Noah's Ark

[strwbrrydvl]

I recall the main gist of the story and have questions of my own.. If all the animals went in pairs what did they eat? Did they store additional antelope, seals etc on the lower decks or did they survive on love and rainbows? How come Noah didn't swat the mosquitoes?

[Nebula]

Fables don't have to make sense; they just have to have a point.

[tryscotty]

[quote="Nebula"]Fables don't have to make sense; they just have to have a point.[/quote]

The account isn't presented in the Bible as a fable.

[Nebula]

A fable is a fable. It's your choice to believe a fable is true.

[strwbrrydvl]

The bible and all other religious tales are presented as fact. Most fictitious books could be read as real accounts of events but then we use our critical thinking skills instead of our imaginations to differentiate what is real and make believe.

[Nebula]

...then we use our critical thinking skills instead of our imaginations to differentiate what is real and make believe.

Or not.

[tryscotty]

My original point is made. On another subject. If any who have sincere questions regarding the Bible would like to meet in person for coffee to discuss those questions. I would be happy too. Pm me. You will find I do not use my personal opinion as a teaching tool nor dogma. I prefer sound reasoning and facts. No jabs please.

[Glacier]

I recall the main gist of the story and have questions of my own.. If all the animals went in pairs what did they eat? Did they store additional antelope, seals etc on the lower decks or did they survive on love and rainbows? How come Noah didn't swat the mosquitoes?

Animals didn't eat meat until after the flood.

[Corneliousrooster]

Fables don't have to make sense; they just have to have a point.

And the point of the fable of the ark was...........???????? If things are not going your way, take every living creature onto a boat while the "boss man" cleans the slate so we can start back down the road of fallible humans...... (I don't know if the lesson ever really got learned....too much focus on the "tall tale" and not enough focus on the message)

[Nebula]

I didn't say the point had to make sense.

[Corneliousrooster]

I didn't say the point had to make sense.

it was a response to your statement, not a question directed at you - I was more interested in tryscotties read on the "message" or "point" of the fable or biblical fact

[zzontar]

Scientifically speaking, it would be impossible to collect two of each species, then have them reproduce without inbreeding. However, it is completely possible that Noah built an ark on which he put pairs of as many species as he could on board.

[tryscotty]

[quote="zzontar"]Scientifically speaking, it would be impossible to collect two of each species, then have them reproduce without inbreeding. However, it is completely possible that Noah built an ark on which he put pairs of as many species as he could on board.[/quote]

My OP stated that God would insure his purpose was carried out. From a human standpoint your point might make sense. Also there were not just two of every kind. That's a fact many think is there but isn't. The Bible says there are two of a kind and also 7 of a kind. It's interesting that opinions about the Bible are not based on what the Bible actually says. That's not saying all criticism is based on that. My response is not solely based on your comments, just a general response to many.

[Glacier]

Tryscotty, in reference to our earlier discussion, I think you have mistaken my position. I was not trying to be facetious, nor do I at all discount The Flood.

We all know that a diverse number of cultures (189 to be exact) around the world have similar flood myths (despite no known contact between many of them) meaning they are based on something that did happen. Clearly they cannot all be right since the various versions have contrasting details, but one cannot help but marvel at the similarity between the various myths - especially considering many of these cultures only possessed an oral history.

As an aside, I'll also point out that a myth does not equate to an untrue story since many myths have turned out to be true.

Anyway, the big question becomes: which version is the right one (or closest to the truth): Noah's Ark, the almost identical Epic of Gilgamesh, the Austrialian myths, the North American myths, etc.? Since we know that oral stories tend to change over time, it would be logical to conclude that the versions written down at earlier times are more accurate. Therefore, the Hebrew, Babylonian, and Hindi versions would be closer to the true account than Canadian and Australian versions.

Here are a few versions from around the world:

Australia
Bunjil, the creator, was angry with people because of the evil they did so he
caused the ocean to flood by urinating into it. All people were destroyed
except those whom Bunjil loved and fixed as stars in the sky, and a man and
a woman who climbed a tall tree on a mountain, and from whom the present
human race is descended. [Gaster, 1969]

Great Lakes area, Canada
In the beginning of time, in September, there was a great snow. A mouse
nibbled a hole in a leather bag which contained the sun’s heat and the heat
escaped and melted all the snow in an instant. The waters rose to cover even
the highest mountains. One old man had foreseen the flood and warned
everybody, but the others had thought to escape to the hills; they drowned in
the flood. The old man had prepared a canoe and survived, rescuing animals
he came across. After a while he sent in turn the beaver, otter, muskrat and
duck to find land. Only the duck returned, with some mud in its bill. The old
man cast the mud on the water and blew on it, making solid land. [Vitaliano,
1973]

Peru
Long ago, before there were any Incas, the country was populous, but the
ocean broke out of its bounds, the land was covered and the people perished.
Some say that a few people survived in caves on the highest mountains.
Others say that only six people survived on a float. [Frazer, 1919]

Bolivia
The evil supernatural being Aguara-Tunpa declared war against the god
Tunpaete, creator of the Chiriguanos. He set fire to the prairies in autumn,
destroying all the plants and the land animals. The people, who had not then
begun farming, nearly died of hunger, but they retreated to the banks of the
rivers and survived on fish. Seeing people still surviving, Aguara-Tunpa
caused a torrential rain. Acting on a hint given them by Tunpaete, the
Chiriguanos placed two sibling babies, a boy and a girl, on a large mate leaf
and set it afloat on the water. The flood rose, covering the earth and killing
the rest of the Chiriguanos, but the two babies survived and eventually
landed on solid ground when the flood sank. [Gaster, 1969]

Bella Coola (British Columbia)
Masmasalanich, who created man, fastened the earth to the sun to keep
the earth from sinking and to keep the sun at the proper distance. One day
he stretched the rope, so the earth sank and the water ran over it, eventually
covering even the tops of the mountains. A fierce storm broke out at the same
time. Many people who had taken to boats were drowned in the storm, and
others were driven far away. At last Masmasalanich shortened the rope, the
earth rose again from the water, and mankind spread over it. Diversity of
language arose from their being scattered; there was but one speech before
the flood. [Frazer, 1919]

Lillooet (Green River, British Columbia)
A great rain came, making the rivers and lakes overflow the country. A man
named Ntcinemkin took refuge with his family in his very large canoe. The others
fled to the mountains, but the flood rose to cover them, too. The people begged
Ntcinemkin to save at least their children. He didn't have room enough to hold all
of them, so he took one child from each family, alternating males and females. The
flood covered all land except the peak of Split Mountain (Ncikato) on the west side
of Lower Lillooet Lake. When the waters dropped, the canoe grounded on Smimelc
Mountain. Each stage of the water's dropping is marked by a terrace on the side of
the mountain, which can be seen today. [Frazer, 1919]

[steven lloyd]

I once saw a documentary on Discovery Channel (or was it National Geographic?) titled “In Search of Noah’s Ark” that was hosted and narrated by David McCallum. This investigative piece put forward some very compelling evidence not only for the flood, but also for the existence of the Ark. I’m not going to say anything more about it other than to encourage anyone interested to find it and view it. I think anyone who does is going to be quite surprised by the evidence presented.