In normal
times, religion is something personal and for an individual to disparage or
take to task the religious beliefs of another is rude and inconsiderate. However, these are not normal times. In this nation today, we see a union of political
and religious forces such that politicians brag about wearing their religion on
their sleeves and religious zealots not only claim that the
While this may come as a surprise to some, the Bible is not God. It is a book inspired by God but this does not mean that every word and syllable in it was placed there in accordance with His will. The Bible was written by men who had a great reverence for God, but they were men and, being men, their writings were fallible and as much a reflection of themselves as they were of God. This truth is repugnant to Fundamentalist Christians because they believe the stories of the Bible were written by God through men. Nowhere is this written in the Bible, but Fundamentalists believe it because this is what they want to believe. However, the truth is that there is no way to substantiate their belief and similar to a belief in God, its validity is a matter of faith. However, in this particular case, it is a misguided faith that is anything but harmless.
God does not change. He is a perfect being; all knowing and all powerful. Therefore, there is no reason for Him to change. However, if you believe the Old and New Testaments are factual accounts of God's relationship with man, then you have to concede that God changes and not in a small and insignificant ways. The God of the New Testament is far different from the God of the Old. In the Old Testament, God does not promise forgiveness of sins, salvation, an after-life, or an eternity with Him in heaven. No, all the Old Testament God offers to His chosen people is a deal; obey His laws and He will bless you, do otherwise and you will suffer the consequences. This carrot-and-stick approach to religion is in sharp contrast with the religion of the New Testament where there are no chosen people and salvation is a gift from God given to all those who love and accept Him.
From reading the Bible, it should also be clear that the Old Testament God is petty, wrathful, vindictive, demanding, intimidating, unforgiving, cruel, and easily manipulated. In sharp contrast, the God of the New Testament is tolerant, loving, and forgiving. He has none of the undesirable characteristics of the Old Testament God. This being the case, God changed and these changes are so profound that He is a completely transformed entity. In fact, one can reasonably conclude there are two Gods; a negative God of the Old Testament and positive God of the New. Obviously, this is absurd and being absurd it follows that God must not have had a direct hand in writing the Old Testament because God does not indulge in absurdities. Therefore, it also follows that the Old Testament was written by men who, among other things, wrote down stories that had been passed down by word of mouth through the centuries and God had little to do with much of what they wrote. To think otherwise makes no sense and leaves us with far too many contradictions and inconsistencies that cannot be dismissed or ignored.
The story of
Noah and the flood is and excellent example of why the Old Testament is not history. Every aspect of this legend is an impossibility
that defies reason and common sense.
First of all, the ark is dimensioned such that it could not possibly
hold the numbers of creatures necessary; never mind the food and supplies needed
to survive, not only a voyage of forty days and nights, but the time required for
the world to return to normal after the flood receded. Also, gathering up two of everything that lived in the world is an impossible task.
Today, we are still discovering unknown species in remote areas of the
world. Is it reasonable to believe that
Noah had the means and resources to gather all these creatures when he didn't
even know they existed? Noah had no idea
The fact that Noah and his family were the only people in the world whom God deemed worth saving also defies comprehension. Surly, there must have been many other people around who loved God and led moral lives. What about all those infants and babies who were intentionally drowned? Weren't they as innocent as Noah? When the flood receded leaving behind a world of dead people, animals, and plants, how did the animals released from the ark survive? There was nothing around to eat other than carrion, rotten foliage, and the other animals from the ark. Can you imagine what this rotting world smelled like? In any case, wouldn't the predators eat the surviving herbivores and other weaker animals? No, the story of Noah is absurd in a multitude of different ways and this includes the specifics of the flood itself.
According to
the Bible, the flood covered the entire world including its mountains. Therefore, even the top of
No, there is
nothing about Noah and the flood that makes sense and this includes God's purpose
for flooding the world. People are born weak
and prone to sin. This being the case, did
God kill off all of humanity save Noah and his family because people are the
way He created them or was He trying to improve his breeding stock. If the later is the case, then He wasted His
time because just a few generations later, God had to fire and brimstone
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