C'mon! Noah?? Do you REALLY think it's a true story?

Question

It's nothing but absurdity from start to finish. But let me address just one facet of the story: The claim that it rained 40 days and 40 night until the whole Earth was covered up to the highest mountain.

That would be Everest (29108 feet). If you're like me, you've just gone through a really rainy day. Maybe 2 or 3 inches fell, a pretty hard rain. Well, in order for the water to top the highest mountain in 40 days, it would have to rain 6.064 inches---

-- PER MINUTE! Every minute of every day! There isn't enough water in the world to get it as high as Everest. What a ridiculous story! It insults our intelligence to be asked to believe it. What's more, Jewish authorities like Maimomides advised people that the first 11 chapters of Genesis are not to be taken as literal history. The Noah story is a retelling of the Epic of Gilgamesh, that the Jews learned of during the Babylonian Exile.

And don't get me started on the other practical problems. Or the monstrousness of God!

Answer 1

What happened to all of the water that covered the world to such a great depth? How did Noah deal with the corpses that littered the planet when the ark docked? How did Noah get all of those animals back to their homelands around the globe? And what did they eat when they got home? Wasn't all of the vegetation destroyed? And how did Noah repopulate the planet, starting out from nothing, with no buildings, cities, etc.?

Not to mention -- how did Noah feed and water all of the animals on the ark? What about dealing with sanitary issues (toilet concerns for the many animals)? And how was this ark built in such a short time and how did it prove to be seaworthy to support all of the demands? And ... how did Noah and his sons ever sleep with all of that racket from the animals for all of that time?

Inquiring minds want to know ... or else we can't possibly convert.

Answer 2

It's not literally true, although a lot of fundamentalist Christians believe the Bible to be the literal truth, inspired by God. But the writers were human, and to them "the whole world" probably pertained only to the world they were familiar with, i.e. the Middle East.

Interestingly, many cultures around the world have a flood legend similar to the Judeo-Christian one. This suggests to me that at one time in remote history there was indeed a major flood event. Now, think about the effects of global warming. If present trends continue and the polar ice caps and glaciers all melt, what wil be the outcome? Major flooding. Ocean levels will rise dramatically and the world's coastal cities (including NYC, Boston, LA, London) will all be under water. I live in Maine; at one time, most of it was under water.

The 40 days of rain and the ark are nice touches, but within the legend may lie the germ of a real historical event.

Answer 3

I think people need to think about the way in which stories are told in the Bible, because those stories are in line with the time and reflect a manner of making a moral or spiritual point to people. IF you take the story to be absolute fact then you may have missed the point.
I agree,that if we took two spheres one inside the other and a distance between them of the height of mount Everest the volume of water would be impossible to achieve from that which exists on earth.

Answer 4

Of course it's absurd... most of the stories in the bible are. But Christians need it to be true in order for their religion to work. If there was no historical Adam and Eve the whole notion for original sin and fall from grace becomes irrelevant. This then nullifies the purpose for his "sacrifice." If this is to be taken literally all of Genesis must.

Christians cling to this so ferociously because the need it to be true lest their entire worldview be invalidated. Some have such a deeply ingrained connection with Christianity that they will warp reality itself to justify this nonsense to themselves. It's all so they won't have to go through the struggle of reevaluating what they know to be true.

Answer 5

no way it is true. Take into consideration the gathering of the animals, separation of herbivores from carnivores, food preparation and storage, water storage, waste removal, etc. and you will get your answer.
Floods produce rounded cliff tops, not a sharp sudden drop off like the Grand canyon. Look at new residential developments that have yet to establish a yard. When the water runs down hill and carves a groove, the top edges are rounded.
The grand canyon has sharp edges at the top which does not suggest a flood and the proper sediment removal.

Answer 6

Most religious things aren't to be taken litteraly, it is just enough to put a point accross. If you read something modern that said someone cried a river, then you don't take it literally and say that the water in the body would not even cover a little bit of a river, it is just a way to put something. It rained to the top of the highest mountain? Means the same thing as it rained cats and dogs. Don't take everything literally

Answer 7

Of course it's not literally true.

I *can* believe, however, that the story of Gilgamesh may have been based on a real experience, although I'm sure it was only a local flood.

But...it's a cute story, and I happen to like little wooden ark sets with all the adorable animals!

Answer 8

I would agree with you. Of all of the absurd stories of the bible, the story of Noah's Ark is the most unbelievable pile of pooh ever written by the hand of men. I am amazed that anyone calling themselves intelligent could read the story of Noah's Ark and not see it for what it is.....christian mythology.

Answer 9

I don't know about others, but I take a lot of stories from the bible as being symbolic. I don't always take them literally but understand the symbolism. On a weird note, i don't know about everest, but a college prof we had once stated that there is indeed evidence of a great flood when the earth is escavated. who knows...only god, lol.

Answer 10

Yes, not only mentioned in the Bible, but also, in the epics of Gilgamesh and Atrahasis.