Did 'Noah's Flood' Really Happen?
Yes
Side Score: 23
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No
Side Score: 65
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5
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Sure. But not like it did in the Bible. There's archeological evidence suggesting an ancient tidal wave briefly flooded the entire Arabian Peninsula during the times of ancient man. Thusly, centuries later, primitive tribal man told the story of this flood until eventually it was written down on paper, having now become a fairy tale by generations of storytellers that wanted the story to be exciting. Side: Yes
Well a lot of evidence that is used to support the theory of the Earth lasting for millions of years can also be used to support the Great Flood. The aquatic fossils on mountaintops are said to be caused by land in the ocean being pushed up to form mountains by plate tectonics. Another interpretation is that the earth was covered by a global flood. Mass fossil graveyards of land animals are caused by animals being covered up very quickly so that their shape is preserved, many claim this is because of local events such as landslides or tidalwaves, however it could still have been caused by the Great Flood. Side: Yes
4
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I saw something on TV a while back and they had found some scientific proof to support the view that there had been a big flood at some point in the history of the world wether this was the Flood as described in the Bible I dont know, it could be that in ancient times the proof of a large/worldwide flood (people believed the world to be smaller back then) was discovered and the people of the time came up with the story of Noah's flood to try and make sense of it Side: Yes
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Is there evidence that some great flood as described in the book of Genesis actually took place? Many of the rocks that lie beneath our feet are know as sedimentary rocks. This means they were originally laid down under water, and when the water eventually disappeared, the sediment dried, hardened, and became rock. About 85% of the rock surface around the world is made up of sedimentary rock, indicating some time in the past, the world was covered by water Did you know that marine fossils have been discovered even on the highest mountain peaks? Its a fact. But many people say "Those mountains weren't necessarily mountains when they were covered by water. Tectonic plates have been up heaved and lowered many times through out history. True. But geology does provide evidence as we shall see, for massive flooding in every part of the world. And the evidence seem to indicate that although Tectonic plates have collided to form mountain, they were still above what is now sea level theses marine fossils developed. This means there must have been a major flood, significant enough to have covered these Tectonic plates. Side: Yes
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Disregarding the fact that this reply is a blatant copy/paste job, it is still disingenuous and patently false. "About 85% of the rock surface around the world is made up of sedimentary rock, indicating some time in the past, the world was covered by water" This does not show, in any way, that all landmass was covered by water at the same time. Particularly not at any time when humans were around. "And the evidence seem to indicate that although Tectonic plates have collided to form mountain, they were still above what is now sea level theses marine fossils developed." The earth is over 4 billion years old with active plate tectonics; meaning the landmasses and sea levels have undergone substantial change over time. What is now sea level, is not what sea level was 1 million, 20 million, 100 million, or 1 billion years ago. The fossils of these marine organisms are typically found alongside fossilized tracks and burrows, indicating that these organisms lived in the general area, and died in the general area. This would not be the case if a flood had scattered and redeposited them in these locations. Side: No
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Many of the rocks that lie beneath our feet are know as sedimentary rocks. This means they were originally laid down under water, and when the water eventually disappeared, the sediment dried, hardened, and became rock. A very poor description of the formation of sedimentary rocks. They are formed when detritus undergo a process called cementation as minerals precipitate from a solution in a water body. About 85% of the rock surface around the world is made up of sedimentary rock, indicating some time in the past, the world was covered by water This is true, but it does not serve as proper evidence for Noah's Flood. According to the Theory of Plate Tectonics, the current tectonic plates on the crust were split up from a supercontinent, called Pangaea, that existed during the late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic eras. This was surrounded by a single ocean, called Panthalassa, that covered the rest of the surface of the Earth. As a result of rifting in the Early and Middle Jurassic periods, Pangaea broke up to form two smaller supercontinents, Laurasia and Gondwanaland. These were separated by the Tethys Ocean. Eventually, over millions of years of rifting, Laurasia and Gondwanaland eventually split up again, resulting in the tectonic plates and corresponding oceans that we know today. During rifting and subduction, some of these land areas previously buried under water will be exposed above the surface, thus revealing sedimentary rocks on Earth's land. Did you know that marine fossils have been discovered even on the highest mountain peaks? Its a fact. But many people say "Those mountains weren't necessarily mountains when they were covered by water. Tectonic plates have been up heaved and lowered many times through out history. True. But geology does provide evidence as we shall see, for massive flooding in every part of the world. Yes. And do you know where these mountain peaks are? I'll tell you. They're, primarily, in the Himalayan mountain range. What happened was that due to the tremendous amount of rifting that occurred in the early eras of Earth's tectonic development, part of the ocean floor of the Tethys Ocean was uplifted, allowing for the formation of the Himalayan range over millions of years. Thus, what we know as the Himalayan mountains was actually made from land that originally made up the ocean floor of the Tethys Ocean. Thus, what you thought was a flood was actually an ocean. I could go into more detail, but (1) I don't think you're clever enough to understand and (2) I think I've given sufficient information to rebut your imaginary dream. Note: I am, actually, quite an excellent Geographer as well. (I scored A* for Geography at the GCE O Level, A Level and Higher A Level, and I did an undergraduate course in Geography as well.) So, don't try and bullshit me with geographical theories. Side: No
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7
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If such a flood did occur, the account of it given in the Bible is most certainly inaccurate and incorrect. If all life had been reduced to 2 of each species (humans to the 8 on board the ark) within the last 10,000 years, then we should see clear and overwhelming genetic evidence for it. We do not. Genetic evidence does show a couple instances of humanity coming close to extinction; once around 1,000,000 years ago, and again around 70,000 years ago. There are several other instances of population dips, but these appear to be the two most extreme cases. The first, having occurred around 1 million years ago, could not account for the story since modern humans wouldn't evolve for another 800,000 years; meaning there was no language developed at the time complex enough to accurately perpetuate such a story for over 1 million years. The second, at 70,000 years ago is still substantially outside the 10,000 year margin the typical Bible literalist tends to allow for. Language was likely more sophisticated at this point, but I doubt any traditional oral stories passed from this time up to when the Bible was written would have been very accurate. Also, and most importantly, neither of these instances resulted in a population of anywhere near 8 individuals. Nor does the evidence suggest a flood was responsible for either one. Side: No
(Genesis 6:19-20) - "And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every kind into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female. 20Of the birds after their kind, and of the animals after their kind, of every creeping thing of the ground after its kind, two of every kind will come to you to keep them alive." Side: No
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Here it goes. The one answer that should stop all this flood nonsense. There are several civilizations that have kept records of their existence. I will not get into all of them, but lets just talk about Egypt. Great record keeps. Very detailed records before, during and after the flood.n If Noah and his family only survived a world wide flood. How is this possible? "Biblical chronology places the Genesis flood at around 2250 B.C. The Egyptian written record goes back to 3000 B.C. The great pyramids of Giza were constructed around 2600 B.C. The records from that time on were extensive and detailed. There is no mention at all in the written record of a universal flood, and no evidence that it had ever occurred." Side: No
We well understand geology and plate tectonics now. We have a good idea how mountains form. Therefore we can be certain that Mt Everest was little different 6,000 years than it is now. So a proponent of the biblical flood would need to explain where the water required to raise sea levels by 5 miles came from and went to. And a couple of thousand other things of course :) Side: No
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