Traditions of a Global Flood

Institute for Creation Research ^ | Nov. 2014 | John D. Morris, Ph.D.

[fishtank]

Traditions of a Global Flood

by John D. Morris, Ph.D. *

Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? (1 Corinthians 1:20)

One of the strongest evidences for the global Flood that annihilated all people on Earth except for Noah and his family has been the presence of flood legends in the folklore of people groups from around the world. And the stories are all so similar. Local geography and cultural aspects may be present, but they all seem to be telling the same story.

Over the years I have collected more than 200 of these stories, originally reported by various missionaries, anthropologists, and ethnologists. While the differences are not always trivial, the common essence of the stories is instructive as compiled below.

Was there a favored family? 88%

Were they forewarned? 66%

Was the flood due to the wickedness of man? 66%

Was the catastrophe only a flood? 95%

Was the flood global? 95%

Was survival due to a boat? 70%

Were animals also saved? 67%

Did animals play any part? 73%

Did survivors land on a mountain? 57%

Was the geography local? 82%

Were birds sent out? 35%

Was the rainbow mentioned? 7%

Did survivors offer a sacrifice? 13%

Were specifically eight persons saved? 9%

[fishtank]

ICR article image.

[arthurus]

After the last ice age all the coastlands and lands far up the river valleys were flooded in three stages followed by lesser subsidence. It occurred quickly enough that populations would know it was happening. See: Eden in the East

Eden in the East

[Prophet2520]

http://www.godandscience.org/apologetics/localflood.html

Title: The Genesis Flood
Why the Bible Says It Must be Local

There is plenty of scientific and historic data, including the traditions of those other countries as well.

[matthew fuller]

Here’s some interesting info about Velikovsky-

http://varchive.org/bonds/bonds.htm

[arthurus]

Buy the book. It’s cheap. Read it. I think you will find that the Genesis account is in accord with it all. It’s fascinating.

[fishtank]

Bull-oney.

If it were a local flood, why did Noah need an ark to survive?

Please read John Baumgardner’s (PhD geophysics) writings to see why a global flood is not only possible, but necessary.

[ravenwolf]

I don`t believe the flood was local but I believe what Noah had knowledge of was local.

[Prophet2520]

Bull-oney.

Did you even bother to read the bible study, or are you not interested in what the bible says on the subject?

[Prophet2520]

Just curious, ravenwolf, and fishtank, do you also believe the bible teaches a young earth, i.e. about 6000 years old? Usually global flood believers are young earthers.

One other companion question. Do you believe in evolution, as in say many breeds of dog like Chihuahhua and Great Dane all descending from the wolf?

[oincobx]

One thing I have a problem with is how over the course of just a couple thousand years, the descendants of Noah managed to spread across the Earth and adopt such varying racial characteristics.

[ravenwolf]

Just curious, ravenwolf, and fishtank, do you also believe the bible teaches a young earth, i.e. about 6000 years old? Usually global flood believers are young earthers.

---

I do not believe in a young earth, i believe Adam was created thousands of years after the sixth day in which man was created which itself was most likely thousands of years.

So i believe Adam was here about six thousand years ago which is when our history started.

I do not even like the word evolved but God created man on the sixth day and rested on the seventh it was some time after this that he said there was no man to till the ground, so this is when he made Adam.

The men God made on the sixth day had obviously not been trained or the word ( i hate ) evolved enough to know how to do anything more than an animal could do.

I believe every thing mentioned was created after its kind, i do not believe anything was left to chance.

As far as the things not mentioned, i don`t know.

as in say many breeds of dog like Chihuahhua and Great Dane all descending from the wolf?>>>>>

I have no belief on that subject, probably because i have saw nothing in the scripture to back up what might be said..

[BrandtMichaels]

I am completely confident that the Holy Bible is exactly what it claims to be - the Holy Spirit inspired Word of God as transcribed by men of faith. To believe anything else is putting my faith in man and this fallen world rather than God.

Is there any other book in the world that even comes close - not in the least! Furthermore here are 2 websites that I believe shed more light on what we do know about true science because true science will always parallel rather than contradict the Word of God.

101 Evidences for a Young Age of the Earth...And the Universe
http://creation.com/age-of-the-earth

Center for Scientific Creation - In the Beginning: Compelling Evidence for Creation and the Flood
http://www.creationscience.com/onlinebook/IntheBeginningTOC.html

[Prophet2520]

Thanks, ravenwolf. You are definitely in a small minority with that belief, but I can see how it would answer some problems for you that young earthers don’t want to deal with.

However, I am gathering from that statement that you still believe the flood falls in the young time frame, which is really mostly where I was going. If Adam was only created 6 thousands years ago then I suspect according to your view the flood occurred somewhere in the Usher time frame 2348 B.C. plus or minus a few hundred years.

The reason I ask about the dogs is that it is, as an example, intricately woven with the problems of a global flood in that time frame. Ken Ham and other gloabal early flooders have an entirely untenable position as illustrated through the dogs.

[Prophet2520]

“I am completely confident that the Holy Bible is exactly what it claims to be - the Holy Spirit inspired Word of God as transcribed by men of faith. “

Same here, but I didn’t think that was the discussion. I am not sure why you address that to me.

Thanks for the links but I have spent years looking at the young earth global flood view from Creation Science Institute, Ken Ham, and a plethora of other teachers. They manipulate science and gloss over immensely important things without consideration.

[ravenwolf]

Thanks, ravenwolf. You are definitely in a small minority with that belief,

---

I am not sure if I understand correctly but I believe although it was a global flood we only hear about it from Noah`s view.

I believe God was speaking to Noah about the earth that Noah knew so if that was the case then Noah would have no way of knowing that him and his family were not the only ones that were saved.

Noah was only a man and I believe it would be impossible for him to have gotten all of the kinds of animals we have on the ark, not to mention him being the father of several different races, some of who are not a mixed race.

It is also possible that the ark did not land on the highest peak and the whole mountain may have been referred to as Ararat. there are many mountains in the world much higher than Ararat.

So although I believe the story of the flood is history, I believe it only pertains to Noah`s world, and that there were probably similar circumstances over most of the world.

Inter breeding can change the appearance of anything including dogs.

Some believe there are 3 to 5 different pure breeds of man and all others are mixed breeds, so if Noah`s flood included all of the earth there would only be one pure breed or just a mixed breed, don`t know.

[Prophet2520]

We have hieroglyphics from 2100 B.C. which clearly show three VERY distinct dog breeds side by side on the leash of the same guy. Now Ken Ham would wrongly date those hieroglyphics about 300 years younger. Still even at three hundred years younger it does not allow for the evolution/breeding of those breeds. Genetic scientists recognize those breeds as being all descended from the wolf, but they allow for about ten thousand years for that to take place.

ravenwolf, perhaps with your local flood view it may be that the dogs were already around out of the flood area, but then there are complication of the Bibles de3scription of the settlement of Noah’s sons etc.
In the 2100-2500 BC flood view there is no time. First considerable time passes to the creation of the legions that build the tower of Babel. Then they have to have time top split into the peoples and get to Egypt as described in Scripture Gen 10. Then they have to build an empire in Egypt. Then they have to carve the hieroglyphics that have the multiple dog breeds. But dogs are only one easily provable example of the flood problem.

[ravenwolf]

Then they have to build an empire in Egypt.

---

Yes if we except the premise that Egypt was not heard of until after the flood and the fall of Babel that would make perfect sense.

Gen 6
5 And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

The above scripture gives me the idea that the earth may have been much more inhabited than what is thought, which is just my way of thinking and no more.