Science and Creationism 21 The Flood Colin Frayn

Science and Creationism 21. The Flood © Colin Frayn, 2008 -2011 www. frayn. net

The Biblical Flood • When was it? – Dates are usually given around 2500 BCE – Archbishop Usher’s chronology gives a date of 2348 BCE • How long did it last? – Approximately one year • See Genesis 7: 11 -13 and Genesis 8: 13 • How much water was released? – Enough to cover the highest mountains • Over 8 km / 5 miles • How many animals were on the Ark – Either 2 or 7 of every living thing – Plus Noah and his family © Colin Frayn, 2008 -2011 www. frayn. net

Flood Timeline • The flood was at roughly 2500 BC. – When the Egyptians were building pyramids – …that required thousands of men • Isn’t it odd that they didn’t record it? • And neither did any other culture – Flood myths are a common feature of primitive cultures – However, they rarely agree on anything – …and they never offer plausible chronologies © Colin Frayn, 2008 -2011 www. frayn. net

Lack of Evidence • There is no evidence for a flood – Historical – Geological – Ice cores – Genetics – Etc. • All evidence Hovind provides is weak and circumstantial © Colin Frayn, 2008 -2011 www. frayn. net

How many animals? • The number of individuals required is enormous (millions!) • What is a ‘kind’? Is it a species? Group? – The definition of this is obscure • If ‘species’ then there must have been millions of individuals on the ark • If ‘kind’ then the rate of evolutionary speciation since the Ark has been astronomical! • Only bring nostrilled animals? – Hovind claims that Noah only brought animals with nostrils on the ark • Though this isn’t what the bible says – This avoids trying to fit in several million pairs of insects – So how exactly did the insects survive? © Colin Frayn, 2008 -2011 www. frayn. net

Building the Ark • How hard is it to build an ark? • Remember – Noah did this in the early bronze age – Before the invention of nails, for example • One man in Maryland is trying to rebuild the Ark • It has taken him 32 years (so far) • • • 5 bulldozers 3, 000 tons of cement 76 cement pillars 34 sway-brace pillars An extensive steel girder superstructure …and his doesn’t even have to float Source : http: //www. godsark. org © Colin Frayn, 2008 -2011 www. frayn. net

Building the Ark (2) • How big was the Ark? • 137 x 23 m (450 x 75 ft) • The Wyoming (1909) – Largest wooden ship ever built – 450 ft long, but only 50 ft wide • Tip to tip length, not hull length • Only 350 ft (110 m) of hull length – Held together with 90 iron bracings! – Planks would twist and buckle in rough seas • Even without elephants inside – It required a pump to remove water constantly • The twisting hull let water in through cracks – It eventually collapsed and sank in 1924 • All 14 crew died © Colin Frayn, 2008 -2011 www. frayn. net

A Moon Pool • This is essentially a hole in the boat hull – It absorbs some of the wave energy – Though it does weaken the entire hull • Can this add stability to the ark? – – – To some extent They are difficult to make and dangerous A flawed design could easily have sunk the ark It’s probably not enough to make the ark stable It adds lots of complicated joints and fittings • Why wasn’t it in the description? – This seems like an important omission © Colin Frayn, 2008 -2011 www. frayn. net

Noah’s Ark found? • Ron Wyatt’s discovery – This has been totally disproved – What he’s found is… a hill • Even Answers in Genesis agrees: – http: //www. answersingenesis. org/creation/v 14/i 4/report. asp • More here: – http: //www. csun. edu/~vcgeo 005/bogus. html • There is no plausible archaeological evidence that this site contains any manmade artefacts. © Colin Frayn, 2008 -2011 www. frayn. net