[Nicky]

Regarding the myth of Noah's Ark: If all but eight (?) people were killed off in the flood, where did all of the races come from? Isn't interbreeding a sin? How would Noah be able to go out and gather two of each kind of insect and know which gender it was? If there were only two of each species, what did the carnivores eat?

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Name : Nicky, Gender : F, Religion : Pagan, Age : 46, City : Ft Worth, State : TX Country : United States, 

[Christopher-Davis32105]

Sidna, Keep in mind that the flood was passed on by word of mouth for thousands of years before being documented. The flooding was likely caused by planetary climate changes resulting from either the end of the ice age or an orbital shift of the Earth-Moon system or combination of both. Inspite of what the bible says, most would agree that it would be impossible for the whole Earth to get covered with water. Hence the Earth has always had about the same amount of water on it. The end of the ice age as most of us know was due to a recession of the Earth polar ice caps. When the polor ice caps goes into recession, the result is a collection of water vapor in the atmosphere thus resulting in increased cloud covers and lots of rain! In order to conserve momentom, the Earth will occasionally shift orbit and undergo a modest change in its polar axis as well. Even though the actual change would be hardly noticable, it would be enough to alter the four seasons and climate throughout the world. You would know if the Earth shifted orbit and axis if the compass on your Jeep's dashboard points the wrong way!! As far as the collection of species goes, it most likely involved cattle being moved to higher ground. I tend to believe that the story was far exagerated since a lot of people did die and lost their homes and heritage. Ask yourself: What would happen to us today if the polar ice caps where to completely melt. --Christopher A. Davis <> http://to-scorpio.com

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[CP19185]

Many Christians interpret stories such as Noah's Ark in an allegorical, symbolic or figurative way. It is not necessary to believe that this is 'History' in the sense that we understand it today. According to one of my professors, the three sons of Noah represent the three known continents: Shem represents the Semites (Asia Minor), Shem represents Africa, and Japheth represents Greece (or Europe). (I think this is based on the etymology of their names.) If one is open to interpretations other than the literal one, questions like the ones you raise become more or less irrelevant. The important questions are not 'How is this possible?' and 'Did this really happen?' but rather 'What does this really mean?' and especially 'What does this mean for us in 1999?'

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[J-Fairday]

I think Noah's Ark can be taken literally. From the creation of Adam until the flood, there were many factors that led to mutations. The human and animal genotypes were far more 'pure'. Where did all the races come from? There is a large amount of genetic material in human DNA that is not expressed, and no one knows what its past (or future) function was. That material could well have provided the genetic variability before and shortly after the flood. Interbreeding (incest) was not a sin until many generations after the flood. In a mutational, untainted gene pool, interbreeding is not a problem. Noah did not have to gather two of each kind of creature. The Bible states that God provided the breeding pairs to him. He did gather food supplies. Also, not everything was gathered by twos. The clean animals (meaning those God permitted Noah to eat) were gathered by sevens. These could provide food. Many people can tell you that staying within the hull of a rocking boat for the first time will decrease your appetite. Unasked question: There would be enough room in the Ark if you collected juveniles (in some cases eggs) of each kind. Thus you don't need all classes of dog from domestic to wolf - you just need two weaned puppies.

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[AB]

The tale of Noah's Ark is a reworked Babylonian myth used to demonstrate God's wrath at sinners. It is rejected by 95 percent of scientists, and virtually 100 percent of geologists, physicists, cosmologists and biologists.

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[Chris32218]

What was included in Noah's family included wives of all the men, so there was no interbreeding. It's a bit harder to tell how all the races came about. I'm not exactly sure. Of course a man and his family couldn't go over the world and gather every single species, but with God's help, every animal and insect came to Noah. Again, with God's help, the carnivores were fed. These answers may not be the ones you were looking for, but it's true. I believe God is all-powerful, so if he wanted Noah's family to go into an ark and every animal and insect to go in it as well, He can do it.

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