Noah's Ark Fact or Fiction?

[Hemidakota]

It is rather difficult to cover the "high hills" without covering all the lower lands first...

I highly doubt Mount Everest was there when it happened.

[LittleNipper]

I highly doubt Mount Everest was there when it happened.

Actually, I am of the firm belief that Mount Everest was a result of as a monument to the Great Flood. It resulted from land surface stress and fracturing.

[rayhale]

I've seen in several commentaries that the people in the Bible, was more concerned with the moral of the story than the truthfulness of it. A great example is the Parables of Jesus. Were all his parables based on real life circumstances or were they just generalizations?

Now to the story of Noah's Ark, there are several different things about that story that doesn't make sense, like the number of animals; even at a very small amount of 5,000 if you divide it by 8, the number of people on the ark, then that is 625 animals per person to feed, and that leads me to the next problem, food, even if there was enough space for the animals and people to be on the ark, there needed to be at least one or more arks, full of food, just to feed everyone, now that leads to the next point, what goes in, MUST come out, now I don't want to be too graphic, but it would, not only, be a mess, but no one would be able to breath. Now I'm not discounting the Noah's Ark story on just that, because God could put all the animals to sleep, like He did to Adam, in the Garden of Eden. Or God could have had Angels helping out, having food 'appearing' like he did with the loaves and the fishes, during the Sermon on the Mount, and the Manna in the Old Testament.

[Moksha]

Isn't it great that people who view this as an ancient folktale borrowed from even older civilizations can sit side by side with a biblical flood as an actual event believers on Sundays?

[Moksha]

I've seen in several commentaries that the people in the Bible, was more concerned with the moral of the story than the truthfulness of it.

Two morals spring readily to mind:

1. Be prepared

2. Help save the whales.

A further moral from the story of Noah:

1. If you drink, keep your pants on

2. Take two aspirin when you have a hangover, rather than make strong curses.

:)

[TruthSeekerToo]

I haven't specifically prayed about this (yet) so my thoughts are all personal speculation.

I think there was some kind of deluge. There is a flood story for so many civilizations it boggles the mind. If the story is told by so many peoples it seems reasonable to me that many people escaped the deluge.

I also think "ark" could be symbolic.

I'm open to the story being symbolic or literal or a mix.

I remember about a year ago a man in church mentioned the flood story not being literal. I couldn't believe that someone didn't believe everything literally! Now look at me....

[Guest Godless]

I think Hordak was dead-on.

[Madriglace]

I think I will take what the Bible says until the prophet says differently ... the promise of the rainbow still stands and I have seen one this year so ... works for me.

[Hemidakota]

I went to a site that I believe is Noah's Ark. Do you believe that this could be it?

We confirmed a pattern of iron on this large boat shape.

Had to go there myself because there were opinions against the site and opinions for. The opinions against said there was no pattern of iron.

DV

Fact....or matter of Steel that was produced by Nephi in 600BC. :)

Edited April 21, 2009 by Hemidakota

[Hemidakota]

Just because everything is possible with God doesn't mean everything possible is from God.

Sure he could have flooded the earth then destroyed the evidence to fool scientist. Or the bible could be a product of it's time and Noahs "world" consisted of a few hundred square miles. Similar to how Alexander the great concurred the "world" even though in reality it was only a small portion of 3 continents.

Incorrect...people of that era dwelled from the Missouri to North Carolina down into what was the Caribbean area land mass. However, not crossing to other continents was an issue since they did not want to divide among the earth as commanded. Same problem aroused with Nimrod people in following the council of Noah in dividing the earth.

People, vice to listening to the world for an answer, research it as I did, and then approach the Lord with you suspect is the correct viable answer and then have the faith for the correction. You will be surprised and what will come.

[TruthSeekerToo]

Incorrect...people of that era dwelled from the Missouri to North Carolina down into what was the Caribbean area land mass. However, not crossing to other continents was an issue since they did not want to divide among the earth as commanded. Same problem aroused with Nimrod people in following the council of Noah in dividing the earth.

People, vice to listening to the world for an answer, research it as I did, and then approach the Lord with you suspect is the correct viable answer and then have the faith for the correction. You will be surprised and what will come.

Do you have any specific study materials you can share or did you use only scripture?

[mnn727]

Always wondered how the doves Noah sent out could return with an olive branch if everything was wiped out

While I think there was some kind of flood (probably a ocean comet strike) it was limited -- although probably seems like the whole world to people without satellites able to see the entire earth.

As far as 2 of every animal -- how did the kangaroo's make it to Noah's site.

As you can probably tell I think there is a lot of myth involved and little historical fact. Hostory channel did a show on the Flood and there are 85 different cultures with some kind of Flood myth Centered around the Indian Ocean, the hypothisized a comet stike in the Indian Ocean could account for this - to me its as good an idea as any.

As far as anyone believe the flood is a myth having a problem with the Bible, that depends on what you believe about the Bible-- I see it not as a historical document but as a psued history of Gods dealing with 1 group of people (mainly) Israel and their attempts to explain the world, a series of faith promoting stories woven around their nations oral history. The Bible does not have to be inerrant and historically accurate to teach Gods truths. Even the Bible doesn't claim historical accuracy or inerrancy of itself, it merely says its profitable for study, etc

Edited July 11, 2009 by mnn727

[mnn727]

Can someone believe that they can be baptized for the dead and yet not believe that GOD could make the sun stand still or allow the entire earth to be flooded?

Yes, cetrtainly possible, I am an example of such a person.

God set up laws on how the universe works and God must follow laws also or He would cease to be God

[Dravin]

There are about 5 bible passages that talk about the world not moving or the sun moving Most people took this literally. It was their interpretation.

Galileo discovered that the sun is fixed and it is the world that moves around it. This idea was considered heresy. and he was put on trial. Now it is taught as fact.

The man probably would have loved Helaman 12:14-15. Well assuming he accepted it as scripture.

[Moksha]

As far as 2 of every animal -- how did the kangaroo's make it to Noah's site.

Or returning the marsupials to Australia, the snow tigers to Siberia, the Yak to its northern clime, the orchid to its rain forest. the Germans to the Fatherland, etc ...

The stretching of allegory to literal dimensions requires a dip into the absurd. Still, we should defend the right of those who hold to this way of thinking.

[Dravin]

IIRC if one goes with the narrative my understanding is earth was a pangaea like state (Genesis 10:25) during all this meaning there wouldn't have been an ocean in the way. Of course that's still a long way to travel outside of your home range Terra Firma all the way or not.

Personally I don't know how to reconcile miraculous happenings and our understanding of how the world works. Science sheds all kinds of doubt on the idea of somebody laying dead three days (not on life support or metabolism slowing temperatures) and coming back to life, not only that but in a body that cannot be killed but I truly believe Christ was resurrected. Its interesting how each of us all draw our own lines in the sand about what is just to big/coincidental/complicated to be true or not.

Of course I truly believe that our belief in the resurrection has significant impact on are state in the next life but our decision on wither the flood is allegorical or literal not so much.

Edited July 12, 2009 by Dravin
Changed 1 Chronicles reference to Genesis, it does come earlier in the book afterall.

[desirexnoel]

I went to a site that I believe is Noah's Ark. Do you believe that this could be it?

We confirmed a pattern of iron on this large boat shape.

Had to go there myself because there were opinions against the site and opinions for. The opinions against said there was no pattern of iron.

DV

Personally, I believe anything is possible. I think it would be really neat if it were proven true.

[bmy-]

I think I will take what the Bible says until the prophet says differently ... the promise of the rainbow still stands and I have seen one this year so ... works for me.

You realize that rainbows have always 'existed' right? It's just the refraction and reflections of light off water droplets in the air.

[antsyl]

Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe. I am not concerned to find the spot or the ark.

It is sufficient the the Bible says it happened. I am fine with that. If that didnt happen or if I have to see it to believe it, then what faith do I have. My eyes have lied to me many times. My God has never lied to me.

[CopenKagan]

I hate to bump an old thread, but there was a bit of information that I thought was interesting. I watched a documentary talking about the Earth's underground. They talked about how as you dig deeper, it gets hotter and hotter and how there are tons of species of microscopic organisms living down there. Anyway, to the point. Scientists now believe that there may be more water under the surface of the Earth than there is above it.

Kind of makes you think about Noah's time. If that belief is true, there would be more than enough water to submerge the Earth.

[bmy-]

I hate to bump an old thread, but there was a bit of information that I thought was interesting. I watched a documentary talking about the Earth's underground. They talked about how as you dig deeper, it gets hotter and hotter and how there are tons of species of microscopic organisms living down there. Anyway, to the point. Scientists now believe that there may be more water under the surface of the Earth than there is above it.

Kind of makes you think about Noah's time. If that belief is true, there would be more than enough water to submerge the Earth.

Would there? If that water is above ground.. what would be below it? A cavity of some sort, and if that cavity is not filled.. well.. the water surely isn't going to rise.

[PastorBob]

I went to a site that I believe is Noah's Ark. Do you believe that this could be it?

We confirmed a pattern of iron on this large boat shape.

Had to go there myself because there were opinions against the site and opinions for. The opinions against said there was no pattern of iron.

DV

They found a fossilized wooden vessel in Iran which fits the age and description of Noah's ark, but in the bible the ark is supposed to represent the fetus and the amniotic fluid in swims in, carrying all the animals "two by two" or genetic chromosomes which went into the ark.

[bmy-]

They found a fossilized wooden vessel in Iran which fits the age and description of Noah's ark, but in the bible the ark is supposed to represent the fetus and the amniotic fluid in swims in, carrying all the animals "two by two" or genetic chromosomes which went into the ark.

That's definitely an interesting take..

Unfortunately, it would impress me if it were actually not an analogy.. and scientific facts that could not have been known at that time were actually recorded. But, it's not meant to be. Your take on the situation is really nothing more than finding a pattern by looking for one. It's like the "Bible codes".

[flyswatguy]

The last time the human race was reduced to a handfull of people was 70,000 years ago according to genetic scientists . however creatures have an evolutionary past dating back millions of years , even 70,000 years isn,t enough to get kangeroos in australia and polar bears in the artic , if you really want to have a faith in God thats real your going to have to exspand your mind a lot further than what exists in scripture .

[pam]

if you really want to have a faith in God thats real your going to have to exspand your mind a lot further than what exists in scripture .

I'm not sure I understand fully what you mean by this. Could you explain further?