Thursday, January 22, 2009
The Great Flood of Noah, by Noémie Cournoyer
The myth of the Great Flood described in the Bible?, Also called "Flood of Noah" is a mythological story to explain the nature of the relationship between the Jewish people and their God, YHWH? Thereafter, and that is the case with creationists, the flood has become the catch-all explanation when it comes to support the literalism? Biblical face geology.
First, the outline of the myth. Unhappy with his creation, YHWH decided to eliminate humans. But seeing that Noah and his family lead a good life, YHWH prevents it from the disaster to come, and it sends instructions to enable it to survive the flood by building a huge ship (Noah's Ark).
Following the flood, YHWH made a covenant with Noah that there will be no more disasters of this magnitude, in return for which men undertake to lead a good life. This alliance is characterized by the appearance of a rainbow, which illustrates the link between the earthly world and the celestial world.
Babylonian roots of the myth of the Flood
This myth is probably an adaptation of a Hebrew oldest Babylonian myth, the epic of Gilgamesh. In this version, the god of storms, Enlil decides to punish humanity corrupted by sending a deluge. The god of wisdom, Ea, decided to prevent Uta-Napishtim, a human particularly wise and virtuous. Uta-Naphishtim survive the flood by building an ark.
Posted to 2700 BC, the epic of Gilgamesh is one of the oldest stories known to date and above Genesis widely, even by the most generous dates (between 1200 and 200 BC.)
The following table shows some similarities between the story from the epic of Gilgamesh and the version presented in Genesis:
Babylonian version (1)
Hebrew (2)
(1) YHWH is angry against humanity corrupted.
(2) Enlil is angry against humanity corrupted.
(1) Noah favorite YHWH chosen to survive the flood.
(2) Uta-Napishtim, bookmark Ea chosen to survive the flood.
(1) An arch is built and loaded food and animals.
(2) An arch is built and loaded food and animals.
(1) After several days in the ark, Uta-Napishtim wants to know if the water level has fallen. It then sends a dove, a week later, a crow. The crow did not return, Uta-Napishtim knows that the flood is over.
(2) After several days in the ark, Noah wants to know if the water level has fallen. It sends a crow, and then a week later, a dove. The dove comes first with an olive branch, and is not at all. Noah knows that the flood is over.
(1) Uta-Napishtim is a sacrifice to the gods to thank for having saved the deluge. The goddess Ishtar sends a rainbow.
(2) Noah made a sacrifice to YHWH to thank him for having saved the deluge. YHWH sends a rainbow as a sign of the covenant.
Myths about a flood seem to be widespread. However, both because of the deluge that the protagonists and the outcome varies greatly from one to another myth. For example, in Paraguay, a myth tells that the earth was once flooded because there were too many people. The weight of humanity meeting was therefore sink the continent, which floats on water. Fortunately, some were rescued by a white bird.
In Canada, a myth from Cris tells people that a man has survived a flood in a canoe. It then sends a crow who could not find land. The crows were white. To punish the crow, the man had become the black.
It is interesting to note is that the myths from the eastern Mediterranean have more often the focus of the flood sent to punish humanity. Elsewhere in the world, because of the deluge is often not specified, or the result of a natural force.
The Great Flood of Noah and his theological embrouilles
The biblical myth seems to be an adaptation monotheistic? A pre-existing narrative. In the Babylonian myth of narrative coherence is ensured by the fact that the gods want to kill some people and others to save them. As against the "monothéisation" story leads to contradictions Hebrew as YHWH occupies both the role of executioner and savior.
This puts into question a central argument of Christianity, that God would allow evil in order to allow free will? It seems that the free will of contemporary Noah was not so important for YHWH.
It is also questionable from what Noah fired if his conduct exemplary. After all, the Ten Commandments were not even on the eve of being drafted. What set of rules, what moral code were (or were not) the people at the time of the Great Flood? The Christian belief that morality goes back to Moses (who seek the commandments on Mount Sinai) is well embêtée.
Another problem is posed by the existence of giants before the Flood. According to Genesis, these Néphilims would be the result of unions between demons and human women. Such watches have never had a place on board the Ark of Noah. Still, in post-biblical flood, it is still question of Nephilim. The famous Goliath fight that David, was not himself a giant?
This problem is resolved in the Jewish tradition by saying that one of the giants had hooked to the roof of the Ark (!), Which in the Hebrew story is a "box" and not a boat. As against this variant of the myth of the flood is not found in the Bible, which fails to explain how the Giants have survived the flood.
The impossibility of a global deluge
To achieve a good overall flood, only one ingredient: water, in very large quantities. Hence came the great flood of water? Several hypotheses have been proposed by creationists.
The water in the flood, according to the Bible
Before examining the assumptions contemporary look that tells the myth itself. According to the bible, there are two possible sources: the rain, and the sources of the abyss "mentioned in Proverbs 8:29:
Disposa heaven when I was there; When drew a circle on the surface of the abyss, when the clouds settled on the top, and that the sources of the abyss poured out forcefully when gave a limit to the sea, to ensure that water does not cross the edges when laid the foundations of the earth, I was at work with it (trans. LS)
Note in passing that, according to this passage, the earth is flat. Thus, water would have fallen through openings in the dome covering the earth, which is flat. This water would be attached to that from under the earth-disk.
After the Deluge
Outcome of the Flood also a series of problems that are presented here briefly:
Problem of genetic diversity: if there were only two animals how have they been able to reproduce without inbreeding problems? The same applies to Noah and his son. These four families are the only humans on the planet, they did not have the choice to reproduce them.
Mass migration: how the animals have found their habitat? For example, how kangaroos have earned Australia? And what do the animals have eaten during the first weeks after the flood? Carnivorous animals have been forced to eat some herbivores (two species), causing rapid extinction of all life on earth.
Problem of adaptive radiation: how species archetypal (or "[[baramin]") have they been able to generate as much diversity in such a short time (4000 years)?
No land on Earth! Following a comprehensive flood, there would be no black soil on the surface for plant growth. All debris was mixed randomly, there could not be a top layer composed of loose soil and fertile. As a result, the animals had nothing to eat.
Geological problems posed by a global deluge
Creationists often argue that the geological strata accumulated in a few hours, do not contain traces of activity (fourmillères, earthworms, roots, etc.) which would have required several years. It is indeed a prediction that should logically result from a global deluge.
Unfortunately (for jobs), hundreds of complete ecosystems have been discovered in strata supposed to have formed in minutes. Some creationists have tried to explain these tunnels by saying that animals and insects trying to escape landslides digging toward the surface to avoid being buried. If they were, there would only vertical tunnel, but almost all are parallel to geological strata.
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Labels: Creationism, Noémie Cournoyer, Religion and fanaticism
# posted by Francis Chartrand @ 7:49 PM 
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