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Author Topic:   Creationist experiment to prove the possibility of Noah's ark
Taq
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Posts: 9973
Joined: 03-06-2009
Member Rating: 5.7


Message 73 of 115 (549759)
03-10-2010 2:32 PM
Reply to: Message 72 by Jumped Up Chimpanzee
03-10-2010 10:38 AM


Re: Why even build an Ark?
But that then begs the question: if God was able to lift a pair of Kangeroos out of the Australian outback, a pair of orangutans out of the jungles of south-east Asia, pairs of tapirs and llamas from South America, along with thousands of other species, and deliver them all effortlessly and safely across the globe to Bibleland, why was it then necessary to build an Ark to put them in?
It was a test of Noah's faith and a test for humankind as a whole.
The story doesn't make any sense at any level.
Sure it does. It makes complete sense as a moral tale about a new god emerging within a cult in Mesopotamia. The relationship between man and this new god were told through age-old stories that already existed in the area, namely Babylonian myths. But in a historical, factual sense, no it doesn't make any sense at all.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 72 by Jumped Up Chimpanzee, posted 03-10-2010 10:38 AM Jumped Up Chimpanzee has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 74 by Son, posted 03-10-2010 3:51 PM Taq has replied
 Message 80 by Jumped Up Chimpanzee, posted 03-11-2010 4:24 AM Taq has replied
 Message 81 by Itinerant Lurker, posted 03-11-2010 9:01 AM Taq has not replied

  
Taq
Member
Posts: 9973
Joined: 03-06-2009
Member Rating: 5.7


Message 82 of 115 (549889)
03-11-2010 10:45 AM
Reply to: Message 74 by Son
03-10-2010 3:51 PM


Re: Why even build an Ark?
Test for humankind as a whole? You mean he tested how long on average it took for a human to drown, or did he just want to see who would survive the longest? Did the strongest guy at least receive a prize?
If Noah had not built the Ark then humankind would have come to an end. Noah's actions were based on faith, and that was the test.

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 Message 74 by Son, posted 03-10-2010 3:51 PM Son has not replied

  
Taq
Member
Posts: 9973
Joined: 03-06-2009
Member Rating: 5.7


Message 83 of 115 (549891)
03-11-2010 10:57 AM
Reply to: Message 80 by Jumped Up Chimpanzee
03-11-2010 4:24 AM


Re: Why even build an Ark?
But it wasn't a new god, was it?
Newer than the Mesopotamian gods. Given the lack of any evidence for the Exodus it is much more likely that the Hebrew religion originated in Babylonia. Given that the Bible borrows heavily from Babylonian religious myths this would seem to make sense. The Noah myth is a blatant copy of the Babylonian flood story. The Babylonian god Lilith makes an appearance in the Genesis creation myth in the form of the talking serpent. There are simply too many parallels to ignore.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 80 by Jumped Up Chimpanzee, posted 03-11-2010 4:24 AM Jumped Up Chimpanzee has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 84 by Jumped Up Chimpanzee, posted 03-11-2010 11:59 AM Taq has replied
 Message 89 by xXGEARXx, posted 03-14-2010 1:57 PM Taq has not replied

  
Taq
Member
Posts: 9973
Joined: 03-06-2009
Member Rating: 5.7


Message 86 of 115 (549919)
03-11-2010 12:51 PM
Reply to: Message 84 by Jumped Up Chimpanzee
03-11-2010 11:59 AM


Re: Why even build an Ark?
But the story still doesn't make moral or practical sense, even if it were a test of Noah's faith to see if he would build an Ark if he were warned about a flood.
I don't see it that way. When it is put into historical context and compared to the myths of the time it makes a lot of sense. You might as well ask why it was necessary to sink the Titanic just to get a couple of horny kids together. It's a moral tale writ large, an epic story. If it was just about a small event that happened to just one family what fun would there be in telling the story around the campfire?

This message is a reply to:
 Message 84 by Jumped Up Chimpanzee, posted 03-11-2010 11:59 AM Jumped Up Chimpanzee has not replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 87 by Son, posted 03-11-2010 4:07 PM Taq has not replied

  
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