Noah: Fact or Fiction

Recently, on the Discovery Channel, there was a show about finding the grave and bones of Jesus. I thought that I would record this and then review it to explain the erroneous teachings that it would contain.  But before that program was another one on Noah, which I also recorded.  It might not seem as if the two were connected, but they went about tearing down the Bible in the first program to set viewers up for the next program on finding the body of Jesus.  It made my blood boil to see the way they presented lies as truth and tried to make it appear to be good common sense.

To present the truth and real scientific data would take more space than we have in ten newsletters, but I would like to touch on some from the early part of the show.  (If there is any interest, I could put out a detailed report…just let me know.)

First, let’s look at the size of the ark of Noah.  In the Bible, God tells Noah that the ark is to be three hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high. A cubit is 18 inches, meaning that the ark is 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high.  The program represented that the ark could not be this long and be made from wood without metal fasteners as it would not hold together on the water.  That may be true of normal wood, yet the Bible refers to gopher wood.   If the sightings of the ark on Mt. Ararat are accurate, then gopher wood is really strong as it has not rotted away.  The program also refers to the ark as looking like the artists’ concepts.   In reality, it would have looked more like a barge.  A barge is more buoyant and carries heavier loads.

This program also stated that the flood couldn’t have been world wide, as there would not have been enough water to cover high mountain peaks, and there is no evidence to support such a teaching. They then go on to teach about a large local flood.  Here are the facts...

 If the flood was local, why would God tell Noah to build an ark and not just move away?  If the flood was local, then God lied to Noah, as the promise to never destroy the world with water again has been broken many times by floods or tsunamis or even what happen with Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.  The fossil records support a global flood: marine fossils atop Mount Sanhorn on the Arctic Coast, fossilized fish skeletons a mile high on California’s coastal range, and world-wide animal fossil graveyards.

I have barely scratched the surface.  I’m getting carried away; I just realized that I have seven text books beside the computer and another six back on my desk.  I won’t even begin on the body of Jesus program, as that would frustrate me that much more.

Some people may not think this is a big deal.  Yet if the Bible is not correct in what it says or teaches, then it isn’t trustworthy.  The Apostle Paul addresses that so well: “Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first fruits of them that slept.” (1 Corinthians 15:11-21)

With this I must stop; see you at the track!

Chaplain Dan