Question About The Flood In The Bible

[Peter Parka]

So Noah took 2 of each animals onto the ark, if you believe the Bible, right? How did he manage to keep the freshwater fish on there which would die in the saltwater? There's literally thousands of different species of them, the'd never fit on the ark. Or what about all the different species of spiders, insects and other creepy crawlies, for that matter?

 

[hart]

He had an acquarium

 

[Zorak]

I always wondered, did he take birds?

Cos he saw that dove at the end of the flood... Which obviously wasn't on the ark to begin with.

And if he didn't, did the poor buggers just fly about for however long the flood lasted?

 

[itsmeJonB]

I always wondered, did he take birds?

Cos he saw that dove at the end of the flood... Which obviously wasn't on the ark to begin with.

And if he didn't, did the poor buggers just fly about for however long the flood lasted?

Actually it clearly said that he released the dove and when it would return he knew there was no land, then the last time it returned with the olive branch or whatever the fuck it was noah knew that land was present.

And as for fishes id assume no because god told him to only grab animals who breathe air, duh.
And the insects came along too

 

[Peter Parka]

He had an acquarium

Sure it wasn't an arkquarium? :surrender

 

[BornReady]

YECs believe Noah even had dinosaurs on the ark. If the story were true then I'd be pissed at Noah for not killing the two mosquitoes when he had the chance.

 

[Diggin Deep]

Some of the replies come across as if God has/had limitations to his power. If God was able to speak to Noah, give him the resources and knowledge to build the ark, lead all of the animals to the ark...then wouldn't God have known how large the ark needed to be to hold 2 of every species of animal / creature on the planet at that time? If God created the world and every aspect of it, then why could He not have had power over the animals to keep Noah from "being mauled to death"?

Facts: Historians, scientists, and mathmeticians have already claimed that the Ark was more than big enough to contain the amount of animals it had to. Length (300 Cubits or 450 feet) x Width (50 Cubits or 75 feet) x Height (30 Cubits or 45 feet). It was taller than a 3 story building The Ark could have actually been larger. During the dates of the Old Testament, there were several larger-sized cubits used. (Genesis 6:14-6:16)

 

[Peter Parka]

So how did he keep all the fresh water fish on it then? How did the few people on the ark manage to look after all those animals? I've been to London Zoo before and despite being far bigger than the ark and with modern resources available it also needs far more zoo keepers to operate.
I should also ask if when the ark landed and all the animals were released, how comes many of them ended up on other continents and no where in the middle east? Did all the kangaroos bound across thousands of miles, swim across the ocean and settle in Australia?

 

[Tim]

Some of the replies come across as if God has/had limitations to his power. If God was able to speak to Noah, give him the resources and knowledge to build the ark, lead all of the animals to the ark...then wouldn't God have known how large the ark needed to be to hold 2 of every species of animal / creature on the planet at that time? If God created the world and every aspect of it, then why could He not have had power over the animals to keep Noah from "being mauled to death"?

Facts: Historians, scientists, and mathmeticians have already claimed that the Ark was more than big enough to contain the amount of animals it had to. Length (300 Cubits or 450 feet) x Width (50 Cubits or 75 feet) x Height (30 Cubits or 45 feet). It was taller than a 3 story building The Ark could have actually been larger. During the dates of the Old Testament, there were several larger-sized cubits used. (Genesis 6:14-6:16)

Why would god go through all this trouble when he could have wiped out humanity without flooding the entire globe?
And there are over 14,000 different types of ants (that we know of) So did he carry 28,000 ants? And how would that work? You can't start a new ant colony with just two ants. :24:

 

[HK]

I'm waiting for someone to say 'well it's not supposed to be taken literally...'

Two of every animal doesn't sound like that many. Until you work out how many animals there actually are. And how many different types of each specific animal. They're still discovering new insects and assorted creepy crawlies!

As with most of the bible, I take that story as just another way of spreading a set of ideals through the use of narrative. Like Aesop's Fables.

 

[Diggin Deep]

We have to remember that it is very possible that the world, land and water was much different back then. I don't know for sure, but I don't belive that all of the continents were divided the way they are now. Here is something I've read regarding this....

"The question sometimes is asked as to how fresh-water fish could survive in the salty seawater that covered the Earth during the Flood. Obviously, fresh-water deposits would have been contaminated with salt water as the flood waters covered “every high mountain over the whole earth” (Genesis 7:19-20). One of the problems here, of course, is that we cannot speak with certainty regarding the salinity of the oceans before the Flood. Nor do we know very much about the predecessors of many present-day fresh-water fish. Thus, any suggestion that fresh-water fish could not have survived in a post-Flood world assumes three things not in evidence: (1) that the salinity of the oceans and seas in Noah’s day was the same as the salinity of those today; (2) that fresh-water fish cannot live in diluted salt water; and (3) that the ability of water-living creatures in Noah’s day to survive in saline environments was the same as that of creatures found in today’s oceans and seas.

The first assumption—that the salinity of the oceans and seas of Noah’s day has remained constant—does not agree with the available scientific evidence. Based on a study of various factors of the past and present, some scientists believe that the salinity of the oceans may have been one-half of what they are currently (see, for example, Austin and Humphreys, 1990, 2:27, and Walter Lammerts as quoted in Whitcomb and Morris, 1961, p. 70). There is no reason that the fresh-water fish of Noah’s day could not have survived, provided the salinity of the waters was less than it is today. Leonard Brand has noted: “[W]e would expect changes in the chemistry of seas and lakes—from mixing fresh and salt water.... Each species of aquatic organism would have its own physiological tolerance for these changes” (1997, p. 283). In addition, as Brand commented regarding the fresh/salt water mixture that would have ensued during and immediately after the Flood: “[T]he less dense fresh water may not mix quickly with the salt water and it stays on top long enough to provide a temporary refuge for fresh-water organisms. Perhaps, too, many animals have a greater potential for adaptation to changing water conditions than we have recognized” (1997, p. 301-302).

The second assumption—that fresh-water fish cannot live in diluted salt water—is now known to be false, as Whitcomb and Morris point out as long ago as 1961 in their classic text, The Genesis Flood (p. 387, footnote).

The third assumption—that the ability of water-living creatures in Noah’s day to survive in saline environments was the same as that of creatures found in today’s oceans and seas—similarly is known to be incorrect. Many fresh-water fish have relatives that once lived in saline environments (see Batten and Sarfati, 2000). Furthermore, even today there are fish (e.g., large-mouth bass) that thrive in brackish waters such as those where the Mississippi River dumps its fresh water into the salt water of the Gulf of Mexico. Thus, in the end, the skeptics’ claim that Noah’s ark likely included giant fish tanks is wrong."

http://www.apologeticspress.org/apcontent.aspx?category=11&article=427

 

[itsmeJonB]

Pangea and evolution tell me otherwise

 

[Peter Parka]

We have to remember that it is very possible that the world, land and water was much different back then. I don't know for sure, but I don't belive that all of the continents were divided the way they are now. Here is something I've read regarding this....

"The question sometimes is asked as to how fresh-water fish could survive in the salty seawater that covered the Earth during the Flood. Obviously, fresh-water deposits would have been contaminated with salt water as the flood waters covered “every high mountain over the whole earth” (Genesis 7:19-20). One of the problems here, of course, is that we cannot speak with certainty regarding the salinity of the oceans before the Flood. Nor do we know very much about the predecessors of many present-day fresh-water fish. Thus, any suggestion that fresh-water fish could not have survived in a post-Flood world assumes three things not in evidence: (1) that the salinity of the oceans and seas in Noah’s day was the same as the salinity of those today; (2) that fresh-water fish cannot live in diluted salt water; and (3) that the ability of water-living creatures in Noah’s day to survive in saline environments was the same as that of creatures found in today’s oceans and seas.

The first assumption—that the salinity of the oceans and seas of Noah’s day has remained constant—does not agree with the available scientific evidence. Based on a study of various factors of the past and present, some scientists believe that the salinity of the oceans may have been one-half of what they are currently (see, for example, Austin and Humphreys, 1990, 2:27, and Walter Lammerts as quoted in Whitcomb and Morris, 1961, p. 70). There is no reason that the fresh-water fish of Noah’s day could not have survived, provided the salinity of the waters was less than it is today. Leonard Brand has noted: “[W]e would expect changes in the chemistry of seas and lakes—from mixing fresh and salt water.... Each species of aquatic organism would have its own physiological tolerance for these changes” (1997, p. 283). In addition, as Brand commented regarding the fresh/salt water mixture that would have ensued during and immediately after the Flood: “[T]he less dense fresh water may not mix quickly with the salt water and it stays on top long enough to provide a temporary refuge for fresh-water organisms. Perhaps, too, many animals have a greater potential for adaptation to changing water conditions than we have recognized” (1997, p. 301-302).

The second assumption—that fresh-water fish cannot live in diluted salt water—is now known to be false, as Whitcomb and Morris point out as long ago as 1961 in their classic text, The Genesis Flood (p. 387, footnote).

The third assumption—that the ability of water-living creatures in Noah’s day to survive in saline environments was the same as that of creatures found in today’s oceans and seas—similarly is known to be incorrect. Many fresh-water fish have relatives that once lived in saline environments (see Batten and Sarfati, 2000). Furthermore, even today there are fish (e.g., large-mouth bass) that thrive in brackish waters such as those where the Mississippi River dumps its fresh water into the salt water of the Gulf of Mexico. Thus, in the end, the skeptics’ claim that Noah’s ark likely included giant fish tanks is wrong."

http://www.apologeticspress.org/apcontent.aspx?category=11&article=427

You mean evolution made it possible?

 

[Diggin Deep]

Why would god go through all this trouble when he could have wiped out humanity without flooding the entire globe?
And there are over 14,000 different types of ants (that we know of) So did he carry 28,000 ants? And how would that work? You can't start a new ant colony with just two ants. :24:

Why couldn't you? We were able to create a human race with 2 humans that never existed until "God" created them. There are 14,000 different types of ants now, but that doesn't mean there were then...creatures evolve, they adapt, the change. You could argue that "Adam and Eve" were white, black, hispanic, etc...but regardless of what color they were and what language they spoke....today there are thousands of languages, ethnic groups / colors, etc that all started with 2 people.

 

[itsmeJonB]

Why couldn't you? We were able to create a human race with 2 humans that never existed until "God" created them. There are 14,000 different types of ants now, but that doesn't mean there were then...creatures evolve, they adapt, the change. You could argue that "Adam and Eve" were white, black, hispanic, etc...but regardless of what color they were and what language they spoke....today there are thousands of languages, ethnic groups / colors, etc that all started with 2 people.

If adam and eve existed as modern man, and we were desendants of them, then why did cavemen exist in a prehistoric man state, with a gradual evolution pattern to homoerectus?

 

[Diggin Deep]

Peter...

Even in the Bible....there is evolution. Everything as we know it evolves and changes (the human race, animals, language, technology, history).

 

[Diggin Deep]

You mean evolution made it possible?

If adam and eve existed as modern man, and we were desendants of them, then why did cavemen exist in a prehistoric man state, with a gradual evolution pattern to homoerectus?

There is no biblical proof that Adam and Eve existed as modern man. There is scientific speculation that during the Old Testament, it is very possible that they were both "Cavemen" and may or may not have co-existed with what we call dinosaurs. The length of time between Old Testament scripture and occurences is very vague and left open for debate. The Ice Age is proven, the flood that the Bible refers to is debatable, but it is proven that all land was submerged by water. The Bible says..."In the Beginning...God created"...so one could assume that A & E were cavemen that lived among dinosaurs, through the Ice Age and so on and so forth. So somewhere between A & E , Noah, and Abraham...the human race evolved along with all the creatures of earth, as it continues to today.

 

[HK]

....today there are thousands of languages, ethnic groups / colors, etc that all started with 2 people.

I was under the impression that although Adam and Eve were depicted as the 'first' people, they were by no means the only people. Once they leave the Garden Of Eden, don't they join the people that live outside?

There are huge flaws with suggesting that two of anything can repopulate the world. Your second generation has no choice but inbreeding, and the more you do that sort of thing, the bigger the chances are of genetic defects and serious issues. We wouldn't have lasted a thousand years trying to work like that, let alone several million.

 

[itsmeJonB]

There is no biblical proof that Adam and Eve existed as modern man. There is scientific speculation that during the Old Testament, it is very possible that they were both "Cavemen" and may or may not have co-existed with what we believe to be dinosaurs. The length of time between Old Testament scripture and occurences is very vague and left open for debate. The Ice Age is proven, the flood that the Bible refers to is proven...The Bible says..."In the Beginning...God created"...so one could assume that A & E were cavemen that lived among dinosaurs, through the Ice Age and so on and so forth. So somewhere between A & E , Noah, and Abraham...the human race evolved, as it continues to today.

Woah woah woah woah...
Woah..

Man and dinosaurs living together?
And why assume to be dinosaurs. Dinosaurs aren't a myth. We have fossils that prove this.
Show me pieces of the ark

 

[Peter Parka]

There is no biblical proof that Adam and Eve existed as modern man. There is scientific speculation that during the Old Testament, it is very possible that they were both "Cavemen" and may or may not have co-existed with what we believe to be dinosaurs. The length of time between Old Testament scripture and occurences is very vague and left open for debate. The Ice Age is proven, the flood that the Bible refers to is proven...The Bible says..."In the Beginning...God created"...so one could assume that A & E were cavemen that lived among dinosaurs, through the Ice Age and so on and so forth. So somewhere between A & E , Noah, and Abraham...the human race evolved along with all the creatures of earth, as it continues to today.

Two huge inaccuracies here. Dinosaurs are facts, the flood is not, just speculation.