WE LOOK AT THE DIFFERENT THEORIES OF NOAH'S FLOOD AND THE MEANING OF THE FLOOD STORY

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Episode Transcript

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A unique journey through the whole Biblein a year, we look at the
psychological and philosophical insights that the Bibleprovides all within a year. Let's begin,
we look at the various theories ofNoah and the flood. The literal

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interpretation of the story of Noah's arkholds at the events describing the Bible occurred
exactly as written. Proponents of thisview often cite various ancient texts and traditions
that describe a global flood. Theybelieve that God shows Noah to build an
arc to preserve human and animal lifeduring a cataclysmic flood that covered the entire
earth. The literal interpretation is oftenassociated with the belief in the inerrancy of

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the Bible, so there's no mistakesin the Bible, it's perfect. And
then it's accepted by some of whatthey would call fundamentalists Christian groups. And
I know in today's world that hasa different connotation, but the traditional sense
is it's really a mementalist is basicallylooking at the fundamentals, the basics of
the Bible, looking at it asit being the complete word of God with
no mistakes. Critics of the viewof course, argue that a literal global

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flood is scientifically implausible. Another theoryis called the local flood theory, and
that theory posits of the story ofNoah's arc is based on a historical flood
that affected a specific region sus ofthe Mesopotamian Air Valley. Proponents of this
view argue that the Hebrew word translatedas earth and the flood account can also
mean land or region, allowing fora more how would you say, localized

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interpretation geological studies of identified evidence ofsignificant flooding in this region during ancient times.
So those kind of appeases those whowanted to use scientific evidence or geological
evidence, as they would say,the local flood theory attempts to reconcile again
the Biblical account with scientific evidence.You've also got a member, folks,

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The absence of evidence is not theevidence of absence. Maybe repeat that,
the absence of evidence. So evenif we don't have any evidence now,
it doesn't mean it's the evidence ofnothing being there. They could find later.
So this is another whole in theargument, having to use scientific evidence
so they can say at the momentit may not be if they wanted to
argue that Critics of this view,though the local flood theory, might argue

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that doesn't fully align with the Biblicaldescription of a flood that wiped out a
whole life outside the arc. Someargue it's a myth and it's symbolic they
look at as a parable or anallegory. Proponents of this view argue that
the story conveys profound moral and spiritualtruths, emphasizing themes of obedience and divine
judgment, and we'll be looking alittle bit later about the purpose behind Noah's

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floods, recording to different theories.By viewing the flood narrative as symbolic,
it can be understood as a reflectionof universal human experiences and spiritual realities.
The flood may represent a cleansing orpurifying process, and the arc may symbolize
salvation or refuge. Critics of thisview might argue that undermines the historical reliability
of the Bible, though you'll alsohave the shared flood myth. The shared

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flood myth theory highlights these similarities betweenthe Biblical flood and other ancient flood narratives,
such as the Sumerian epic of Gilgamesh. Some scholars believe that these shared
elements are just a common origin orreflect a shared cultural memory of an actual
flood. The presence of flood mythsand various unrelated cultures around the world has
led to speculations that they may bebased on observations of real natural disasters that

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were then passed down and probably embellished. This happens a lot to our own
memories. We tend to embellish them, so it is possible that they were
handed down and embellished. However,people who argue against this one say it
could be coincidental, or that theymay reflect universal human concerns and storytelling motifs
rather than historical events. Now thatone is called a geological perspective, and

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this one is a little proud it'sOne of the prominent theory is the Black
Sea deluge theory deluge meaning and flood, which posits that a catastrophic flooding of
the Black Sea around fifty six hundredBC could be the basis for the Noah
stories, so really similar to thelast theory. Opponents of this view point
to a theological evidence such as sentimentlayers and ancient shorelines that suggests a rapid
and massive innudation. Of course,the critics of these theories argue that they're

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speculative and lack sufficient evidence, whichmost of them do. Archaeological attempts to
find evidence have led to various expeditions, of course, to the famous Mount
Ararat in Turkey, where some believethe art came to rest. Over the
years, numerous claims of discoveries havebeen made, ranging from wood fragments the
satellite images of potential arc like structures. These attempts often stand from a little

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interpretation of the Biblical account. Criticswill argue that these expeditions are often driven
more by faith than rigorous scientific methodology, that the evidence presented its typically inconclusive
or misinterpreted. How about the theologicalwell. The theological interpretation of the story
of Noah and the flood very widelyamong different religious traditions and determinations, I

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mean the dominations. Some theologians seethe story as a divine judgment on human
sin and a manifestation of God's graceand mercy in preserve having a righteous remnant.
Others focused on the covenantal aspects ofthe story, emphasizing God's faithfulness and
commitment to humanity. Environmental stewardship andcare for creation are also themes that some

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contemporary theologians will draw so some ofthe key messages in the story of Noah's
flood of the judgment divine justice.The flood was God's judgment upon the world
for its wickedness and sin. Thefact that every living being not aboard the
arc parish demonstrates the seriousness of sinand God's commitment to justice, grace,
and mercy. Despite humanity's sinfulness,God showed grace and mercy to Noah and

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his family. Noah found favor inGod's i do to his righteousness, providing
a message about the salvation of thefaithful. Another theme associated with it could
be obedience. Noah obeyed God's commandswithout question, even though building such a
huge arc likely seems absurd at thetime. This shows the importance of obedience
and trust in God's plan. Anotherone would be covenant. That's, after

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the flood, God made a covenantwith no one all living creatures, symbolized
by a rainbow. He promised neveragain to destroy the earth by flood.
This is seen as God's grace,mercy and nanny commitment to humanity regardless of
its flaws, and the final onepeople use with the story is also seen
as one of the new beginnings.After the flood, the earth was cleansed
from its wickedness and no one hisfamily had the responsibility of starting over.

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So a message of hope and renewal. So you can see here there's a
lot. There's a story of gracewhere refers to unmerited favor and love of
God towards humans. Psychologically, theconcept of grace can help individuals coupe with
feelings of guilt, shame, orinadequacy, and it also emphasizes that they're
loved and valued regardless of their actionsor perceived worth. Grace is also considered

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you can look at his unconditional lovefor an individual, something we all strive
for in our lives. Mercy refersto God's compassion and forgiveness towards people despite
their wrongdoing or sin. This,of course, can affect us by the
belief in divine mercy can provide comfortand a reassurance in the face of personal
failure or wrongdoing. Some even argueit can promote resilience, as individuals believe

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they can receive forgiveness and start again. Also, as with grace, understanding
oneself as a recipient of mercy mightencourage individuals will show mercy to other people.
Both concepts can contribute to a senseof security and acceptance, which they
are key components of our mental wellbeing. They provide a framework for understanding
and dealing with personal failure, guilt, and forgiveness, both of oneself and

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others. And Young one of thepsychologists that I like to adhere to a
lot because he incorporates religion and hispsychology, he experiences grace can be seen
as an encounter with the self,which represents the harmonious integration of the conscious
and unconscious mind and our ultimate potentialfor wholeness. The unmerited love or favor
and body by grace can also bea transformative, transformative experience that propels personal

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growth and self realization. Grace mightbe seen as a manifestation of what he
would call the archetype of the benevolentGod image, inspiring feelings of love,
safety, and the key word again, acceptance. Young also talked about mercy
and he also thought it was anexperience of the merciful aspects of the God's
image. Archetype, and this canlead to significant psychological transformation, such as

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overcoming feelings of guilt and shame,fostering self acceptance. Again, so Noah's
flood isn't simply about a flood,at least I don't think so. I
think most stories in the Bible,whether you believe they are historical or not,
have deeper meanings. And a lotof times you can have meanings for
that particular moment in your life whenyou read those stories, and that's really

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one of the key components of theBible.