How big was Noah's flood?

[Kendall K. Down]

There are two view about Noah's Flood. The first is that the flood was a
purely local event (if it happened at all) which has been greatly
exaggerated by the Bible account. The second is that the Flood was a
real, historical event that in some sense accorded with the Biblical
description.

However even among the latter there are two divisions. The first takes
the Flood as similar to modern Floods - it resulted from 40 days of
incessant rain, it caused a lot of destruction and death and traces of
it can be found in silt layers discovered in Mesopotamia.

The second fastens onto that phrase "the fountains of the deep were
broken up" and believe that the Flood was not only world-wide, but it
positively changed the earth. The 40 days of rain were just incidental
to the real deluge that had some other source. Its traces are to be
found in the chalk cliffs of Dover and the rise of the Himalayas and
similar massive tectonic events.

I tend towards the second view, with the proviso that whatever caused
the Flood continued to effect the weather and other things for many
years after Noah came out of the ark.

Perhaps it was a huge meteor which struck earth, stirred up a tidal wave
that crashed over the low mountains which shielded the valley where the
ark stood and set it afloat. As winter came to a world that was still
covered by water, the seas froze and because of the unsettled weather,
that freeze extended much further south than is the case today, leaving
behind huge ice-floes which are now know as "the Ice Age".

God bless,
Kendall K. Down

[Timreason]

Certainly a meteor strike seems feasible. Of course, science offers
theories for the presence of fossils in rock. But these require millions
of years of geological changes at a very slow pace.

Personally, I prefer to consider what the biblical account is telling
us, even if it were taken as legend. The spiritual message is IMO what
really matters, rather than whether it is a very literal description of
events.

Tim.

[Kendall K. Down]

On 10/02/2024 08:19, Timreason wrote:

> Certainly a meteor strike seems feasible.

It is but one of several theories.

> Of course, science offers
> theories for the presence of fossils in rock. But these require millions
> of years of geological changes at a very slow pace.

Yes, and something like chalk is difficult to explain by any Flood
scenario that I have seen.

> Personally, I prefer to consider what the biblical account is telling
> us, even if it were taken as legend. The spiritual message is IMO what
> really matters, rather than whether it is a very literal description of
> events.

I see no reason why a real Flood should preclude learning spiritual
lessons from the event.

[Timreason]

Likewise, I see no reason why a legendary Flood should preclude learning
spiritual lessons from the (perhaps exaggerated) event.

Tim.