17.9.06
The Calm Before The Flood
It's been raining non-stop for hours now, which makes it the perfect time to write about the Flood. Yet, I find the task daunting.
Legends and stories about a global flood are found on all continents, among all people.
Geologists tend to agree that there were catastrophic local floods in different parts of the world that left traces. Hardline Christians believe that the fossils were some of the creatures that disappeared during the Flood. Progressive Christians often think that the Flood is a legend. Scholars claim that the Israelites borrowed this legend from the Mesopotamians and reshaped it several times.
The Bible says that all life in the world disappeared because God couldn't stand the living anymore.
It is possible that not all parts of the world got affected. Those who drafted Genesis were not aware of the world like we are now. An area was the whole world to them.
Still, all over the world there are legends about a global flood. Some legends and paintings in South America show a dragon in the sky bringing torrents of water. It has been said that a comet my have plunged into the ocean. This would have generated tsunamis and catastrophic rains on a large area of the planet. The force such an event would have created is incredible. Besides, Black Sea explorers confirmed that the sea did not use to contain any salt. There must have been a raising of the level of the sea, that in turn poured into the once fresh-water Black Sea.
The poetic and exaggerated words of Genesis might not be accurate: I am not sure about the water covering all the mountaintops or about a gigantic chest holding a pair of all living creatures and their respective food for over 10 months! Yet I do believe that something worse than we can imagine occurred during the lifetime of a man the tradition calls Noah...
Noah was the only righteous man of his time. The word the Bible uses means "intact, without blemish", like the animals pure enough to be sacrificed to God. It has been said that Noah's bloodline was the one bloodline that hadn't got mingled with the one of the Sons of God who had married mortal women. -See post: The Sex of Angels-
God realized that humans and animals had gone "wild". The antropomorphic God of the Old Testament became so upset that he decreed he would kill all living things, but Noah, his family and a pair of every animal.
Legends and stories about a global flood are found on all continents, among all people. Geologists tend to agree that there were catastrophic local floods in different parts of the world that left traces. Hardline Christians believe that the fossils were some of the creatures that disappeared during the Flood. Progressive Christians often think that the Flood is a legend. Scholars claim that the Israelites borrowed this legend from the Mesopotamians and reshaped it several times.
The Bible says that all life in the world disappeared because God couldn't stand the living anymore.
It is possible that not all parts of the world got affected. Those who drafted Genesis were not aware of the world like we are now. An area was the whole world to them.
Still, all over the world there are legends about a global flood. Some legends and paintings in South America show a dragon in the sky bringing torrents of water. It has been said that a comet my have plunged into the ocean. This would have generated tsunamis and catastrophic rains on a large area of the planet. The force such an event would have created is incredible. Besides, Black Sea explorers confirmed that the sea did not use to contain any salt. There must have been a raising of the level of the sea, that in turn poured into the once fresh-water Black Sea.
The poetic and exaggerated words of Genesis might not be accurate: I am not sure about the water covering all the mountaintops or about a gigantic chest holding a pair of all living creatures and their respective food for over 10 months! Yet I do believe that something worse than we can imagine occurred during the lifetime of a man the tradition calls Noah...
Noah was the only righteous man of his time. The word the Bible uses means "intact, without blemish", like the animals pure enough to be sacrificed to God. It has been said that Noah's bloodline was the one bloodline that hadn't got mingled with the one of the Sons of God who had married mortal women. -See post: The Sex of Angels-
God realized that humans and animals had gone "wild". The antropomorphic God of the Old Testament became so upset that he decreed he would kill all living things, but Noah, his family and a pair of every animal.
# poster: Mormon(s) of another kind at 15:57 
Comments:
<< Home
I like this picture - don't know where it is in the world. Looks like something ominous could be on the horizon!
No one really knows how literal the story of the flood is, but I do believe that it was a catastrophic event that changed the entire world forever! It's difficult to imagine that it could have rained enough to cover the entire earth with water, mountains and all! But yet if God decided to do that, then it absolutely happened!
It isn't important that we know every detail of the Genesis stories. It is important that we believe that God is powerful enough that these things could happen in exactly the way the scriptures tell us. It is important that we realize that God is in charge of nature. After all, God created the laws of nature!
No one really knows how literal the story of the flood is, but I do believe that it was a catastrophic event that changed the entire world forever! It's difficult to imagine that it could have rained enough to cover the entire earth with water, mountains and all! But yet if God decided to do that, then it absolutely happened!
It isn't important that we know every detail of the Genesis stories. It is important that we believe that God is powerful enough that these things could happen in exactly the way the scriptures tell us. It is important that we realize that God is in charge of nature. After all, God created the laws of nature!
Thank you, Patience.
The picture was taken here in Scotland, but I did not take it. The sky often goes heavy and menacing, but there is something about it that I love: Maybe Nature's display of power. That too reflects the majesty of God. There is something both etheral and earthy and passionate about the rain and storm. This picture to me went well twith the topic.
Like you said, it's not important to know the details of the stories. I know that the few readers of this blog, as well as my relatives and friends, must think that I am wasting my time trying to make sense out of it. I guess some people are goos singers and sing Hallelujah in the choir, others can teach Sunday School, and others are pondering these things, all with the idea to praise God.
Thank you for your always insightful comments!
The picture was taken here in Scotland, but I did not take it. The sky often goes heavy and menacing, but there is something about it that I love: Maybe Nature's display of power. That too reflects the majesty of God. There is something both etheral and earthy and passionate about the rain and storm. This picture to me went well twith the topic.
Like you said, it's not important to know the details of the stories. I know that the few readers of this blog, as well as my relatives and friends, must think that I am wasting my time trying to make sense out of it. I guess some people are goos singers and sing Hallelujah in the choir, others can teach Sunday School, and others are pondering these things, all with the idea to praise God.
Thank you for your always insightful comments!
I check back from time to time, but haven't seen anything different for a little while. Here's hoping you are well and will have something new soon! May your holidays be wonderful!
Thanks for your kind words, Patience. I haven't given up this blog. I have just been out of control busy lately.
Warm wishes for the holiday season for you too!
Post a Comment
Warm wishes for the holiday season for you too!
<< Home
