument, which is exactly what I did when I made those remarks to him :wink:

A.M.

The perpetual pernicious problem is that some people do not have beliefs, they are their beliefs.

I think the video made the point loud and clear and in hilarious fashion too which is always a great combo.

The Noah story provides one of the best illustrations to support the "Documentary Hypothesis" which asserts that four authors over a period of centuries and from different locations in Palestine wrote the Moses books.



You can see the two complete interwoven stories of the Noahic Flood that is illustrated in a side by side format by author here.

No, but why would a perfect god create imperfect people, then realize his mistake, and start over by committing mass murder?


Now who's ridiculing others' beliefs. So quick to condemn others for persecution of your views, yet you call my views "a lie straight from the pit of hell."


sure... but why? That leaves all the fish, whales, and waterfowl to fend for themselves. If you're going to load up two of everything, then kill everything else with water, that's not such a bad deal for water creatures. Now if you argue that god killed everything in the water, why didn't he just snap his fingers and kill everyone without the drama of a flood? Why would god [an omnipotent being] need the spectacle, drama, and pomp of a huge 6-mile-deep flood, then have someone write it in the exact same way other religions have said it for several thousand years?

The more likely answer is (as the jewish leaders have already determined) that the OT is a collection of fictional stories.


The same god as you, only I happen to have been given different truths than you. We've both swallowed them; only my knowledge has come straight from god whereas yours has been filtered through millions of christians before you, and you swallowed what they said instead of what god said.

tons of benthic molluscs are just as sensitive to submarine flood deposits (ungraded sediment runnoff) Continental margins and slopes are quite dynamic. SO, had there been a real worldwide flood, wed expect to see all clams and oysters unavailable for later frying,linguini sauces and stews.
I wonder if Noah thought that far in advance. (Im gonna say NO since Jews dont worry too much about seafood without eyes)
The Bible is light on detail. Thats why RL and AM read so much into it, because it doesnt say that it hasnt considered these details. (BTW all discussions of science details are fairly contemporaneous) There were no big discussions of tectonics and flysch deposits until about the mid 1900's)

As I mentioned before, God was in charge of this project. Whatever Noah might have been lacking, he would have provided. The book of Genesis does not include a cargo manifest for the ark, or a zoological passenger list. It would not have been necessary. All that was necessary was the survival of Noah, Shem, Ham, Japheth, and their wives.

As for whether the Noachian flood story is a regurgagilgamesh, or vice verse, I leave that to further speculation. I go for Noah as the original.