Is the story of a worldwide flood as recorded in Bible a reality?

Answer 1

Flood of Noah's Day

To Christians the Biblical flood of Noah's day is an historical event simply because it is recorded in The Bible. However, to non-Christians an event being recorded in the Bible means nothing. To those people, the only way to believe that Noah's flood was a historical event is if evidence can be found to support it. Though some argue that scientific evidence supports Noah's flood as a historical event, others interpret the same evidence in a much different manner and say that the flood never happened. Whichever way the evidence is interpreted, the interpretation is based upon an individual's core beliefs about the origins of the universe. For that reason, it is impossible to prove or disprove that the flood of Noah's day was an historical event. Each individual must decide for him or herself what to believe.

Leaving the Bible Aside for a Moment

If the Flood of Noah's day was a real historical event and was worldwide we would expect to find some or all of the following evidence on the earth:

• Lots of sedimentary (water deposited) rock all over the earth.

• Evidence through fossilization of rapid burial of millions of organisms in the above strata.

• Sufficient water on the planet to 'do the job'.

• Very little evidence of pre-flood civilization i.e. culture and language arising relatively recently and suddenly.

• Very different climate on the earth in the past.

• Many flood stories in the various people groups around the world.

• Massive vulcanism in the past.

Regarding fossilization, it is clear that many organisms were buried both rapidly and catastrophically. Massive fossil graveyards speak of rapid burial and of specimens being washed into their final position by water, a lot of water. One alone could always be a local flood and some may indeed be so, but there are many of these around the world.

Lack of real genetic variability suggests that humans have arisen from one individual. Some studies of mutation rates in mitochondrial DNA (mt DNA) have suggested that the human population could not be as old as normally suggested since we would not exist. The human genome shows evidence of running down. Thousands of genetic disorders are documented. This documentation due to modern medical science demonstrates the true nature of our genetic make up. This relates to the flood since this is believed to have happened in the relatively recent past. The state of human genetics as science reveals it is not inconsistent with this.

The massive vulcanism in the past is an acknowledged fact. It is generally interpreted as fitting into a long-age paradigm. Under a different interpretation 'the fountains of the great deep' which are specifically connected with the flood would relate to massive vulcanism. Contrary to popular misconception, a high proportion of all volcanic eruptions (even today) contain water (around 80% or higher).

Not Historical

Imagine an Ark 450 ft long, 75 ft wide, and 30ft high, containing seven of all the animals in the world, and only have ONE ventilation window 18 inches square. And only Noah and his family to feed all these animals and clean its droppings.

1 cubit is approximately 18 inches..

Genesis 6:15 And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits.

6:16 A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it.

Answer

There are several items that are not taken into account when talking about the ark and the flood. Among them are

• The build up of toxic heavier than air gasses from feces and urine, that in the course of a year would have built up to such a concentration that anything on the lowest and possibly mid levels would be dead due to asphyxiation.
• That at an altitude of 17,000 plus feet, on the top of mt Ararat, nearly all the inhabitants of the ark would have died from climatological conditions
• That a flood of the scope indicated in the bible would have wiped out all trees, shrubs and grasses, resulting in the starvation of all the herbivores before new vegetation could become plentiful enough. This would result in the carnivores turning on each other and the h8mans in an attempt to survive.
• That the descendants of Noah would have had to move to the area where Egypt existed. Have learned the language and cultures with no reference or help from anyone and would have had to forsake the one god and taken up the many all in a 300 year period.

  With those and many other reasons, the flood and story of the ark are just that, a story and can not be considered factual.

Answer 2

Much of the sedimentary rock strata, many of which contain fossils, was likely laid down as a result of the flood and its aftermath.

Geologists have also noted that the many strata which are tightly bent yet without cracking indicates they were formed when still wet and plastic. This could not have happened over many millions of years as they would have dried, solidified and then cracked when folded.

Contrary to long age beliefs, fossils generally require rapid burial otherwise scavengers and decomposition processes destroy the form. The flood provides a likely mechanism for much of this.

Recent research has also shown how sediment can indeed settle in moving water, previously thought impossible and also that many fine layers can form from one flood event as evidenced by geologic formation with events connected with the great Mount St. Helens eruption.

In regard to weather, the flood provides the best meteorological explanation for the ice-age as well, with warm oceans and colder continents leading to massive precipitation as the planet settled back to equilibrium after the flood.

Further to this, in terms of genetics, it is known that the whole of mankind is virtually identical genetically. This is consistent with people coming from one family post flood. Further to this, if mankind were as old as suggested under other scenarios then there is a problem with the relatively low size of the current human population on the planet as well as the missing billions of human remains.

It is also known that many geologic processes such as Diamond, Coal and Opal formation, previously thought to take long periods of time can occur quite rapidly. What is required is simply the right conditions.

Answer 3

The history of the world is now too well-known for there to have been a world-wide flood just 5000 years ago. In addition to this, the geological and fossil evidence is entirely inconsistent with there having been a biblical Flood, whether 5000 years ago or even earlier.

However, there is a probable basis for the biblical Flood tradition, in the inundation of what is now the Black Sea, at the end of the last Ice Age.

Answer 4

of course its in the bible isn't it