Please explain Noah's Ark to me ...

[Falconer02]

Liljp617 knows his stuff. Everything he said is completely logical and rational. If you believe that one man built a humongous ship and put EVERY pair of animal on this earth to escape a flood of epic proportions, you got some issues. Almost every culture has stories like these (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deluge_myth)

ESineM, I can conclude that you're either a or on your way to being a very intelligent and open minded being. Don't let anyone try to speak to you saying things like "Oh yeah the flood happened! That's why we dont have dinosaurs! Noah forgot them!" just ignore them because you will find yourself frustrated from stupidity and ignorance of raw proven facts. KEEP ASKING QUESTIONS, look for answers, and try not to step in the BS.

http://migration.files.wordpress.com/2007/09/christianity.jpg

[liljp617]

I believe that people take the Bible to literally.  I think they were stories gathered together to be a "moral compass".

I don't think this holds up under scrutiny.  I honestly don't think there's anything legitimate that shows, over the centuries, the main focus of people upholding the Bible is to make it a moral compass at all.

If that is the case, however, they probably should have written a few more drafts and had some more peer reviews before publishing

I do believe in evolution, BTW, but who is to say that God didn't do that too?

Ockam's Razor

[eSineM]

Good stuff liljp    When i wrote all that i was kinda doin it in a rush lol

Why is ignorance a respectable attribute?  What in the world could ignorance possibly yield us?  I find it depressing such a great number of people hold the thought that ignorance is somehow "good."  Look around.  Even after centuries of people chasing every bit of knowledge possible and it creating just about every single thing you use daily, ignorance is still a good thing?  How does the acceptance of ignorance help us at all?

I meant to say the best faith is knowing you are ignorant.. the truth is everyone is ignorant even if they choose to pretend differently.

Nobody knows the true "god" or spirit, or religion etc.

find it funny how that supposedly god cannot be described, is not physical, and is completely behond comprehension.. .So how is it people still think they can explain god? haha, they use physical terms, and comprehensible information which obviously cannot be accurate at all... Its kinda like trying to describe something thoroughly by using only incorrect descriptions. If you keep adding more and more incorrect descriptions, at no point will it become clear what you are describing... in fact the more info you hear, the less you know and more confusing it is! haha. God and spirit are an experience and something you live, not something you can read about and describe to others.

The bible in its original form is unseen, the bible(s) that we do see have all been written and manipulated by oppressive forces.... Can anyone honestly read the "king james" version and not think about the irony that you are supposedly learning morals from a "king" which are generally accepted as the most oppressive force out there ? hehe. A long line of political tyrants have controlled the publishing of books for centuries, and people honestly thing the bible was somehow immuned to corruption, as if those in power wouldnt realize the power of the bible and the words contained inside. Of course they have been manipulated, and who can even vouch for those who wrote the very first draft? Every author was honest and talked to god etc.? none were corrupt? the amazing thing is not the belief in an invisible being in the sky,. the real amazing thing is that people actually trust the AUTHORS and publishers of these books as if they were written by god himself! (literally!)


Falconer 

[bschumacher]

The stories of the Bible are parables which teach us how God wants us to behave. I think it's a mistake to obsess over the details of the Noah's Ark story and insist that THEY, not the story's message, are the literal truth. But hey, fussing about whether or not there was really a Noah or an Ark is a wonderful  way for people to avoid the hard work of learning how to be decent, compassionate human beings who are capable of working and living peacefully together! It's so much easier to have heated arguments about trivia, and declare that anyone who doesn't agree with you is going to hell.

[ipayitforward]

I think there were what we call dinosaurs on the ark!  What do you think the dragons in the middle ages were?

[thehund]

As a minister who has done some research.  Dinasaurs did not exist when man did.  I dont believe in dragons in the mythical sense.  If you read your Bible...time wasnt created til the fourth day.  So the 24 hour days of creation doesnt make since in God's frame of time.  And since that seems to be the case, animals and fish were created before God created man which makes since to me to explain the thousands of years science seem to say the world existed.  Also from the time of the existance of man Biblically,  man has only existed for bout 7000 years which we are coming to.  Just a thought.

[thehund]

My friend the stores of the Bible are more than parables.  Besides being the Word of God, the Bible is also a historical document.  Queen Victoria once asked to give her a sentence that proved the Bible was true.  The answer was I can give you one Word to prove the Bible is true...JEW.   The Bible was not only given to us as a light to how to live but is so much more.  Everyday historians and scientist are finding more and more evidence to the validity of the Bible.  Some things are hid from human existance because God wants us to live by faith not by sight...for it says in Hebrews for without faith it is impossible to please God.  Just a thought.  Have a great day.

[AmyTrivitt]

Have any of you ever heard of Zachary Stitchin? And hes theories? (Which are and have been studied and some are reported to be true.) If you guys get a chance check him out. It wont hurt ya!!

[liljp617]

My friend the stores of the Bible are more than parables.  Besides being the Word of God, the Bible is also a historical document.  Queen Victoria once asked to give her a sentence that proved the Bible was true.  The answer was I can give you one Word to prove the Bible is true...JEW.   The Bible was not only given to us as a light to how to live but is so much more.  Everyday historians and scientist are finding more and more evidence to the validity of the Bible.  Some things are hid from human existance because God wants us to live by faith not by sight...for it says in Hebrews for without faith it is impossible to please God.  Just a thought.  Have a great day.

So because Jewish people exist, it validates the Bible as a historical document?  I think that assertion just caused a number kittens to commit suicide.  What a ridiculous notion.  Every day, historians and scientists are actually finding more and more that invalidates what the Bible says.

There are no talking snakes.  The universe isn't 6,000 years old.  The oldest remains of an upright walking hominid (the famous 'Lucy') date back to 3-3.6 million years.  The oldest remains of a Homo Sapien date back approximately 100,000 - 200,000 years (it depends on what you classify as Homo Sapien), not the ridiculous 7,000 years you claim.  

The Bible is not a set of guidelines on how to live morally (which is what I assume you mean by your statement).  You do not get your morals from the Bible, you get them from the same places everyone else does.  Which morals from the Bible do you abide by and which do you blow off as nonsensical and out of touch with reality?  Do you follow the kinds of morals that say stone disobedient children and don't eat shellfish or the morals that say do unto others as you would have done unto you?  If you only follow morals similar to the latter, why are the others nonsensical?

And then of course we get the stereotypical intellectual cop-out of "oh well, the big dude up there wants to stay invisible so we just have to have faith."  Really thought provoking!

As a minister, you should probably do a bit more research before making claims and then adding some kind of disclaimer, "it's just a thought."  You have responsibilities as someone in a position of leadership; spouting random nonsense that is blatantly false -- and I'm not even talking about your religion, I'm talking about specific historical and scientific facts that you are ignoring and manipulating -- is, frankly, morally reprehensible when you're standing up there with the eyes and ears of probably hundreds of people on you hanging on every word you say.  The thoughts you've expressed here aren't really thoughts at all...thinking requires reasoning, critiquing, criticism, and research.

[cerealspiller]

Everyone has some really good reply's here. Well, here's my take.

First you have to understand how vast our cultures differ from present time to Noah's Ark time. Much of the know world hadn't been discovered yet (as someone else pointed out) It's possible that the "Great Flood" only encompassed a small part of land. Heck, he could have been living close to the coast line and just sailed into the ocean.

If you are curious about the heavens and how everything works, I suggest looking up something called "The Blue Book" also titled "Urantia"

It's has no known authors because it was supposedly written by angels. They were trying to help us understand how our galaxy and universe works. Some VERY interesting reading there. It may just make your head explode because of the way it's written. I'm pretty sure there is a free online source of it somewhere. Oh, also, it even talks about the early life of Jesus. Yeah, his teen years, if you're curious about that.

[thehund]

I always love the thing people say bout comprehending...cause thats what makes christianity so different and right from all the others.  In our human comprehending we cant.  But God in his mercy and his wisdom sent us His Holy Spirit to guide us.  When you have ask Jesus into your heart and mean it...your whole life really changes...II Corinthians 5:17 If any man be in Christ he is a new creation old things pass away and all things become new.  When you know Him, and want really really want to know Him...the Holy Spirit will teach ya.  Having said that, we still need to remember we arent perfect...we still live in this mortal body with all of its flaws and til we die we fight not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers in high places..Ephesians 6:12...the enemy of our souls..SELF and SATAN are constantly battling for our being..so we mess up we screw up and sometimes we dont get the right messages from the Holy Spirit we should but it is the Holy Spirit that opens up our understanding to Gods truth God word and the things that confuse us. To Love HIM is to KNOW HIM...My friends inspite of what you might think...the Bible is the truthest and greatest reality there is...Through out HISTORY...those civilizations who ignore it or try to stamp out perish...Jesus said and it has stayed true throughout the ages...like or not...He said heaven and earth may pass away but my Word last forever...Princes and kings have tried...dictators have tried...John lenin says we are more popular that Jesus Christ...he is dead and the beatles are no more...but Jesus is..others thoughout time have made simpler comments only to find...death and destruction in their wake...John 3:17 talks about how people hate to come to the light, WHY? because the Light revealed their darkness...thats why they try to disprove the Bible cause as the Scriptures say it is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path..Psalm 119:105  There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.
Proverbs 14:12 so apart from God and Jesus Christ there is only death and Kaos.  Agree or not...remember No one has or will ever love you as much as GOD does...Its just sad that we fight so hard against the things that are so right for us...

[thehund]

the Bible says to the logical and rational the cross makes them foolish...I Corinthians 1:18 I am sorry I dont argue scripture..to me it stands and always will stand on its on.  My prayer is that you can look beyond the logical and rational and see the beauty that our God and Saviour has for you.  You see a follower of Christ has nothing to lose and all to gain..but those who dont, have it all to lose...and hey if I am wrong when my life comes to an end...I have lost nothing...but If you come to your end and find out that I am and the millions who know its true...look what you have lost....All of you have a great day and a wonderful eternity.

[liljp617]

the Bible says to the logical and rational the cross makes them foolish...I Corinthians 1:18 I am sorry I dont argue scripture..to me it stands and always will stand on its on.  My prayer is that you can look beyond the logical and rational and see the beauty that our God and Saviour has for you.  You see a follower of Christ has nothing to lose and all to gain..but those who dont, have it all to lose...and hey if I am wrong when my life comes to an end...I have lost nothing...but If you come to your end and find out that I am and the millions who know its true...look what you have lost....All of you have a great day and a wonderful eternity.

Did you really just try to use Pascal's Wager in a discussion about religion?  =/ Come on.  Regardless of beliefs, ministers are typically pretty intelligent people from my experiences with them...surely you can recognize the problem with your assertion -- that you have everything to gain and nothing to lose.

Pascal's Wager has been torn to shreds by numerous theists, atheists, and philosophers since its inception.  It is a fairly silly 'wager' that no longer retains any logical legitimacy.  I'm really sorry if that logic has been the foundation of your faith for so many years; it's very poor to say the least.

[Cuppycake]

The bible was written by men. Men are fallible. In the time period that the bible was written people of that day did not know the things we know today. How something was viewed then compared to how it would be viewed today would be a stark contrast.  Men write books everyday however we do not look upon them as something to worshiped.

[eSineM]

the Bible says to the logical and rational the cross makes them foolish...I Corinthians 1:18 I am sorry I dont argue scripture..to me it stands and always will stand on its on.  My prayer is that you can look beyond the logical and rational and see the beauty that our God and Saviour has for you.  You see a follower of Christ has nothing to lose and all to gain..but those who dont, have it all to lose...and hey if I am wrong when my life comes to an end...I have lost nothing...but If you come to your end and find out that I am and the millions who know its true...look what you have lost....All of you have a great day and a wonderful eternity.

Did you really just try to use Pascal's Wager in a discussion about religion?  =/ Come on.  Regardless of beliefs, ministers are typically pretty intelligent people from my experiences with them...surely you can recognize the problem with your assertion -- that you have everything to gain and nothing to lose.

Pascal's Wager has been torn to shreds by numerous theists, atheists, and philosophers since its inception.  It is a fairly silly 'wager' that no longer retains any logical legitimacy.  I'm really sorry if that logic has been the foundation of your faith for so many years; it's very poor to say the least.

YOURE ONE OF 'SATAN'S DEMONS"!
RofLmfao
 

Who here has watched Zeitgeist... and what did you think of it?