• Welcome to Religious Forums, a friendly forum to discuss all religions in a friendly surrounding.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Our modern chat room. No add-ons or extensions required, just login and start chatting!
    • Access to private conversations with other members.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon!

Is the biblical story of Noah’s Flood a true account?

Free4all

It's all about the blood
Bubber said:
I would have to say that I have not seen any evidence put forth yet on this forum supporting the flood. However the argument contained in the link posted by PaWs is extensive and contains many links to supporting evidence for it's arguments. I should also add that gnostic put forth a beautifully well reasoned argument that would be perfect with the inclusion of reference material. Frubals to both!
I haven't seen anything approaching this kind of argument supporting the flood however. I think that we can all agree that biblical legends hardly count as evidence. Come on bible dudes, I know you can do it!!!

So far by my count: FLOOD - 0 | NO-FLOOD - 2
I'm in, give me a little time tho. :tigger:
 

TashaN

Veteran Member
Premium Member
uumckk16 said:
Because it's not supported by either logic or evidence?

Neither the mind, soul, dreams of human beings are fully supported by either logic or evidence.

Where is your mind? in your brain? hmmmm

Where is your soul?

Show me your logic now.

Logic is what human beings validate through years. People thought earth was flat, and if you asked them why, they would say, IT'S LOGIC. Later on, the same logic drove them to believe it wasn't flat.

That's how human beings develop and you can't judge what can God do or don't because you are not all knowing like God, you just learn everyday. Just a mere creature struggling to survive, then we judge God??????
 

gnostic

The Lost One
gnostic said:
Surely, the Teletubbies are real.
MdmSzdWhtGuy said:
More real than a Noahic flood.

B.

Well, of course, B. :yes:

It's very well-documented; it's on the headlines of newspapers, on TV, on DVDs, and there are even toys. My niece even has a couple of them.

Have you not seen them for yourself, B? :eek:


ps. They are not really toys. You're actually getting clones. They replicate themselves. *whispers* *whispers* *whispers* :rolleyes: ssshhhh.

pss. When my niece goes to sleep, they get out of the toy-box and do a lot of the cleaning, washing...and milking the cows in the backyard.... That's strange, considering my sister and brother-in-law don't have a backyard.....or have cows. :confused:
 

may

Well-Known Member
Bubber said:
I would have to say that I have not seen any evidence put forth yet on this forum supporting the flood. However the argument contained in the link posted by PaWs is extensive and contains many links to supporting evidence for it's arguments. I should also add that gnostic put forth a beautifully well reasoned argument that would be perfect with the inclusion of reference material. Frubals to both!
I haven't seen anything approaching this kind of argument supporting the flood however. I think that we can all agree that biblical legends hardly count as evidence. Come on bible dudes, I know you can do it!!!

So far by my count: FLOOD - 0 | NO-FLOOD - 2

This awesome event left such an indelible impression on the human race that it has become legendary all over the world.
 

may

Well-Known Member
astarath said:
this story is true...uuhhh..because God said so?!? yeah I am gonna go with that

Consider first the record made by Moses in the book of Genesis. There, we find the specific year, month, and day when the torrent began, when the ark came to rest, and when the earth dried off. (Genesis 7:11; 8:4, 13, 14) Although specific dates are not always recorded elsewhere in Genesis, these dates emphasize the fact that Moses viewed the Flood as a real event. Contrast the Bible’s ring of truth with the classic opening words of many a fable, "Once upon a time . .
 

may

Well-Known Member
If we grant that a great flood could have happened, why have scientists found no trace of it? Perhaps they have, but they interpret the evidence some other way. For example, orthodox science teaches that the surface of the earth has been shaped in many places by powerful glaciers during a series of ice ages. But apparent evidence of glacial activity can sometimes be the result of water action. Very likely, then, some of the evidence for the Flood is being misread as evidence of an ice age.
 

Bubber

Member
may said:

This awesome event left such an indelible impression on the human race that it has become legendary all over the world.
This statement does little to support your theory however. Local floods happen all the time, and every hundred years or so a rather large flood will happen and be blamed on god by an ignorant populace who knows no better. All over the world and accross a time span of a couple thousand years, I find it quite likely that disasterous localized flooding has happened and been blamed on the gods, several times.

You need to provide evidence that supports your flood theory for it to be taken seriously.
 

Bubber

Member
may said:
If we grant that a great flood could have happened, why have scientists found no trace of it? Perhaps they have, but they interpret the evidence some other way. For example, orthodox science teaches that the surface of the earth has been shaped in many places by powerful glaciers during a series of ice ages. But apparent evidence of glacial activity can sometimes be the result of water action. Very likely, then, some of the evidence for the Flood is being misread as evidence of an ice age.
How can a single flood be responsible for such extensively detailed layering? One formation in New Jersey is six kilometers thick. If we grant 400 days for this to settle, and ignore possible compaction since the Flood, we still have 15 meters of sediment settling per day. And yet despite this, the chemical properties of the rock are neatly layered, with great changes (e.g.) in percent carbonate occurring within a few centimeters in the vertical direction. How does such a neat sorting process occur in the violent context of a universal flood dropping 15 meters of sediment per day? How can you explain a thin layer of high carbonate sediment being deposited over an area of ten thousand square kilometers for some thirty minutes, followed by thirty minutes of low carbonate deposition, etc.?

Zimmer, Carl, 1992. Peeling the big blue banana. Discover 13(1): 46-47.

Please note the addition of a reference and data provided can be verified by anybody curious enough, unlike legends from an ancient manuscript.
 

may

Well-Known Member
Bubber said:
How can a single flood be responsible for such extensively detailed layering?quote] its not just any flood
What tremendous changes occurred in earth’s surface with the fall of this vast canopy of water! This immense weight of water apparently caused a shifting and buckling of earth’s relatively thin crust Thus, new mountains were thrust upward, old mountains rose to new heights, shallow sea basins were deepened and new shorelines were established.
the Bible’s explanation that there was a suspended mass of water above the earth in man’s early history! This water vapor would have created the uniformly warm climate that is known to have once existed earth wide. And it was the unleashing of this tremendous reservoir of water, and not simply a severe rainfall, that caused the global deluge. Note how the Bible shows this in its description of the Flood:​
"All the springs of the vast watery deep were broken open and the floodgates of the heavens were opened. And the downpour upon the earth went on for forty days and forty nights."—Gen. 7:11, 12.
 

Bubber

Member
may said:

the Bible’s explanation that there was a suspended mass of water above the earth in man’s early history! This water vapor would have created the uniformly warm climate that is known to have once existed earth wide. And it was the unleashing of this tremendous reservoir of water, and not simply a severe rainfall, that caused the global deluge.
Vapor canopy. This model proposes that much of the Flood water was suspended overhead until the 40 days of rain which caused the Flood. The following objections are covered in more detail by Walt Brown's 1997 book: In the beginning: compelling evidence for creation and the Flood.
  • How was the water suspended, and what caused it to fall all at once when it did?
  • If a canopy holding the equivalent to more than 40 feet of water were part of the atmosphere, it would raise the atmospheric pressure accordingly, raising oxygen and nitrogen levels to toxic levels.
  • If the canopy began as vapor, any water from it would be superheated. This scenario essentially starts with most of the Flood waters boiled off. Noah and company would be poached. If the water began as ice in orbit, the gravitational potential energy would likewise raise the temperature past boiling.
  • A canopy of any significant thickness would have blocked a great deal of light, lowering the temperature of the earth greatly before the Flood.
  • Any water above the ozone layer would not be shielded from ultraviolet light, and the light would break apart the water molecules.
May said:
This immense weight of water apparently caused a shifting and buckling of earth’s relatively thin crust Thus, new mountains were thrust upward, old mountains rose to new heights, shallow sea basins were deepened and new shorelines were established.
How were mountains and valleys formed? Many very tall mountains are composed of sedimentary rocks. (The summit of Everest is composed of deep-marine limestone, with fossils of ocean-bottom dwelling crinoids (Please see Gansser, A., 1964. Geology of the Himalayas, John Wiley and Sons, Ltd., New York.)) If these were formed during the Flood, how did they reach their present height, and when were the valleys between them eroded away? Keep in mind that many valleys were clearly carved by glacial erosion, which is a slow process.

Also keep in mind that the presence of the great flood begs the question of how limestone could even form in the first place.
 

uumckk16

Active Member
The Truth said:
Neither the mind, soul, dreams of human beings are fully supported by either logic or evidence.

Where is your mind? in your brain? hmmmm

Where is your soul?

Show me your logic now.

Logic is what human beings validate through years. People thought earth was flat, and if you asked them why, they would say, IT'S LOGIC. Later on, the same logic drove them to believe it wasn't flat.

That's how human beings develop and you can't judge what can God do or don't because you are not all knowing like God, you just learn everyday. Just a mere creature struggling to survive, then we judge God??????
:rolleyes: I never said logic was the ultimate test of everything. Your reply mostly strikes me as rather tangential. But okay...

I was referring to the idea that all animals from all species from the entire world could possibly be gathered by a few people onto a single boat in a rather short time span. And the idea that all of these animals would survive together for any extended period of time. I fail to see how that is logical.

You hardly addressed the fact that there is no evidence for a world-wide flood. But whatever, others on this thread are already tackling that animal.

Dreams aren't supported by evidence? :areyoucra
 

may

Well-Known Member
Another evidence for the Flood appears to exist in the fossil record. At one time, great saber-toothed tigers stalked their prey in Europe, horses larger than any now living roamed North America, and mammoths foraged in Siberia. Then, all around the world, species of mammals became extinct. At the same time, there was a sudden change of climate. Tens of thousands of mammoths were killed and quick-frozen in Siberia. Alfred Wallace, the well-known contemporary of Charles Darwin, considered that such a widespread destruction must have been caused by some exceptional worldwide event. Many have argued that this event was the Flood.
 

may

Well-Known Member
An editorial in the magazine Biblical Archaeologist observed: "It is important to remember that the story of a great flood is one of the most widespread traditions in human culture . . . Nevertheless behind the oldest traditions found in Near Eastern sources, there may well be an actual flood of gigantic proportions dating from one of the pluvial periods . . . many thousands of years ago." The pluvial periods were times when the surface of the earth was much wetter than now. Freshwater lakes around the world were much larger. It is theorized that the wetness was caused by heavy rains associated with the end of the ice ages. But some have suggested that on one occasion the extreme wetness of the earth’s surface was a result of the Flood.
 

may

Well-Known Member
Geology professor John McCampbell once wrote: "The essential differences between Biblical catastrophism [the Flood] and evolutionary uniformitarianism are not over the factual data of geology but over the interpretations of those data. The interpretation preferred will depend largely upon the background and presuppositions of the individual student
 

may

Well-Known Member
The Truth said:
Is the biblical story of Noah’s Flood a true account?

Why not?

That the Flood did happen is seen in the fact that mankind never forgot it. All around the world, in locations as far apart as Alaska and the South Sea Islands, there are ancient stories about it. Native, pre-Columbian civilizations of America, as well as Aborigines of Australia, all have stories about the Flood. While some of the accounts differ in detail, the basic fact that the earth was flooded and only a few humans were saved in a man-made vessel comes through in nearly all versions. The only explanation for such a widespread acceptance is that the Flood was a historical event.
 

TashaN

Veteran Member
Premium Member
may said:

That the Flood did happen is seen in the fact that mankind never forgot it. All around the world, in locations as far apart as Alaska and the South Sea Islands, there are ancient stories about it. Native, pre-Columbian civilizations of America, as well as Aborigines of Australia, all have stories about the Flood. While some of the accounts differ in detail, the basic fact that the earth was flooded and only a few humans were saved in a man-made vessel comes through in nearly all versions. The only explanation for such a widespread acceptance is that the Flood was a historical event.

I agree with you. Frubals. :)
 

Free4all

It's all about the blood
The Flood (a.k.a. Noah's Flood) is the worldwide cataclysmic event that utterly devastated the earth sometime between 2,000 and 3,000 BC.

The Flood - Physical Evidences
Consider the fossil record: billions of dead things buried in sedimentation ("laid-down-by-water rock") found all over the earth. Geologist Dr. John Morris explains, "Sedimentary rocks, by definition, are laid down as sediments by moving fluids, are made up of pieces of rock or other material which existed somewhere else, and were eroded or dissolved and redeposited in their present location." Over 70% of the earth's surface rock is sedimentary rock (the rest of earth's surface rock is volcanic igneous and metamorphic rock). In these sedimentary rock layers, geologists find some very odd features. For example, fossilized trees buried at all angles, upside-down and right-side-up, often passing through multiple rock layers, obviously the result of a marine cataclysm. These "polystrate" fossils (poly, meaning more than one; strate, meaning rock layer) are a worldwide phenomenon.

Consider the ratios of dead things we find buried in this sedimentary rock: "95% of all fossils are marine invertebrates, particularly shellfish. Of the remaining 5%, 95% are algae and plant fossils (4.74%). 95% of the remaining 0.25% consists of the other invertebrates, including insects (0.2375%). The remaining 0.0125% includes all vertebrates, mostly fish. 95% of the few land vertebrates consist of less than one bone. (For example, only about 1,200 dinosaur skeletons have been found.)"

Also consider the abundant fossil remains of marine life found atop every mountain range in the world. For example, clusters of hundreds of gigantic (300kg/650lbs) oysters found atop the Andes Mountains in South America.

Catastrophism -- The Noachian Flood
Catastrophism is supported by the evidential data. Catastrophism supports the Noachian Flood. Dramatic evidence is everywhere except in the popular press. For instance, who is aware that fossil remains of clams (found in the closed position, indicating they were buried alive) have been found atop Mt. Everest? What about whale fossils and petrified trees that stand upright through multiple sedimentary layers supposedly separated by millions of years? It is a remarkable time to reinvestigate the facts and determine your own position.

more to come...
 

Free4all

It's all about the blood
Could Noah's Ark really hold all the animals that were supposed to be preserved from Flood?

0.gif

0.gif

A growing number of scientists believe that geological evidence indicates our world has undergone a catastrophic flood. This is causing them to question whether or not the biblical account of Noah's ark could be true. Many people are rereading the Biblical description of the Ark to ascertain the feasibility of such a vessel to fulfill its designated purpose in light of present day knowledge of both zoology and our present day knowledge of shipbuilding.
ark-with-house.jpg
Size comparison between average size one-story home and Noah's Ark.

How big was Noah's Ark?

"And God said unto Noah… Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt though make in the ark, and thou shalt pitch it within and without with pitch. And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of… the length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits. A window shalt thou make in the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side therof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it." (Gen. 6:14-16)

Most Hebrew scholars believe the cubit to have been no less than 18 inches long [45.72 centimeters]. This means that the ark would have been at least 450 feet long [137.16 meters], 75 feet wide [22.86 meters] and 45 feet high [13.716 meters]. Noah's Ark was said to have been the largest sea-going vessel ever built until the late nineteenth century when giant metal ships were first constructed. Its length to width ratio of six to one provided excellent stability on the high seas. In fact, modern shipbuilders say it would have been almost impossible to turn over. In every way, it was admirably suited for riding out the tremendous storms in the year of the flood.
These dimensions are especially interesting when compared to those given in the mythical, Babylonian account of the Ark. Here the ark is described as a perfect cube, extending 120 cubits in all directions and with nine decks. Such a vessel would spin slowly round and round in the water and from the standpoint of stability, would be a disaster.
Was the ark big enough to hold the number of animals required?

The total available floor space on the ark would have been over 100,000 square feet, which would be more floor space than in 20 standard-sized basketball courts.
The total cubic volume would have been 1,518,000 cubic feet [462,686.4 cubic meters] --that would be equal to the capacity of 569 modern railroad stock cars.
Now comes the question, how many land dwelling air breathing animals would have had to be taken aboard the ark to survive the flood?
According to Ernest Mayr, America's leading taxonomist, there are over 1 million species of animals in the world.
God only provided the Ark for the protection of humans and land-dwelling, air-breathing creatures. A huge number of animals would not need to be taken aboard the Ark because they are water dwellers. Representatives would be expected to survive the catastrophe. With God's protection against extinction during the Deluge, survival would have been assured.

However, the vast majority of these are capable of surviving in water and would not need to be brought aboard the ark. Noah need make no provision for the 21,000 species of fish or the 1,700 tunicates (marine chordates like sea squirts) found throughout the seas of the world, or the 600 echinoderms including star fish and sea urchins, or the 107,000 mollusks such as mussels, clams and oysters, or the 10,000 coelenterates like corals and sea anemones, jelly fish and hydroids or the 5,000 species of sponges, or the 30,000 protozoans, the microscopic single-celled creatures.
In addition, some of the mammals are aquatic. For example, the whales, seals and porpoises. The amphibians need not all have been included, nor all the reptiles, such as sea turtles, and alligators. Moreover, a large number of the arthropods numbering 838,000 species, such as lobsters, shrimp, crabs and water fleas and barnacles are marine creatures. And the insect species among arthropoda are usually very small. Also, many of the 35,000 species of worms as well as many of the insects could have survived outside the Ark.
How many animals needed to be brought aboard?

Doctors Morris and Whitcomb in their classic book,The Genesis Flood state that no more than 35,000 individual animals needed to go on the ark. In his well documented book, Noah's Ark: A Feasibility Study, John Woodmorappe suggests that far fewer animals would have been transported upon the ark. By pointing out that the word "specie" is not equivalent to the "created kinds" of the Genesis account, Woodmorappe credibly demonstrates that as few as 2,000 animals may have been required on the ark. To pad this number for error, he continues his study by showing that the ark could easily accommodate 16,000 animals.)
But, let's be generous and add on a reasonable number to include extinct animals. Then add on some more to satisfy even the most skeptical. Let's assume 50,000 animals, far more animals than required, were on board the ark, and these need not have been the largest or even adult specimens.
Remember there are really only a few very large animals, such as the elephant, and these could be represented by young ones. Assuming the average animal to be about the size of a sheep and using a railroad car for comparison, we note that the average double-deck stock car can accommodate 240 sheep. Thus, three trains hauling 69 cars each would have ample space to carry the 50,000 animals, filling only 37% of the ark. This would leave an additional 361 cars or enough to make 5 trains of 72 cars each to carry all of the food and baggage plus Noah's family of eight people. The Ark had plenty of space.
The bigger problem would have been the construction of the Ark. But the Bible indicates that Noah did this under Divine guidance and there is no reason to believe he did not hire additional workmen.
How were the animals gathered?

Another enormous problem some have posed is the problem of gathering specimens of each kind of air-breathing land animal and bringing them aboard the Ark. However, the Genesis account indicates that God gathered the animals and brought them to Noah inside the ark two by two. Some have suggested this may have involved the origin of animal migratory instincts or, at least, an intensification of it. We also know that most animals possess the ability to sense danger and to move to a place of safety.
Conclusion

It is evident, when all the facts are examined that there is no scientific evidence that the biblical account of Noah's ark is a myth or fable. The facts support the view that Noah's ark was large enough to carry the number of animals required to repopulate the earth after the flood and that Noah and his family were capable of caring for the animals during their time on the Ark.
The flood of Noah's day was a universal judgment of sin. God destroyed the world that existed at that time because of their wickedness. When we look at nature, with its testimonies to the flood, we are viewing a reminder that God does judge sin. It is also a reminder that God will save those who have faith in Him from judgment. God promised that He would never again destroy the world with water, but that a future judgment would take place. Jesus Christ came into the world to die for our sins and to restore man's relationship with God, so that we need not fear His judgment.
Noah pleaded with the people of his day to have faith in God. They would not listen and the door to the ark was closed. Now, Christ is calling unto the world to once again have faith in God. Will you answer His calling and be saved from future judgment? The decision is yours.


 

Bubber

Member
I don't know why I am going to bother, but I will post this link by PaWs again and hope that somebody will actually follow it and maybe look over it. All that has been posted in support of the flood besides missing any references, is covered in exhausting detail in this link. I really see no reason to cut a paste from it over and over if you cannot be bothered to check these facts yourselves.

http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/faq-noahs-ark.htmlhttp://TalkOrigins.org

Free4all said:
Consider the ratios of dead things we find buried in this sedimentary rock: "95% of all fossils are marine invertebrates, particularly shellfish. Of the remaining 5%, 95% are algae and plant fossils (4.74%). 95% of the remaining 0.25% consists of the other invertebrates, including insects (0.2375%). The remaining 0.0125% includes all vertebrates, mostly fish. 95% of the few land vertebrates consist of less than one bone. (For example, only about 1,200 dinosaur skeletons have been found.)"
BTW, is anybody aware that over the millions of years that life has existed on this planet, land creatures are a relatively recent addition to the fossil record? The vast majority are marine because land animals did not evolve until recently. This explains the abundance of marine fossils, raised up on mountain tops by tectonics. Besides, a great flood would produce far more deaths among land animals than marine wouldn't it? So where is the fossil evidence for that sudden cataclysm.

Please, guys really... check out the link before posting anymore theories, I think you'll find that most of them are dealt with rather handily there.
 
Top