Otherright
Otherright
Do you think the story of Noah's Ark and the Great Flood is something that is literal or metaphorical? Why do you think this?
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Noah's Ark: Your Opinion
- Thread starter Otherright
- Start date
Father Heathen
Veteran Member
It's obviously a scientific impossibly for countless reasons, and also a rip-off of The Epic of Gilgamesh.
fallingblood
Agnostic Theist
It is metaphorical. This topic has been discussed to death.
Otherright
Otherright
Oh, I was unaware of that. Nevermind then. Personally, I think its just myth. Forget about the boat, the science of the event itself is ridiculous.
RitalinO.D.
Well-Known Member
Only Fundys believe it. Never happened.
Kilgore Trout
Misanthropic Humanist
I don't know what the original authors' intentions were. I do know that growing up, during church and Sunday school, it was never presented as anything other than historical fact. Obviously, believing that such a story actually happened is ridiculous, so I understand why many religious people now try to paint it as though it was always "metaphorical."
rockstarwife628
Member
I don't believe this account to be literal - in fact I don't believe much of the OT is meant to be understood as a historical account (Karen Armstrong discusses this, if I'm remembering correctly). I believe there may have been some kind of flood which stands as the grain of truth in the narrative (as in there may have been a flood of some kind at some time), but I don't believe the story of Noah and the flood is in itself completely true. It also seems to have been a retelling of events found in Gilgamesh, which would make sense given the influence that culture had on Judaism....
outhouse
Atheistically
yes its when the Euphrates overflowed in 2900BC from a attested flood.
A man went down the flooded river on a barge with livestock on it and went out to sea and survied.
A
angellous_evangellous
Guest
Naw, it was the Mississippi river, the man used a river boat loaded with chickens and pigs.
He was carried to the Gulf and died.
And people thought that it was so funny that they embellished the story a bit.
I don't know about Noah, himself, but the story comes across to me as a symbolic story. And more than one culture has some kind of story similar to it, although not exactly the same.
BruceDLimber
Well-Known Member
It's spiritual metaphor.
The scriptures I endeavor to follow make this clear.
Bruce
The scriptures I endeavor to follow make this clear.
Bruce
Pegg
Jehovah our God is One
I think its literal. I think there really was a great flood that could have been earthwide.
The Jewish christians believed in the flood account. Noah and his sons are listed in genealogical lists with other historically confirmed Isrealites.
And almost every nation on earth, from Australian aboriginals to the ancient Inca tribes have legends of the flood in their myths. Even the chinese language has a character that means ship which is derived from the idea of eight persons in a vessel.
Looncall
Well-Known Member
If that is so, why has your global flood left no traces at all?
Of course everyone has flood stories. Local floods are pretty common, after all.
fallingblood
Agnostic Theist
And those flood stories are said to happen at very different times. And they are said to have occurred when we see evidence of other societies thriving.
Jordan Robert Wilson
Atheist
The story of Noah's Ark is supposed to be read with the same belief as you would read the rest of the book - it never happened.
Pegg
Jehovah our God is One
I wouldnt say there are no traces of a large flood
the grand canyon was carved by water, the dry central deserts of Australia is scattered with aquatic life, there are deep ravines and caves found all over the world full of fossilized remains of ancient animals who were laid down in silt... that spells water. And there are fullgrown mammoths being pulled out of glaciers and even ones being found buried in mud with fresh green grass still in their mouths... they drowned suddenly at some time in the ancient past
I think there certainly is evidence for a worldwide flood, it just isnt attributed to the flood we read about in the bible.
Pegg
Jehovah our God is One
timing is always going to be questionable because people didnt keep accurate records in ancient times
but the fact remains that these cultures have retained remnants of an event that became seared into their psyche... it was obviously a big enough event to cause it to be regarded as legendary.
Warren Clark
Informer
If it has any relevence to lifes existance it would be metaphorical or a large exaggeration.