One of the many great debates between Christians and atheists is about the Flood and Noah’s Ark. It is the story of God wiping out a sinful population and providing for Noah and his family. God gave the dimensions of the ship to Noah, which were 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high. Modern shipbuilders have said that with those dimensions, the ark would have been extremely stable and almost impossible to turn over. Just as there were skeptics in Noah’s time, there are skeptics today. Scientists don’t want to admit that there is evidence for this world wide disaster, and that the disaster in and of itself can explain so many questions that the scientific world has about the earth. Instead, they use the story of the Flood to try and prove the unreliability of the Bible. Many people use the miraculous stories from the Bible to make their point, and to say that it is all one big fairy tale. However, as Christians we know that the Bible is reliable and infallible, and we just need to find the evidence to prove it. Using the Flood and the story of Noah’s Ark is a great tool to use to prove that we can, in fact, take the Bible literally. The first evidence that the story is true is looking at other world literature and traditions.
There are eighty eight other flood stories, legends, and traditions besides the Biblical account of Noah. These writings tell of a time when the ancient world was buried in a flood and re-populated by only the few who had miraculously survived. In Hindu tradition, Manu was told that the earth was about to be submerged in water; he was to build a ship to carry him and seven others to safety. When the eight of them were out of danger, the deities allowed them the privilege of starting a new race. Chinese tradition states that Fah-he escaped from a downpour that annihilated all the people of the world with the exception of himself, his wife, his three sons, and his three daughters. Mantheo, who lived about 250 BC, recorded the history of the Egyptians. According to him, there was a worldwide flood. It was combined with the commemoration of the dead into a ceremony that involved putting the figurine of Osiris in a sacred ark and sending it out to sea. The Greek legend is almost the exact same story. It tells of a man named Deucalion who was saved from a flood. The flood was sent to destroy a population of prideful, insolent people who kept doing evil but wouldn’t repent. Deucalion put his wife and kids along with all sorts of land animals with him into a chest which protected them until the flood waters receded. Other ancient people who had their own versions of Noah’s story are the Romans, Mexicans, and even the North American Kolushes of Alaska. The story of Noah’s Ark is far more widespread than many people realize.
Many people have also claimed to see the ark itself, or remnants of it. In 1905, a ten year old Armenian boy named Georgie Hagopian saw it when he went up Mt. Ararat with his uncle. In 1916, during World War I, Russian airman R. Roskovitsky was flying over Mt. Ararat when he said he saw part of an ancient ship. In the 1930’s, NewZealander Hardwicke Knight saw what was left of the ark. In 1952, George Jefferson Greene took pictures of what he saw from his helicopter. Chuck Aaron and Bob Garbe photographed the ark on September 15, 1989. These sightings and the discovery of the remains of the ark are still under debate. No one can seem to decide if the remains are authentic, even among Christian archaeologists. However, this still shows how many people believe in the Biblical telling of the worldwide disaster.
Even after the many variations of the Biblical account and physical evidence of the boat itself, people still doubt that the Flood could have happened. What many people don’t know is how much evidence there is all over the world to support the major catastrophe. One of the major pieces of evidence that scientists have found to support the flood is a universal layer of chalk in the earth. It stretches from continent to continent and might be thicker or thinner in some areas, but it all rests on the same basic rock formation. This chalk layer consists of material that grows in water. It is proof that the whole planet was under water at the same time. Another thing that points toward the Flood is the fossils that are found. Many dinosaur fossils are uncovered facing the same way, and stream oriented. If the flood waters had risen rapidly, the dinosaurs would have most likely been running to higher ground. Petrified forests are also a great indication that the Bible was telling the truth about the Flood. Scientists say that the petrified forests they’ve found have been around for at least thousands of years, maybe even millions. The trees in a petrified forest have no roots, branches, or bark, and they are upright. When Mt. St. Helens exploded in 1880, it caused glaciers to melt which led to a flood. Trees were uprooted and jammed together in an upright position. The jostling broke off all of the branches, roots, and bark. In the water they stayed in their upright position. When Mt. St. Helens exploded again one month later, it created huge craters. The craters exposed rock layers that looked like the layers scientists previously said took thousands of years to form. The craters also exposed the trees that had been uprooted in the first explosion, which had petrified. This proved that with a flood, petrified forests could crop up within a month.
There are many other things that point to the fact that the Flood actually happened. Once some people admit that the evidence does point to the Flood, however, they question how the animals could have all fit and survived on the ark for that long. Some studies show that scientists believe all animals have the ability to go into at least partial hibernation. This would allow the animals to become dormant, and since their bodily functions would decrease, the less food and care they would need. Each new piece of evidence shows how reliable the scripture is. In some instances, the Flood could be the only possible explanation for certain events. When looking closely at the physical proof around the world, it is clear that the Bible can be trusted to give an accurate account of the events that took place in the Biblical times.
