Historical accuracy in the bible and origins of its myths

[Eyeofpolyphemus]

This is obviously because Your culture highly values flood myths. Christian cultures have been fascinated by flood stories because of the biblical heritage causing us to compile and pay more attention to flood myths. Flood stories have been preferentially preserved and translated and gathered together in our culture because of the link to the bible, and there are more websites out there in English about floods because of the predominance of Christian culture. The victors get to rewrite the history to some extent.

Your explanation addresses only whyChristian culture has collected these stories, not why they are so widespread across cultures to begin with.

Droughts are also almost universally interpreted as signs of God's wrath. But for some reason we haven't paid much attention to these myths - maybe because it doesn't take up a major part of the bible?

*Every* calamity was considered the wrath of the supernatural being (s). Perhaps the flood gets more attention because it actually did occur as part of god's wrath?

http://www.indore.nic.in/Earthquake/EARTHQUAKE_LEGENDS.htm
Many earthquake legends seem to imply that earthquakes are caused by giant animals! Does this mean there Really were giant animals under the earth at one time? Multiple sources mean it must have happened!

[/QUOTE]

I did not say flood myths pointed to a common cause. I said they point to a common. whether is was caused by God, giant animals, or tears from martians is irrelevant to my specific assertion.

 

[Ozymandyus]

Why would you possibly think that? It's like believing that every story about giant earthquakes point to the same giant earthquake. There is no reason to infer such a thing, its BAD thinking.

All the stories are widespread across cultures. The reason you only know flood stories is because flood stories receive preferential treatment by your culture. There are flood stories in china, and fire stories, and earthquake stories. There are flood stories from africa, and fire stories, and earthquake stories. There are flood stories from India, and fire stories and earthquake stories. etc etc.
It does not mean there was one worldwide fire that consumed the world at one point in the past, nor that there was an earthquake that shook the whole world in the past.

The flood gets more attention for two reasons -
1. it was the most damaging and frequent disaster for early agricultural communities which were necessarily located in similar flood-prone areas.
2. Our culture has preferentially translated, collected and preserved such stories, and made them SEEM more widespread than they actually are.

 

[GoodKat]

Perhaps the flood gets more attention because it actually did occur as part of god's wrath?

I hope you aren't insinuating that a global flood may have actually happened as describe in the Bible, because I can assure you that it didn't.

 

[DarwinsOtherTheory]

I hope you aren't insinuating that a global flood may have actually happened as describe in the Bible, because I can assure you that it didn't.

me too

 

[Dirigoproductions]

When talking about the historicity of the bible, it is very important to break the book into the sections in which they were written and by book name. The first five books of the OT, also known as the Torah, can be dismissed entirely as folklore, myth and superstitious story writing. There is simply zero archeological, historical or scientific fact to corroborate anything within it.

On the other hand, much of the rest of the OT is accurate for the most part. It is merely a record of battles coupled with the times and tribulations of Jews throughout early history. These other books within the OT are known as the Tanach and are backed up by hoards of archeological evidence. To reference this material, I suggest everyone reads The bible as history by Werner Keller.

Lastly, the NT turns into myth just as the Torah was before it. Many Christians will claim the book of Mark, the first Gospel written, was as early as 50 CE. This simply isn't true. It depicts the fall of the Second Temple, or Herod's Temple, in 70 CE. To be gracious, the earliest it could have been written was around 75 CE. Thus making the last Gospel, John, being written possibly sometime after the turn of the First Century.

That being said, everyone should maintain a current examination of the Dead Sea scrolls documents. Many Christians will claim this to be evidence as well. While quipping, I told you so! Kindly explain to these reasonless individuals that while some of the documents date to the Second Century BCE, it is hardly evidence to back anything up found within it. ( Much of the material also is carbon dated to the Second Century CE )

Jesus, furthermore, is never mentioned in ANY Qumran material. Constantly refer them to the Copper Scroll that was essentially a list of treasure hidden in Herod's temple before its destruction in 70 CE. Much of the NT material written there is dated after the Copper scroll. Many of the Qumran scrolls, especially the ones pertaining to a "Teacher of Righteousness" does come in the Habbakuk community scroll and hardly attests to a Jesus of Nazareth.

In the end, give these creationists there glory with the Tanach, it simply doesn't change anything to the fact that Jesus of Nazareth never existing.

For more information, please visit:

http://www.youtube.com/user/johnhart30
http://www.historicaljesusmovie.com

 

[Eyeofpolyphemus]

I hope you aren't insinuating that a global flood may have actually happened as describe in the Bible, because I can assure you that it didn't.

Do elaborate, bearing in mind a supernatural event like the flood cannot be dismissed by natural explanation.

 

[Ozymandyus]

Do elaborate, bearing in mind a supernatural event like the flood cannot be dismissed by natural explanation.

It can be dismissed by something much better than a natural explanation - the fact that it never happened. There is no substantial evidence of such a global event. And luckily things that do not exist/have never happened require no explanation at all.

It's like saying, 'Please elaborate on the phenomena of possession by ghosts or magicians causing objects to magically reassemble, because that clearly can't happen without supernatural events.' That's right... the truth is that no one is possessed by ghosts, they have quite explainable mental illnesses and no one is reassembling objects - it was either never broken or has a duplicate. There WAS NO GLOBAL FLOOD.

 

[DarwinsOtherTheory]

Do elaborate, bearing in mind a supernatural event like the flood cannot be dismissed by natural explanation.

So it cannot be falsified, great, you christians really do cover your bases.

 

[GoodKat]

Do elaborate, bearing in mind a supernatural event like the flood cannot be dismissed by natural explanation.

No, supernatural claims can be dismissed without anything at all. Claims that are asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence. A supernatural claim can never be backed up by evidence because the claim itself implies that natural laws have been broken, and the reliability of evidence is totally dependent on the consistency of natural laws, thus you either must claim that it was a natural phenomena and within the realm of science, or you must admit that believing in the event is irrational.

 

[Aught3]

When did a flood become a supernatural event?

 

[DarwinsOtherTheory]

When did a flood become a supernatural event?

When enough water to flood the world up to the highest mountains magically appears and then magically disappears.

 

[Aught3]

Oh right, that part of it :lol:

 

[GoodKat]

When enough water to flood the world up to the highest mountains magically appears and then magically disappears.

And when the mud that it washed away stratifies into layers such as

chalk
granite
chalk