Noah: myth or fact?

Emergence said:

Isn't that what his parables were?

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Exactly what I was thinking. Scary? LOL

Emergence said:

Isn't that what his parables were?

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Jesus based his teachings in the authority of the Scriptures, answering questions by saying; "it is written". (Matthew 21:13) Jesus used parables or illustrations to reach people's hearts with the truth that was based on God's Word. The difference between an illustration and a myth is clear to me.

sageowl said:

Does the Christian world take this story as literal truth? The world wide flood, just about 4000 years ago, 2 of every single species on a boat etc etc?

I must say it seems very implausible. Am I missing something? Are there theories floating around (ha ha) to make this story seem more likely?

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I take it as myth. All the flood stories worldwide may originate in rising sea levels after the last ice age.

Which wouldn't really be a myth, would it???

sageowl said:

Does the Christian world take this story as literal truth? The world wide flood, just about 4000 years ago, 2 of every single species on a boat etc etc?

I must say it seems very implausible. Am I missing something? Are there theories floating around (ha ha) to make this story seem more likely?

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I understand how given prevailing scientific views it seems implausible. If you're open to looking at alternative ideas, there are indeed reasonable theories promulgated by reasonable theorists as to how the Flood could have happened recently. I find it happened a bit more than 5,000 and not 4,000 years ago, by the way--man's written documents halt about 5,000, not 4,000 years ago, because there was a break from writing!

Also, it would depend on your trust in Jesus Christ and the credence you give to the Holy Bible. Jesus and the apostles and prophets spoke and wrote about Noah as a literal, heroic person.

sageowl said:

Does the Christian world take this story as literal truth? The world wide flood, just about 4000 years ago, 2 of every single species on a boat etc etc?

I must say it seems very implausible. Am I missing something? Are there theories floating around (ha ha) to make this story seem more likely?

Click to expand...

I spent the first 30 years of my life as a Baptist, so allow me to comment based on what I was taught during that time...

As a child, I was told about the Bible stories and just believed them because I did not know any better. The same could be said of Santa Claus. A child's mind is very gullible.

As a young adult, I started thinking rationally about the Bible stories and started asking questions. At times I felt blasphemous because my thoughts were straying away from the stories, and into the realm of science. I was looking for ways to explain those stories in a rational way, without contradicting what I was taught about the Bible. Needless to say, it was a daunting task. I was not successful in reconciling those stories with modern science...until I thought about this: most stories are told to either entertain or to teach a lesson.

I have no doubt that some of those stories did happen...just not on the scale that is presented. Cultures will write about things that happen around them, close to home. Once I wrapped my mind around that concept, the stories became far more believable. Many Christians feel the same as I do.

sageowl said:

Does the Christian world take this story as literal truth? The world wide flood, just about 4000 years ago, 2 of every single species on a boat etc etc?

I must say it seems very implausible. Am I missing something? Are there theories floating around (ha ha) to make this story seem more likely?

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You are not wrong. The story as told in the Bible (and in various other regional flood myths) is implausible. Noah is likely based on a real man who put his family and pairs of his domestic animals onto a large river boat when a huge flood struck the Fertile Crescent some 4000-4500 years ago. The story was embellished and edited over time to teach a lesson about how God is good to those who are faithful and also that He would never again destroy the human race (as He regrets it). A 4000 year old Iraqi clay tablet supports this theory. I'll post a link below
http://www.wsj.com/articles/BL-SEB-80479

it's a fact. the details may be off, however theres no reason to think it didn't happen.

Lyndon said:

True Christians???? That would be anyone that follows Jesus, not only people that believe in the Biblical flood and 6000 years, get real!!

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Well said my friend. We must be careful about how we throw around the term "true Christian". There has been a lot of blood shed over the centuries due to this. Personally I have many friends with very different opinions than me and I enjoy talking to them.....and sometimes I even learn something.

Emergence said:

Isn't that what his parables were?

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Yes, A parable is a story, (doesn't have to be about an actual event) used to make a deeper moral or spiritual point.

Literal fact? No. But I do think that something big happened. Flood stories are a common motif in the Middle East, going back at least to the Sumerians.

"Myth" doesn't mean "lie" or "untrue", either.