Table 1 Instances of science denial required to make the Ark narrative biologically realistic
Claims of the Ark Narrative | Scientific Knowledge |
|---|---|
1) Noah took a few “baramins” instead of 1.7 million different species alive today | There is no evidence of baramins |
2) Baramins diversified into modern species when the Ark returned to dry land | The process is evolution, no mention of this in Bible |
3) The Ark included eight people: Noah and his wife, his three sons and their wives | Upon making landfall the level of inbreeding required to repopulate earth would have been catastrophic |
4) Dinosaurs were on the Ark | False. There is a 65 million year gap between dinosaurs and humans |
5) The entire earth was covered by flood waters | False, there is/was not enough water |
6) Noah did not bring 2 of each oceanic species, because they could survive in the salty floodwaters | Saltwater would doom all freshwater organisms; there were no aquariums on the Ark. |
7) Noah built an ocean-going vessel to accommodate himself and his family and some number of baramins | Such boat-building skills did not develop for centuries after Noah |
8) Parasites were free-living and not debilitating organisms to their hosts, they were not part of the Ark narrative | False. Parasites have been parasites for millions of yrs, and are the most numerous group of organisms; failure of biblical accounts to mention them is a fundamental flaw in the Ark narrative |
9) Zooplankton, phytoplankton, insects, or microorganisms are missing from the Ark narrative | These include millions of basic life forms just as ecologically important as animals that breath through their nostrils |
10) Major groups of organisms are not mentioned showing a lack of awareness of world biodiversity | Kangaroos, among thousands of other endemics from different continents receive no mention in Ark narrative |
11) A male and female of each animal type led to 1.7 million species in ca. 4,000 years | The inbreeding effects would be catastrophic, and this is an impossible rate of new species formation |
12) The Ark provided but a single environment | An Ark would need different sections for animals from polar regions, deserts, tropical rain forests, freshwater lakes, etc. |
13) The Grand Canyon was formed by receding waters from the biblical flood | The Grand Canyon was formed over millions of years |