WE LOOK AT THE DIFFERENT THEORIES OF NOAH'S FLOOD AND THE MEANING OF THE FLOOD STORY1

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Episode Transcript

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Welcome to myths, legends, andfolk tales, connecting the stories of the
past to the life and the present. We look at the various theories of
Noah and the flood. The literalinterpretation of the story of Noah's ark holds

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at the events describing the Bible occurredexactly as written. Proponents of this view
often cite various ancient texts and traditionsthat describe a global flood. They believe
that God shows Noah to build anarc to preserve human and animal life during
a cataclysmic flood that covered the entireearth. The literal interpretation is often associated

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with the belief in the inerrancy ofthe Bible, so there's no mistakes in
the Bible and it's perfect, andthen it's accepted by some of what they
would call fundamentalists Christian groups. AndI know in today's world that has a
different connotation, but the traditional senseis it's really fundamentalist is basically looking at
the fundamentals, the basics of theBible, looking at it as being the
complete word of God with no mistakes. Critics of the view, of course,

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argue that a literal global flood isscientifically implausible. Another theory is called
the local flood theory, and thattheory posits of the story of Noah's arc
is based on a historical flood thataffected a specific region sus of the Mesopotamian
Air Valley. Proponents of this viewargue that the Hebrew word translated as earth
and the flood account can also meanland or region, allowing for a more

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how would you say, localized interpretationgeological studies of identified evidence of significant flooding
in this region during ancient times.So those kind of appeases those who wanted
to use scientific evidence or geological evidence, As they would say, the local
flood theory attempts to reconcile again thebiblical account with scientific evidence. You also

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got a member, folks, Theabsence of evidence is not the evidence of
absence. May we repeat that,the absence of evidence, So even if
we don't have any evidence now doesn'tmean it's the evidence of nothing being there.
They could find later. So thisis another whole in the argument,
having to use scientific evidence so theycan say at the moment, it may
not be if they wanted to arguethat. Critics of this view, though

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the local flood theory might argue thatdoesn't fully align with the Biblical description of
a flood that wiped out a wholelife outside the arc. Some argue it's
a myth and it's symbolic they lookat as a parable or an allegory.
Proponents of this view argue that thestory conveys profound moral and spiritual truths,
emphasizing themes of obedience and divine judgment, and we'll be looking a little bit

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later about the purpose behind Noah's flood, recording to different theories. By viewing
the flood narrative a symbolic, itcan be understood as a reflection of universal
human experiences and spiritual realities. Theflood may represent a cleansing or purifying process,
and the arc may symbolize salvation orrefuge. Critics of this view might
argue that undermines the historical reliability ofthe Bible, though you'll also have the

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shared flood myth. The shared floodmyth theory highlights these similarities between the Biblical
flood and other ancient flood narratives,such as the Sumaran epic of Gilgamesh.
Some scholars believe that these shared elementsare just a common origin or reflect a
shared cultural memory of an actual flood. The presence of flood myths and various
unrelated cultures around the world has ledto speculations that they may be based on

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observations of real natural disasters that werethen 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 handeddown and embellished. However, people who
argue against this one say it couldbe coincidental, or that they may reflect
universal human concerns and storytelling motifs ratherthan historical events. Now that one is

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called a geological perspective, and thisone is a little proud it's One of
the prominent theory is the Black Seadeluge theory deluge meaning and flood, which
posits that a catastrophic flooding of theBlack Sea around fifty six hundred BC could
be the basis for the Noah stories, so really similar to the last theory.
Opponents of this view point to ageological evidence such as sediment layers and

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ancient shorelines that suggest a rapid andmass In addition, of course, the
critics of these theories argue that they'respeculative and lack sufficient evidence, which most
of them do. Archaeological attempts tofind evidence have led to various expeditions,
of course, to the famous MountArarat in Turkey, where some believe the
art came to rest. Over theyears, numerous claims of discoveries have been

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made, ranging from wood fragments thesatellite images of potential arc like structures.
These attempts often stand from a littleinterpretation of the Biblical account. Critics will
argue that these expeditions are often drivenmore by faith than rigorous scientific methodology,
that the evidence presented its typically inconclusiveor misinterpreted. How about the theological well.

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The theological interpretation of the story ofNoah and the Flood very widely among
different religious traditions and determinations, Imean the dominations. Some theologians see the
story as a divine judgment on humansin and a manifestation of God's grace and
mercy in preserving a righteous remnant.Others focus on the covenental aspects of the
story, emphasizing God's faithfulness and commitmentto humanity. Environmental stewardship and care for

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creation are also themes that some contemporarytheologians will draw so some of the key
messages in the story of Noah's floodof the judgment divine justice. The flood
was God's judgment upon the world forits wickedness and sin. The fact that
every living being not aboard the arcparish demonstrates the seriousness of sin and God's

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commitment to justice, grace, andmercy. Despite humanity's sinfulness, God showed
grace and mercy to Noah and hisfamily. Noah found favor in God's eye
do to his righteousness, providing amessage about the salvation of the faithful.
Another theme associated with it could beobedience. Noah obeyed God's commands without question,
even though building such a huge arclikely seems absurd at the time.

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This shows the importance of obedience andtrust in God's plan. Another one would
be covenant. That's after the flood, God made a covenant with no one
all living creatures. Symbolized by arainbow. He promised never again to destroy
the earth by flood. This isseen as God's grace, mercy, and
nanny commitment to humanity regardless of itsflaws, and the final one people use

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with the story is also seen asone of the new beginnings. After the
flood, the earth was cleansed fromits wickedness and no and his family had
the responsibility of starting over. Soa message of hope and renewal. So
you can see here there's a lot. There's a story of grace where refers
to the unmerited favor of love ofGod towards humans. Psychologically, the concept
of grace can help individuals coupe withfeelings of guilt, shame, or inadequacy,

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and it also emphasizes that they're lovedand valued regardless of their actions or
perceived worth. Grace is also consideredyou can look at his unconditional love for
an individual, something we all strivefor in our lives. Mercy refers to
God's compassion and forgiveness towards people despitetheir wrongdoing or sin. This, of
course, can affect us by thebelief in divine mercy can provide comfort and

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a reassurance in the face of personalfailure or wrongdoing. Some even argue can
promo resilience, as individuals believe theycan receive forgiveness and start again. Also,
as with grace, understanding oneself asa recipient of mercy might encourage individuals
will show mercy to other people.Both concepts can contribute to a sense of
security and acceptance, which they arekey components of our mental well being.

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They provide a framework for understanding anddealing with personal failure, guilt, and
forgiveness, both of oneself and others. And Young one of the psychologists that
I like to adhere to a lotbecause he incorporates religion and his psychology.
He experiences Grace can be seen asan encounter with the self, which represents
the harmonious integration of the conscious andunconscious mind and our ultimate potential for wholeness.

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The unmerited love or favor and bodyby grace can also be a transformative,
transformative experience that propels personal growth andself realization. Grace might be seen
as a manifestation of what he wouldcall the archetype of the benevolent God image,
inspiring feelings of love, safety,and the key word again, acceptance.
Young also talked about mercy and healso thought it was an experience of

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the merciful aspects of the God's imagearchetype, and this can lead to significant
psychological transformation, such as overcoming feelingsof guilt and shame, fostering self acceptance
again. So Noah's flood isn't simplyabout a flood, at least I don't
think so. I think most storiesin the Bible, whether you believe they
are historical or not, have deepermeanings. And a lot of times you

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can have meanings for that particular momentin your life when you read those stories,
and that's really one of the keycomponents of the Bible.