Creation of earth-no rain until Noah and the flood because of atmosphere like shield?

Question

Any one know anything about this? Very interesting idea and scientifically possible?

Answer 1

There was actually a time when geologists propose that there was no water on earth and that all of it was suspended in the atmosphere. However, that time would have been billions of years ago. Not only were humans not yet present at that time, but if we had been present, we would have been very uncomfortable. The temperature on the ground would have been well above the boiling point, and the pressure would have crushed us like a corn chip under a boot.

Likewise, and for the same reasons, had there been a "Vapor Canopy," as the ad hoc hypothesis is called (It isn't a theory, because the evidence of such a thing being possible with humans surviving in the middle of it are zilch), the possibility is widely discounted. So much so, in fact, that Answers In Genesis (A creationist organization), has listed it among the "Arguments We Think Creationists Should Not Use." The site says the following...
"Canopy theory.
-This is not a direct teaching of Scripture, so there is no place for dogmatism. Also, no suitable model has been developed that holds sufficient water, but some creationists suggest a partial canopy may have been present. For AiG’s current opinion, see Noah’s Flood—what about all that water? from the Answers Book.

“There was no rain before the Flood.”
-This is not a direct teaching of Scripture, so again there should be no dogmatism. Genesis 2:5–6 at face value teaches only that there was no rain at the time Adam was created. But it doesn’t rule out rain at any later time before the Flood, as great pre-uniformitarian commentators such as John Calvin pointed out. A related fallacy is that the rainbow covenant of Genesis 9:12–17 proves that there were no rainbows before the Flood. As Calvin pointed out, God frequently invested existing things with new meanings, e.g., the bread and wine at the Lord’s Supper."

Paul Farrar, a noted geologist and author, writes in his piece for TalkOrigins.org, "The Vapor Canopy Hypothesis Holds No Water,"
"First, let us look at atmospheric pressure. For the earth's atmosphere, the pressure is almost exactly hydrostatic, since it is held to the earth by gravity and velocities are too low to significantly change the pressure. In plain language this means that the air pressure at any point is equal to the weight of the air in a unit area column above that point. At sea level, air pressure in US engineering units is about 14.5 pounds/sq inch because a column of air one inch square extending to the top of the atmosphere weighs (Guess what!?) 14.5 pounds. On top of Mt. Everest, the pressure is lower because the lowest and densest 9km of the atmosphere is below that point.

Now the "vapor canopy" would form a part of the atmosphere, being a body of gas (water vapor) gravitationally held to the earth. It would in fact be most of the pre-flood atmosphere. There would have to be enough vapor to form 9km of liquid, when condensed, and, therefore the vapor would weigh as much as 9km of water. The pressure at the earth's surface, where Noah and family lived, would be equal to one atmosphere PLUS the weight of a 9km column of water of unit area. This is equivalent to the pressure 9km deep in the ocean. What is this pressure? Well, each 10m of water is roughly equivalent to one atmosphere, so the pressure would be 900 atmospheres. The atmosphere would also have a composition of about 900 parts water vapor to one part of what we call air today.

How could an atmosphere almost 100% water vapor not condense? The temperature would have to be raised to the point where the partial pressure of water equals 900 atmospheres, i.e. the boiling point at that pressure. So we find Noah et al. living in a 13,000psi boiler. Is this credible?"

Nope. It isn't credible at all, but Kent Hovind and Carl Baugh still preach it.

The last link listed under "Sources" is the most detailed as to how the theory first developed, who revived it, and why it couldn't work.

On a final note, I think it is admirable of you to ask other opinions about this idea before either just going along with it or rejecting it without critical thought. People should apply your example more, whether we are talking about science, religion, or politics.

Kudos to you!

El Chistoso

Answer 2

The Waters Above: Earth's Pre-Flood Vapor Canopy (Paperback)
by Joseph C. Dillow (Author)

Checkout Amazon.com for that. He goes through the calculations

Answer 3

It is the thought that this shield was protecting mankind from UV light. The "flood" came at the melting of this shield.
Look closely in Scripture and you will see before Noah, mankind was living up to 900 years. It drops significantly after the flood. Now the max seems to be around 120-125 years.

Answer 4

Yes. I do not know about the science of it, but until the flood, no one had ever seen rain, didn't even know what it was. So, you can imagine the wonder of it, the horror of it, among those people that did not make it into the Ark.
Scientists used to laugh at the Bible's prophecy of the world burning up, the elements burning with fervent heat...until the atomic age and all it brought. They don't laugh now.
First time by water, next time is by fire.

Answer 5

There was a canopy of water over the earth and also, water under the earth. The earth was watered by the dew. The water above the earth would protect the earth from the harmful rays of the sun. The atmosphere would be much heavier allowing large reptiles like pterodactyl to fly. In addition, the vastly different atmosphere would affect radioactive decay for the dating of fossils etc.

Answer 6

I'm not really sure what your asking, but I think the question can be diffused by this fact. There is as much water on the planet now as there was thousands of years ago. So, I am doubting the world was flooded.

Answer 7

Very interesting idea and scientifically possible?

It's interesting in the retarded sense of the word. It's possible if you abandon every physical law in the universe.

Answer 8

Scientifically possible?

*guffaws*

Answer 9

Think this through Chloe. Do you suppose there would be any vegetation or fresh water on a planet without rainfall?

Answer 10

Plants,,Rivers,,Forests,,.Oceans,,all mysteriously supplied and nourished by a giant wellspring, and night vapors,,,,Planet-wide,,,OK..