27 Apr 2004

Noah and the Ark, a folk tale?

Submitted by theshovel
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Quick question...been bugging me for a while.. Can we really be expected to believe that Noah was the only good man in the land and that we all stem from this line.... And two kinds of every animal....thats a lot of animals!! Dont get me wrong, I want to believe it but it smacks of a folk tale R :)

Expectations are tricky things, especially when it comes to what "Christian" law demands. I get this vivid picture in my mind of the tension that must have existed between Jesus and those who followed him regarding expectations and reality. Despite all their preconceptions of faith they were led through the roller coaster ride of their lives where Jesus consistently destroyed every possible shred of it only to end up telling them "You believe in God ... believe also in ME". What audacity!! :) haha!

You know, I think the concept of Noah's goodness has more to do with our legal delusions of good vs. evil than with reality. Consider these statements:

But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD. These are the records of the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God. Genesis 6:8-9

The reality of Noah's righteousness was found in the fact that he "found FAVOR in the eyes of the Lord". Forget what the world - and ESPECIALLY what the religious world - says about righteousness and favor and instead consider the consistent demand of God that "none are righteous". We're left with the miraculous grace of God in such a determination. "Noah walked with God".

Surely there would be a lot of animals taken along for the ride, but it was in fact a HUGE boat (based upon the very descriptive measurements). I'm also sure there were no adult animals in the crowd, but were all very young and therefore relatively small in comparison to the imaginations we've had about how much room would be required.

I have no difficulty with the premise that all mankind stems from the line of Noah, having descended from Adam. I was in fact brought up to believe it, though I'm not real sure if those who taught me actually believed it themselves or if it was the story they knew was expected to be believed. Regardless, it has remained with me and has spoken volumes to me of the miraculous reality of Christ having passed from death into new life ... as well as our own passing from the domain of darkness having been transferred into the kingdom of God's son.

It makes no difference that all the world would "prove" that it is no more than a fairy tale or even a grand delusion ... for I see nothing but delusion and folk tale from both those who hold it religiously and those who oppose it based upon "higher wisdom"! :) On the one hand, I hear so much educated BS from those who don't want to appear ignorant, but on the other, I hear a religious mind that supposes that its own faith has anything to do with Christ. So much knowledge, so little life.

Jim :)

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