A few weeks ago, Mr. Handsome, myself, and four of our friends visited the Ark Encounter, a theme park located in Williamstown, Kentucky. The park, which opened in July, currently houses a petting zoo and a life-size replica of Noah’s Ark but will eventually feature other attractions, including a walled city and a replica of the tower of Babel.
At 510 feet long and 80 feet high, the Ark is the largest timber-frame building on the planet. As we walked through the multiple-story museum located inside, we could smell the sweet scent of freshly cut wood.
The $90 million ark was funded by donations, bonds, and memberships (appropriately called “boarding passes”). The structure was constructed using the latest environmental technologies, making it one of the largest “green” building projects in the nation.
Mr. Handsome and I were amazed by the sheer size of the ark replica, and we thoroughly enjoyed walking through the exhibits and learning more about the history of the original structure. The top floor of the museum featured several dozen manuscripts of the Bible printed over the past two thousand years.
If you’re looking for a family-friendly getaway, we highly recommend visiting this northern Kentucky attraction. The Ark Encounter is just a day’s drive away from 2/3 of all Americans, as well as millions of Canadians.
As we were leaving, a storm blew in and made for an epic photo op!
Here’s a video that shows an aerial view of the ark…
I'm confused: how can you say "a life sized replica", if Noah's ark isn't something historically proven?
I mean, I'm a Christian, but I know that certain parts of the Bible, especially in the old testament, are mythological tales. They are stories with a message, but it doesn't mean that those things really happened.
If you don't mind me asking…how can you believe some parts of the Bible and not others??? Either you believe everything God says or you don't…God is TRUTH! I can't even imagine how someone who says they are a Christian could also say they don't believe everything He says. If one thing He says isn't true, how do you know that anything is??? Just something to think about!
How do you know that?
The real Noah's ark still rests in the mountains of Ararat.
I'm the original poster. To reply to the first person who commented to my post (nor sure hos to call you!).
I don't believe that certain parts are true and certain false, that would be making up your own religion. I believe in the message of love, but I also believe that very often the Bible gives a lesson, a message, through a story. This doesn't necessarily mean that the story really happened, it means that there's somthing to learn there.
As for the books about the origin of the world, they are similar to the myths that there are in other cultures. I see the divine in God's nature, but, again, while Genesis is a very well constructed story from a literary point of view, science proves that things didn't go that way. In my heart I believe that the original "spark" that led to the first form of life on the planet might have been originated by God, but Genesis isn't to be taken literally.
The topic would be huge, but I'll just add that clearly the Bible, like other books at the time, has a lot of rules and stories that resonated with the society of the time and were used to keep that society in order. These rules (should) in my opinion evolve like societies do.
So the main answer to your question is that I'm not saying that certain things are false, I'm saying that they tell a message through a story. The story is just a vehicle for the teachings, it doesn't mean it happened.
It did happen!
Thank you, original poster. I sometimes feel very alone and judged in my beliefs because I accept science. Studying science is basically studying the amazing wonder that is God's work and it saddens me to think so many people reject science because they think it is in conflict with God's word.
The problems occurs when people consider science "just another belief", something that you can choose whether to trust or not, but that's not what it is. Science is truth, believe it or not it's the only sure thing in this world. When a scientific discovery isn't 100% confirmed yet they will tell you the degree of certainty.
But science isn't on the same level as faith. Good for you if you have faith, but what you believe because of your faith is something that's true FOR YOU, it's not universally acknowledged. Science, on the oher hand, is just there and it's true for everybody, there's no discussion about that to be had.
So when you doubt scientific methods to date the earth and go tk the Bible to look for that, that's honestly an illusion. The Bible isn't supposed to be that, it's supposed to teach you the good principles, it's not a chronicle of he origin of the planet.
The Biblical accounts in Genesis can indeed be scientifically proven; however, they contradict the widely accepted theory of evolution, and that is why most people say that the book of Genesis is unscientific. You should take a look at Answers in Genesis' website.
I'm not quite content with the argument: "Look at how perfect nature is! It must be God's doing, so it must have happened exactly how it was described in Genesis".
This isn't logical thinking, you didn't demonstrate anything. You just say "It is like that because I want it to be like that".
To the person who said "God is truth" exactly. God IS truth, and love, and a ton more adjectives. However, the bible isn't written by God, it's written by people who were inspired by God. Those reasons are why we can still eat bacon and people who are divorced and remarried are still welcome members of God's large family. To say the Bible is infallible is wrong, the book was written thousands of years ago for a completely different society and has had multiple translation errors and stuff left up to interpretation by translators because some words in the bible have lost their meaning to history. We have to be aware of the full scripture AND the history behind it. To say that the bible is completely error free is proven wrong in the first pages where the TWO creation stories contradict each other: when did vegetation grow on the third day or before the first rain happened?
The Bible itself claims it is infallible and transcends time and original audience. If one is willing to obey God, He speaks to you through the Bible. It claims to be living and active and sharper than any two edged sword. It is not irrelevant. There are not two creation stories in the first pages. There is the first account and then it retells the same account from a different perspective. Vegetation didn't need the rain (which didn't happen till the Flood!) as the mist went up from the ground to water it! Actually, this may seem strange but if you're trying to "understand" or only accept "logical" reasoning, you're bound to fail because God does things differently than we think. "His thoughts are not our thoughts." Our minds cannot comprehend His thoughts. His ways are so much higher than our ways. Yes, you have to admit you don't know everything and surrender to God. Yes, it's a step of faith. (But as has already been pointed out, it takes a lot less faith to believe God created as He said in His word, than it does to believe everything in the universe happened as a result of a big bang, millions of years and chance.
I would like the person who said that the accounts in Genesis could be proven, to do so.
Esther, you do realize that just because the Bible says it is infallible it doesn't mean it is, right? You shouldn't follow something that you can't understand, in my opinion. Especially if it goes against any form of reason. And I'm not speaking about God in general, I'm speaking about tales in the Bible, such as Genesis, which tried to explain the world pre-science in an era where people used to spend time around a fire telling stories. These stories weren't even written, they were told orally, so you can imagine how they kept changing. Plus, during the Middle Age, the different churches selected the books of the Bible that they thought were more apt to shape society in a way that they would keep it more under control.
So, you see, the Bible is very much human. Which is fine.
God does things differently than we think? I thought you (or someone else) already pointed out that what we see in nature is God's work. So how can we be observing God's work (in nature) yet now you claim God is doing things differently than what we see?
Also, look up the red shift of stars. It's one observation that supports the Big Bang theory. But I suppose you'll just claim that God made everything in the universe move away like that on purpose, as if a celestial bowling ball struck celestial bowling pins. At some point, you have to trust that physics is right. Drop your computer off your desk and see if gravity does its job. Did God do that, or is it science at work?
If you're referring to me, I said we can't understand God's ways because they are past finding out. We can observe nature, but it is entirely possible that God made some things act differently to how we would expect.
To the previous poster, I have had personal experience (which I don't wish to share here) which leads me to conclude that the Bible is God's Word & true in it's entirety. You may believe that the churches selected the canon, I believe that the Holy Spirit can & did overrule man's suggestions to only allow what He wanted to be included.
Esther- I loved your response and comment
To the original poster: If Genesis isn't literal how do we know if the whole Bible is?
For me the point is that in general it shouldn't be taken literally because it's not a list of precise instructions on how to live. It's not like when you buy a piece of furniture and you need to follow closely the instruction sheet or it won't work.
I appreciate the message of love, attention to the poor, respect for the earth… and more (I'm simplifying for the sake of brevity).
On the other hand there are other things that were written for the society of 2/3000 years ago that don't work today. For example at the time they didn't accept homosexuality, or women working… Or women were totally submitted to men, they were considered impure during their cycle. Those things clearly aren't acceptable nowadays.
Ok, I was taught the two creation stories in a COLLEGE class, I'm not coming up with these things on my own, also my husband learned about many discrepancies in scripture, INCLUDING the two creation stories at SEMINARY, he is an ordained PC(USA) minister. You said that "God does things differently than we think" therefore you have to think that maybe God cannot be contained in a book that was inspired by, but not authored by God.
Christians can STILL be Christians and believe in evolution and the beauty that he created over time. It doesn't negate anything in God's wonderful story that scripture is, also if you read Genesis 1 as a poem, it's actually more beautiful and profound than being taken as fact.
Darwin & Lyell didn't want anyone to be theistic evolutionists. They wanted to make people think God's Word isn't trustworthy. I guess they succeeded with a lot of people. But there are quite a crowd who despite being taught the same "discrepancies" choose to still believe God's Word is true & that it's only man's opinions twisting what Scripture says that makes any apparent "discrepancies". I'll choose to believe God who was there in the beginning rather than any human who wasn't.
"choose to still believe God's Word is true"
That is as much of an OPINION as you next state:
"that it's only man's opinions twisting what Scripture says"
So all you're doing is replacing one opinion with another, proving absolutely nothing.
God was there in the beginning and humans weren't? What do you call Adam and Eve? And their sons, who managed to find women/wives where?
I was referring to God being there in the beginning before He created Adam and Eve. Yes, they were humans (but God didn't make them till the 6th day.)
Has anyone watched the evolution vs God film?
What did you think of the dinosaurs on the ark? Lol. I agree with the first comment, the bible is taken way to literally. If you want to homeschool, will you teach your children science, or fables instead of science?
We will all find out one day when we all die what is the truth, but too bad we can't come back to tell others!
We don't need to die to find out a lot of things that scientists through the centuries have proven. 🙂
I believe in God and Jesus as our Savior. I have read the Bible numerous times. I also believe in dinosaurs. Just because something isn't mentioned in the Bible doesn't mean it's a false it just means it wasn't mentioned.
Many people do believe that dinosaurs are mentioned in the Bible, including myself…read Esther's comment below!
The reality is that those who promote science without the Bible are simply taking BY FAITH what scientists have told them. Unless you have have done the fossil research, done the scientific research, lived millions of years ago, you are taking all you are believing BY FAITH. You ridicule those who believe God. Well, you believe the scientists' words based on their evidence. That is no proof at all.
No one ridicules those who believe in God. It's he opposite: we've all said that we respect all non violent opinions and some of us are Christians. The point though is that being a believer doesn't mean you should stop thinking with your own brain. 🙂
The message of the Bible is that of love and social engagement for the poor, it's not meant to be a precise explanation of how the Earth was born.
There were very likely baby dinosaurs on the ark , also remember animals and people weren't eating meet till after the flood.
Where are those baby dinosaurs' ancestors today? Did they sin and were killed off or something?
Evidence is not proof?! I give up. Some people open a Bible but then completely shut their minds.
I think the fossil record proves a worldwide flood did occur. (People have found fish fossils on top of mountains, land plants and sea creatures next to each other, all over the world & that wouldn't happen any other way than exactly how the Bible says it happened. I believe the Bible was inspired by God & He didn't include myths to confuse us. It actually, literally is the truth about God creating everything in just 6 days, mankind choosing their own way instead of God's way, His plan to redeem us & our purpose for living.
(Many cultures also have flood stories involving 8 people being saved on a big boat! Because they knew it happened.)
The fact that they foud land plant and sea creatures next to each other doesn't mean they were there at the same time. Tectonic plates are moving. They are pushing against each other. That's how mountains are formed. It is still happening now, in the ocean. It's a long term process, but sea creatures were pushed out of the water by natural forces and ended up on the top of a mountain. No one is denying the fact there was a major flood. But the Bible doesn't talk about major things like the Ice Age, wich has been proven by scientists. Or dinosaurs. And it doesn't talk about the fact that mankind did go through some kind of evolution, wich is proven by human fossils that were found around the world.
So not, it cannot have happened exactly how the Bible described it. It's physically impossible, and there are proofs all around the world to show it.
I absolutely do not buy the Biblical story of creation. Fossil remains, carbon-14 dating, and our continuing discoveries in astrophysics give overwhelming proof of other occurrences. I know creationists have an argument against every piece of scientific evidence, but I remain firmly in the scientific camp.
Actually the Bible does talk about ice and hail, cold and heat. The reason it doesn't have the word dinosaurs in, is because that word wasn't coined until 1841 by Sir Richard Owen of Lancaster, UK, to mean "terrible lizard", but the Bible does make mention of "Behemoth" and "Leviathan" and "dragon" several times, all of which probably were dinosaurs!! The human fossils found around the world actually do not show any kind of evolution! (You've been lied to!) Man's skulls used to be bigger and now they're smaller, that is degeneration, not evolution! Many of the fossils have been found to be hoaxes!!! Carbon 14 relies on the principle of uniformitarianism = "the present is the key to the past" but we know for sure that the sun is getting smaller, and if you project back millions of years, the sun would have engulfed the earth, so no life could exist. Think about it! In fact, if the sun was only 1 or 2 degrees nearer the earth, the seas would boil, if any further away, the seas would freeze! This is science folks, but many scientists aren't willing to accept the facts because they don't like the idea of being accountable to anyone! Charles Darwin (believe it or not) was a trained Anglican vicar. The reason he set up the theory of evolution was because he was mad at God for letting his favourite daughter Annie die! Charles Darwin and Charles Lyell both set out with the aim of "freeing science from Moses". Don't believe everything the textbooks tell you!!!
It's a scientific fact that the sea level in the past was higher, so that's the reason why in a lot of cases they found fossils of sea creatures on the land.
That being said, the possibility that there have been floods (as other natural events) doesn't mean that it happened how it's described in the Bible.
Clearly the stories in the Bible take elements from what happened in history, but they work as examples, not as chronicles.
With all due respect, do you really believe that there was a man named Methuselah who was 969 years old?
Fossils prove exactly that the Creation of life on Earth didn't go exactly as the Bible says. They prove evolution. 🙂 Maybe there was an element of divine at the beginning, but we all know that the mankind didn't appear on earth just as the earth came to be.
The thing is, in my opinion, that faith isn't about trying to prove that the biblical creation went exactly how it's told. Being a Christian is about the message, about living your life adhering to Jesus' teachings, not about doubting science. 🙂
That still doesn't account for the fact that we find sea and land fossils mixed up in the same rock! To make fossils, the material has to be buried rapidly before it rots!
Why would there be 2 books in the Bible called "Chronicles" if they weren't meant to be taken as chronicles?
Yes, I really do believe there was a man named Methuselah who was 969 years old! I'm glad you mentioned him! (Also, Adam lived to be 930! Increased lifespans were due to the perfect creation and climate, increased CO2 which really enhances growth and health etc.)
Methuselah's name means "his death shall bring" and when he died, the flood happened!
Genesis 5 genealogy: the first man was Adam. His name means "Man". His son Seth's name means "Appointed". His son Enosh's name means "Mortal". His son Cainan's name means "Sorrow". His son Mahalalel's name means "but the Blessed God". His son, Jared's name means "shall come down". His son Enoch's name means "teaching". His son Methuselah's name (as we have already seen) means "his death shall bring". His son Lamech's name means "the despairing". His son Noah's name means "Comfort and rest"! Altogether that reads, "Man Appointed Mortal Sorrow but the Blessed God shall come down teaching His death shall bring the despairing comfort and rest"! That isn't a coincidence folks. God planned it.
(And I don't doubt real good science, but much of what the textbooks contain cannot be called science at all! The scientific method is based on observable and repeatable tests, and we have not been able to observe or repeat any evolution!)
Check out http://www.creationresearch.net for some really fascinating information.
I don't know where you got the information that the skulls are getting smaller, because they are not. It's the opposite. The jaw is getting smaller, but the top of the skull, where the brain is, is getting bigger because the brain is getting bigger. The fact that some human fossils were hoaxes doesn't mean they all were. And there has been religious relics that were hoaxes too.
I think nature is suspiciously perfect. Was it because somebody bigger than us gave it a helping hand? Maybe. But is the Bible telling the absolute truth? I don't think so. Man can't deal with ''not knowing''. So when he doesn't understand something, he imagines a story to explain it. I think we can see some of that in every religious writting ever found.
Oh my goodness! At Esther…I don't know what science books you are reading but they are not true! I'm hoping the science books you are reading are not the ones that tell you that you absorb the DNA of your marital spouse and you get new DNA! Sigh
We HAVE seen evidence of evolution in nature – it's called speciation. It's happening in plants and insects, which we've been able to catalog. It's probably also happening in higher order animals, although you have to observe it on a genetic level. Esther, it sounds as if you expect the lizard on the lab table to stand on his 2 back feet and start quoting Shakespeare before you'll believe in evolution. That's not going to happen (at least not in our lifetimes), but do not doubt the other evolutionary happenings. They are observable and they do repeat. For some "really fascinating information," check out Scientific American.
Esther, I respect your belief but I have to say that it's difficult to have a serious conversation with you if you believe things like real people living to 900+ years….
Actually speciation isn't evolution either. Variation within kinds is evident for all to see, but God created the kinds & frogs are still frogs, dogs are still dogs, yes, man has bred different varieties of dogs, but they're all still dogs! If a lizard stood up & started quoting Shakespeare that would be an impressive lizard but still a lizard, so no evolution there either!
No, I haven't read one about absorbing a spouse's DNA but that doesn't sound at all scientific!! But do you seriously believe that such a complex system as DNA could possibly just evolve by chance?? That's like believing a set of 1000 encyclopedia magically just appeared without any author! (That's for only one cell in a body with 100 trillion cells!) & every living thing has DNA.
God created people to live forever in fellowship with Him. In the future, Jesus will rule on earth for a literal thousand years, & those who put their trust in Him will be there too! God will restore the earth to how life would have been in the Garden of Eden. It says the wolf will lie down with the lamb, the lion will eat straw like the ox, children will play by viper's dens & they will not hurt or destroy on His holy mountain. It's going to be amazing! But it also says that "it is appointed for man to die once, & after that: judgment." If you turn from following your own ways & choose to go God's way, you can have eternal life with Jesus. All who reject Jesus will suffer eternal torment. (I'm not making it up, that's just what the Bible says.)
Thank you Esther for sharing the truth. It broke my heart to see all the unbelievers! I will pray for for there eyes to be open to the truth!
Actually, speciation IS part of evolution at work, on its own. Also, I could mix some chemicals in a test tube, add an electric spark, and start forming organic molecules, the building blocks for life. So yes, "such a complex system" as DNA can form on its own. It needs RNA to help it, though. That is the precursor to DNA.
If you still can't believe that, then how about a theory in which life was "seeded" on this planet as an experiment by extraterrestrials, who still come back to check on and tweak their experiment? Makes as much sense as any other "being in the sky" placing life on Earth.
Dear everybody,
I'm a 3rd year college student writing from Berlin/Germany. Right now I`m taking a class about "Religious fundamentalism in the USA". Your discussion above provides a perfect introduction for my term paper! May I quote parts of your posts?
🙂 Just kidding!
But if I may say: Your discussion if the bible should be taken literally or not is VERY old. I hope you know that.
Noah's Ark is certainly interesting. How about the bible's statements about the role of man/women? homosexuality? spanking of children? Is everything "true"? I hope it`s not.
I appreciate this discussion! Thank you, Ellie for showing all the comments.
You do know that the Bible was written by men over the course of centuries, and its books have been selected by the churches during the middle age to fit the narrative that they had created and to create something that would help control the society, right?
There are a lot of things to learn from the scriptures, but many ofher things are to be taken with many pinches of salt.
Thank you, Esther H.
Anna, I'm from Europe as well (Italy) and I have the same impression about fundamentalism in the US. I have absolute respect for every non violent opinion, but I have to agree that while there are pretty tradional Christians in Europe too, no one that everything in the Bible has to be taken literally.
As you say, the discussion in old, it happened a long time ago here.
(Just for the record, Anna and our friend from Italy, I'm from England and I know a lot of people in my area that also believe the Bible is to be taken literally (apart from where it specifically states otherwise!)
Also, while the Bible may have been written by men, it was breathed by God! He told the writers what to write and He is perfectly capable of allowing the Books He wanted to be in the Canon to be included and other non-inspired books to be excluded.
*no one BELIEVES that everything in the Bible has to be taken literally.
(I missed a word!)
Ciao Anonymous from Italy! It`s Anna again. I completely agree with you. It`s all about respecting other people`s opinions (as long as they are non-violent).
Of course, in Europe we also have conflicts between people of different beliefs…however, I always wondered why religion seems to be so much more controversial in the USA.
I feel here it`s generally a more private topic…people don`t feel the need to talk about their faith or discuss what is right or wrong…
Any thoughts
These posts are heart-breaking. To think that people have been indoctrinated since they were children (and are now indoctrinating their own children) to believe false "facts" and pseudoscience to support antiquated views that the rest of the world has long accepted as fable is just… Sad. Your children deserve truth, not lies. Please, open your eyes. You can be a Godly person and still accept science. Accepting science is not denying God. I understand that many people will make you feel that way, but it's simply not the case.
I can't even. Completely agree that these posts are heart breaking. Please educate yourselves with an accredited school! There are many Christian schools out there that are NOT accredited because they are not teaching fact. I personally think if a school is not accredited than they should not be allowed to have students. Truly heart breaking the thought process that some people have.
Yeah, Anna, I mean here in Italy the Church often invades the political debate and it's not fine, but it goes as far as being very outdater in bio-ethical topics as abortion, contraception, euthanasia, or as far as being still not accepting of homosexual relationships (although the current Pope is very respectful). No one would ever believe that the Bible should be taken literally. That's like what the simple people in the countryside believed 200 years ago. With all due respect!
"Accepting science is not denying God." That's a very important statement. I believe the Christian church would have a lot more followers if this was generally taught…you can be a believer…but you can also trust what science says.
To me it seems as if the Christian church does not allow people to ask questions up to the point where they have to pretend to believe totally unrealistic things…
Thank you so much Esther, for speaking the truth and nothing but the truth. I agree, how could fish fossils get on top of mountains without the flood? We do NOT see evolution in nature! Nature sings with its beauty praises to God! I absolutely agree, our children deserve truth!
Sarah, the fact that there might have been floods doesn't prove that Noah's ark existed. Floods are a real thing, they still happen now. The fact that a flood happened in the past has nothing to do with a Bible's story being confirmed.
What is heartbreaking is that too many people have been indoctrinated with "science"! True science is supposed to be based on fact. The theory of evolution is just a theory. It has never been proven. There has never been one fossil found that shows an animal/plant/etc. in a stage of evolving. Since you weren't there when the world was created and I wasn't there, I think I will just believe the One who was. Either way we are going by faith. You have faith in what a scientist has told you. I have faith in the One who created science.
Upthrusting of the Earth's crust (still riding atop a liquid layer of rock) and tectonic plate motion (can't deny earthquakes aren't real) account for fossils on top of mountains, which used to be sea floor. Ever shovel snow and push it up into a pile? And then find gravel from the driveway on top of that pile?
To the person who said "The theory of evolution is just a theory." The theory of evolution, which is actually the theory of evolution by natural selection, is not "just a theory." It is a scientific theory, and a scientific theory does not mean the same thing as the everyday use of the word theory. Nothing is "proven" in science, because science is dynamic; science can change as new information is discovered. But for a hypothesis to become a scientific theory (a hypothesis is more like the everyday use of theory) it needs to be supported with TONS of repeatable evidence. And the theory of evolution by natural selection has. It is not just a guess. Please educate yourself on what science truly is. And no, science is not the same thing as faith. But I like how you said you have faith in the One who created science. Because He did! Thank you for acknowledging that. He also created the process of evolution! Let's celebrate His work and not deny it!
Nobody is denying that earthquakes are real, but one rock doesn't merge with other rock when it reaches the top of a mountain. The land plant and sea creatures were actually buried rapidly together. i.e. the same piece of rock.
It's not a question to know if the flood happened or not. It's a question to know if it happened because of God or not. Wich we won't know without a doubt before we die.
You know, mankind always had a way to explain the begining of the world. The Mayans, Egyptians, Sumerians… They all wrote down what they thought was the creation of the world. And it included many gods, and people coming from the stars. It tells a different story than the Bible. Still, their stories are elaborated and they even made drawings of it. So how do we know they are wrong and the Bible is right? We don't know because in both cases, people claim to have spoken with God(s).
That's why it is okay to have faith, but you have to keep an open mind that there might be a difference between what God(s) said and what was written down.
Science is the exact opposite of being indocrtinated!!
As a previous poster said, science is the only reliable way see have of explaining the world.
In any case we haven't been there, so if you have to choose between a mythological tale (the Bible) or what has been scientifically proven, the latter can't be denied. Then, if you have the gift of an adult faith, you can also believe that maybe in that initial spark of life which was the Big Bang there was an element of divine, God's will. But it's something more, something that those of us who have faith can add to the common ground of science.
Actually, fossils are found in different layers, indicating that they were buried/fossilized at different times. Take the Grand Canyon, for instance. Nowhere do fossil types overlap in those distinct layers. There was no "rapid" burial.
Remember hearing about igneous, sedentary, and metamorphic rock types in school? All form or as you might want to say "merge" differently.
If there were no rapid burial there would be no fossils. The material quickly rots/ decomposes if left exposed to oxygen and bacteria, & if it has all rotted, there's no fossil.
"There has never been one fossil found that shows an animal/plant/etc. in a stage of evolving."
YES we have found fossil fish that show fins evolving into feet.
"The material quickly rots/ decomposes if left exposed to oxygen and bacteria"
Not bone. Not IMPRINTS of plants and animals in what became sedimentary rock. Not tissue spaces that have become saturated with minerals (such as petrified wood).
I feel like I'm teaching Biology 101 here to a class that has no textbooks.
Technically you can't know for sure that fish fins were "evolving" into feet, because you weren't there to watch it. If that was the case, where are the fully evolved fish with feet?
We do find plenty of fossils that must have been buried rapidly; fossil figs, soft tissue in dinosaur bones, ink one can use to write with from a squid ink sac, fish with vomit or other food substances in their mouths, jellyfish fossils (that usually quickly dry up and leave no trace), polystrate trees that go through many layers of rock, etc. They would quickly rot away if they weren't buried rapidly!
I'm not sure what you're trying to demonstrate when you say that they were buried rapidly…
For the evolutionists who believe that science is on their side: look at the evidence. There is absolutely no reason to hide from the evidence. Examine the arguments made for evolution though, and upon closer examination, they are faulty. Even some well-known scientists acknowledge many of the holes of evolution:
Take Robert Jastrow: “Astronomers now find they have painted themselves into a corner because they have proven, by their own methods, that the world began abruptly in an act of creation to which you can trace the seeds of every star, every planet, every living thing in this cosmos and on the earth.” “That there are what I or anyone would call supernatural forces at work is now, I think, a scientifically proven fact.”
“For the scientist who has lived by his faith in the power of reason, the story ends like a bad dream. He has scaled the mountain of ignorance; he is about to conquer the highest peak; as he pulls himself over the final rock, he is greeted by a band of theologians who have been sitting there for centuries.”- Robert Jastrow
Dr. Dean Kenyon, professor emeritus at San Francisco State University and the author of the idea of the chemical evolution of proteins, eventually came to reject his own theory and after decades of research into possible alternatives, came to this conclusion: “…my doubts about whether amino acids could order themselves into meaningful biological sequences on their own without pre-existing genetic material being present just reached, I guess for me, the intellectual breaking point…We have not the slightest chance of a chemical evolutionary origin for even the simplest of cells…the concept of Intelligent Design was immensely attractive to me and made a great deal of sense, as it very closely matched the multiple discoveries in molecular biology.”
Dr. Michael Denton- evolutionist and microbiologist- “The complexity of the simplest known type of cell is so great that it is impossible to accept that such an object could have been thrown together suddenly by some kind of freakish, vastly improbably event. Such an occurrence would be indistinguishable from a miracle.”
As for the fossil record:
Errol White- a British geologist: “I have often thought how little I would like to have to prove organic evolution in a court of law. In my experience fossil fishes, while one can see the general drift of evolution readily enough, when it comes to pin-pointing the linkages, whether it be at generic level or at that of a higher group, the links are invariably either missing altogether or faulty…”
Even some of evolutionists’ best examples of evolution are proving false:
“…Archaeopteryx was, in the modern sense, a bird.” Dr. Alan Feduccia
“Paleontologists have tried to turn Archaeopterxy into an earth-bound, feathered dinosaur. But it’s not. It is a bird, a perching bird. And no amount of “paleobabble” is going to change that.” Alan Feduccia
Take a look at the modern cormorant skeleton and compare it to that of the Archaeopteryx, they’re remarkably similar.
For some scientists, science is just a game:
“Science is fundamentally a game. It is a game with one over-riding and defining rule: Rule #1: Let us see how far and to what extent we can explain the behavior of the physical and material universe in terms of purely physical and material causes, without invoking the supernatural.”
Richard Dawkins
If you’d like, you can base your faith in “evidence” that proves false at every turn, theorized by people who think science is a game. But it certainly seems more sensible to have faith based in true science rather than deceit and lies.
Esther, I wish you would consider that you don't have a complete understanding of what evolution is. It's easy to doubt something when you don't understand it. "Fully evolved" is not an accurate term. Evolution never stops. Did you know that antibiotic resistant bacteria are a result of evolution? To answer your question, though, the very first terrestrial species are extinct (as are most species that have ever been on Earth). They were not fish with feet – they were a completely separate species from fish. Amphibians and reptiles descended from these organisms, so if anything, they are the "fish with feet" you are looking for. Also, extant lobed fin fish descended from organisms that were a link between aquatic and terrestrial organisms. I'm learning more about scripture from reading your posts, so perhaps you could be open minded, too and learn about evolution.
I am glad that you noted that, "Nothing is "proven" in science, because science is dynamic; science can change as new information is discovered." There is science that can be proven such as the law of gravity, and there is "science" that is not proven…. that is ever changing as you noted. I don't have to accept everything that scientists say as fact since much of what they say is theory or unproven. For those who believe in evolution, where did the particles come from that caused the big bang? How do you get something from nothing?
Nope, gravity hasn't been "proven" any more than evolution has! Gravity, or more accurately the theory of relativity, has been supported with tons of repeatable evidence just like the theory of evolution and natural selection. But with both, something new could be discovered tomorrow that changes our understanding. Gravity and evolution are both explained by scientific theories, so it's hypocritical of you to accept one and not the other. And to clarify for you, the Big Bang, the origins of life, and evolution are three separate things. Scientists readily admit that there is plenty we don't know – we don't know where the materials from the Big Bang came from. We don't know how the first unicellular organism originated (there are several hypotheses, all with varying amounts of evidence, I'd be happy to go into detail on some if you're interested). But we do know how that unicellular organism led to the extensive biodiversity we have today, and that was through evolution. None of this means that God did not create the universe and Earth and all life on Earth. It's just a scientific explanation of how He did it.
(I'm tempted to say having an open mind could be dangerous: what if my brain fell out?)
I have seen and heard enough to convince me that evolution cannot occur. Yes bacteria have developed resistance, but they are still bacteria. "Darwin's finches" developed different beak shapes as they were eating different food, but they were all still finches. You have no proof that "the first terrestrial species" are extinct and you cannot know for sure that fish with fins turned into amphibians and reptiles because no one has ever witnessed it happening. That is just a theory to explain how some things came into existence without reference to God. Deep down, people know that if God is the Creator, then they are accountable to Him & that is a scary thought that people would prefer not to think about! It's so much easier for me to believe that God made every kind of animal & plant & that fish, coelacanths, trilobites, crocodiles, dinosaurs, sheep, chickens & humans all lived at the same time, just like the Bible said.
Esther, if you don't believe in evolution, how do you explain that certain people are black, certain people white, others have blond hair and blue eyes, other curly dark hair, certain have almond shaped eyes, and so on and so forth?
This comes from evolution: the human race is only one, but the human body has adapted over hundreds of thousands of years to the climatic and geographical conditions of the place they lived in. It's really that simple!
All of us, actually, are living proof of evolution.
We all have different DNA which determines our skin colours and eye shapes and type of hair, but that is no proof of evolution. The only difference in skin colour is some people's genes tell them to produce more melanin than others. Noah's sons were called Ham, Shem & Japheth, which mean light, dark & reddish coloured. Your presupposition is based on your worldview, but if you really check the facts, you'll find that while we may have adapted a little bit, that doesn't constitute evolution.
Esther, since you like to research, look into "click chemistry" and how we are now able to create genes in the laboratory using DNA synthesis, polymerase chain reaction amplification, and enzymatic ligation. In other words, man can now manipulate DNA and make radical changes to its sequences (which happens anyway in nature, and even in your own immune system). Click chemistry is promising for biomedical applications, but Chinese scientists are tweaking human embryos with this technique in an attempt to create disease resistance. Right now, it's for research purposes and the embryos, which were donated and not viable to begin with, are destroyed within days. But the goal is to gain full control of the technique and eventually offer it for human use. Imagine what genetic diseases could be eradicated. You could even use it to genetically modify the physical traits of humans, such as height or hair color. Evolution? Playing God? Perhaps to some, but DNA doesn't depend on any god, just old-fashioned chemical bonds, which can now be broken by humans and put back together again in all sorts of configurations. Esther, why would your God create something that could be tweaked and used (abused?) like that by mortal men?
No, it's not a presupposition and it's not based on my "worldview": physical features like the color of the skin, the amount of hair and so on and so forth formed during thousands of year as long as people adapted to the climate of the place they lived in. More melanin where the sun is stronger, for example… It's science.
I freely admit I haven't a clue why God created things the way He did. If I knew why God did things a certain way, I'd be God. But I'm confident that He does everything well & I don't need to worry about all the why questions. When I get to Heaven I might understand why He allowed certain things, but even if I never know the reason, I know for sure that God is good! (Even if sometimes it might not feel like it!)
So the God-based belief system stops short like that, not needing any further explanation? Not able to provide any further answers? I would have to question why.
I'm glad science never stops trying to find answers.
Can you explain why anyone does anything? One can guess or presume, but we can't know their real motives. (Oftentimes people themselves don't know why they did things a certain way!)
Last time I checked, science hasn't answered the "why are we here?" question or the "what is the point of living if I just evolved from pond scum?" question & it can't answer "is there life after death?" either. So science certainly doesn't have all the answers!
How exactly is it known to be "life size"? How would we even know how big the ark was, if there even was one at all?
The Bible gives the measurements, so it's quite easy!
Thank you Esther for speaking up! I totally agree!
What a fun adventure!! Seems like something my husband and I would really enjoy doing. Love things like this that bring the bible to life.
Hi Shela,
It was a blast! We highly recommend it. 🙂
Ellie
To the above comments; God is truth! He cannot lie, why would you limit him to only the things you believe in the bible are true? Our God is awesome in power and His ways past finding out! That's what makes him so great! Don't limit him. How can he do great things for you if you don't even believe basic bible stories? He is the same yesterday today and forever!
AMEN! AMEN! AMEN! Romans 1:20. They are without excuse.
Because the point of religion, of having faith and being a Christian is living the message of love of Jesus Christ.
I don't need to believe that those mythological events happened to feel God in my life and be inspired by that. 🙂 That's what I call an adult faith. A faith that doesn't need miracles to live and mainly a faith that lives through people's lives.
In the Bible there are a lot of tales that are strikingly similar to how other cultures explained the origin of the world, before science. It's fascinating, but it's not a chronicle.
AMEN!!!
From a book made up/recorded by man at a time when even basic natural events were grossly misinterpreted. "The sun is being swallowed by a dragon" = The ancient Chinese explanation for a solar eclipse. Mythology.
I WANT a faith that has miracles. Something that exists without question outside the lousy human race to give me hope that this isn't all there is.
I hope you have found it.
It saddens me to think of what $90M could have done to help people, other than building a big wooden eyesore "theme park."
Agreed.
Huge waste of money.
I totally agree!
me too…
If souls see God and repent then in eternity they will be in heaven. Lives could be saved now and people learn the importantance of the body of Christ the church and share with fellow believers. Daily the lord added to the church those who were being saved. He is the life. Think of it since the time of Noah until now God the Father and Jesus and the Holy Spirit are the way, the truth and The Life, outside of our God there is not Life. People need to see this and repent and God will save them from their sins and they can have eternal life. Eat the Bread of Heaven!
I agree that this is a huge waste of money. I get that it's neat to have the Bible stories come to life and I'm sure that it's fun and informative for people, but all I can think about is the million other ways this money could've been spent. The money that was spent on this could have been used to help other people in meaningful ways.
You think someone is going to pay $40 to visit a theme park and then decide to repent because of it?
If you're really worried about the money going towards making a model of something from the Bible because it is "a waste of money" then why don't we do something about abortion and planned parenthood and other similar issues and organizations? It's fine to support cutting up babies and selling their body parts but it's wrong to build a museum? I'm not saying you support abortion personally, but there are plenty of corrupt things that are wasting billions of dollars every day that you could complain about. Why waste the time to complain about a very interesting museum that thousands of people are able to enjoy?
It's good that the possibility of abortion (with precise rules and limitation) exists. We can't limit other people's rights and can't force them do do or not to do things to their body.
Not saying I'd do it, but there need to be a legal way to do it.
If it's prohibited by the law it won't stop happening. It would simply happen in unsanitary conditions.
Aren't these themed parks just a way to get people's money using their weaknesses?
Yes, to the question about trying to get people's money. P.T. Barnum would approve.
I wonder how many villages in Africa (or even just poor people in the US) could have benefited from these 90 millions… Spent just for the amusement of people who don't really have serious problems in life.
How do you know what kinds of problems other people are facing?
I read newspapers, talk to people…
As far as our personal struggles can go in life, most of us are lucky enough to live in a house with heating during winter, clean water to wash ourselves and cook, elecriticy…
Our kids go to school. A lot of people in Africa don't even know these things exist. Parents watch their babies die of hunger and infections every day… So yeah, they do bave bigger problems than us.
That ark would make a great shelter for homeless families instead of a bunch of stuffed animals.
I really appreciate this post. It is wonderful that you printed it for all to see. It does not sadden me that this cost 90 million dollars. That means that there was 90M of construction industry going on and it also generates an ongoing income. Also it is food for the spirit and soul of everyone who sees it. It is a great big live poster for people saying read the Bible stories! Also I have just thought to say that Jesus did say as it was in the time of Noah SO TOO it WILL BE he time of the coming of the son of man! Well at the time of Noah there was an ark and NOW there IS AN ARK TOO, does it get any more SO TOO than that, add in to the mix the social conditions of that time, which are rapidly spreading now too. I have a reverent fear for this awesome project, thank-you for sharing.
If there are 360 million Americans that is like giving everyone of them 40 cents.
I wouldn't waste postage to send 40 cents to anyone.
I was lying in bed last night and I realized that I devided wrong, it should be 90/360=.25, like giving 25¢ to every American. That does not buy much food per person but it does give a great Bible lesson to people the world over! I do realize Jesus said about doing many great works in my name but not caring for him in practical ways. How to reconcile all the scriptures and rightly decide the word of truth? The USA has multiple educational institutions, to me this a great educational institution. The Bible also says without a vision people perish. This gives a true vision to people. It is like a second chance. Many perished when Noah was saved. Now God must be hoping that many will be saved this time, He is not willing that any should perish, but that ALL should be saved through a knowledge of Jesus Christ.
You don't have to divide the money among everyone equally. Just use it to beef up programs already helping others. How giving about 90 million to the after-school and summer nutrition programs for children from low-income families? That WOULD buy a lot of food.
KJV of the Bible says to rightly devide the word of truth😇. Spell check changes that to decide! Jesus said man does not live on bread alone. This project is maybe a devision of the word of truth amongst people. This then is really important spiritual food to have to really live now and to live forever too!1 Corinthians 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. I have a challenge with a reward set before me, it is to love God!
Spell check should have corrected my devide to divide. I thought it looked funny, sorry!
To the person who thinks those of us with jobs should give money to people who have kids but cannot afford to provide for their own children — no thank you. I believe in personal responsibility. I work in health care & you would be shocked to see how many people use the food bank or want their kids to be given free things at school yet they drive vehicles and have cell phones and buy cigarettes and alcohol. I work full-time and I choose to walk, ride a bike, take the bus insead of buy a car and I do not drink alcohol or smoke or have TV (for financial reasons, not religious). I rarely post comments but people like you infuriate me. People have the right to build and visit the Ark Encounter and any other religious or secular tourist attraction without having to be told they should be looking after other people's children!
And I work with a program that provides food to needy children, so it infuriates me that people doubt these needs are real. All the personal responsibility in the world sometimes still can't put food on the table at the end of the day.
My club donates school supplies and backpacks to a school each year. We get the list of what's needed and the approximate numbers needed from the school counselor. We don't ask her to find out first what those parents are driving or if they have the latest iPhone. We just give, from the heart. If a child's parent is spending money on cigarettes and alcohol, then there's probably even more of a need for help for that child. To shut down such giving because people like you (Anon above) have a negative attitude about people who "use" the generosity of others…well, it's not going to happen. BTW, I would hope those parents have cell phones, if they needed to make an emergency call. In fact, there's another program I know of that provides cell phones to women for that very reason.
The area where I live was once all under water. I live here because the land was cheap. There is still a high water table and I need a sump pump to get the water out of the basement. Please pray good prayers in Christ for me. Thsnk-you if you do. In Jesus name.
Tomorrow morning some one has offered to bring a generator and a submersible pump to my house, attach it all to hoses and get the water out of my basement. Yeah, this will be a helpful step. Praise report, thank-you for prayers and thank our God in Christ Jesus!
Your prayers were powerful, job got done thank-you.
Or maybe you just found a kind person? It happens, it's not a miracle…
Great!
Why do you trolls read this blog if all you do is comment negatively? Isn't the beauty of life that we are all different? If you don't like what you read or see here, go somewhere else. Why waste your time being negative against someone that you don't personally know? Seriously some of y'all need to get a hobby. Ellie isn't going to change her life view based upon some negative trolls that go out of their way to criticize her belief system.
Scientists are trolls? Or are you using that term to describe the other people here who are anti-science? Confusing post. But someone is supposed to leave and let the others have their La La Land, is what I'm getting.
I don't see anyone being negative or rude. We are discussing important topics, and I believe that this is the good thing about this blog, that there is a place for people with very different views of the world to discuss. So keep it up, Ellie!
I've only seen polite people here!
Trolling is a term used to refer to people who are rude on the internet just because they like to make others unhappy, and it usually refers to personal attacks and derogatory comments, which I have thankfully not seen on here. Oftentimes when I see people make comments about "trolls", what they are really saying is they don't like people disagreeing with them. Having a polite debate, or sharing a different opinion is not trolling.
Glad you're enjoying the discussion. 🙂
Ellie
This is one of the longest (if not THE longest) discussions any of your blog posts have ever had!
It's the most controversial post for sure. 😉
I am unfortunately starting to see this page as a place for people that are a little "over the top christian". Too much of anything is not good for you. Too much food, you get fat, too much aspirin gives an ulcer, too much religion falls into that category.
Well, God said He hates man made religion too, but Jesus was way over the top radical when He went to the cross to die to redeem those sinners (who were His enemies), who will call out to Him in repentance & trust. As His followers, we are meant to yield our lives fully to Him. It's only logical that if He gave everything for me, I must give my all for Him!
How can we have too much God?? If you are a Christian than God is in complete and total control of your life, and you need him for everything.
Well said, Esther!
Think about ISIS…too much religion and you begin to twist the true meaning of your beliefs to fit your own ideology. I see many Christians twist the word of the Lord to fit their situation and make sense of why they do things that really don't make sense. So yes, too much religion is not a good thing.
Well that depends on your view of religion. Certainly anyone could do whatever they want in the name of their religion, and that does not make it okay. But if religion is your way of life, such as doing your best to follow what God tells us in the Bible and trying to live right and honor God, you can't overdo that. Sure, people twist the Bible to fit it into what they believe all the time, but that doesn't make the Bible itself inaccurate or wrong. You can't be too good of a person or too kind. So saying "too much religion is bad" isn't valid.
It's not inaccurate, it's just old. For the time it was written it was accurate, it described society. Now the parts that are more linked to how society actually worked are certainly thousands of years outdated.
Went there this summer. It was amazing! 🙂
Glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Ellie
Yes, we really did enjoyed it!
Did you eat at the cafe? We didn't, but I'm curious to hear how the food is.
Ellie
The Bible is the truth and nothing but the truth! And i will praise the Lord Jesus Christ whom is the truth forever and ever!
Do you live by everything the Bible says? Everything? All the life rules in Leviticus? How to handle those of different religions, per Deuteronomy? If the Bible is the truth and nothing but the truth, then it looks like you have some work to do.
Well I for one don't have nearly enough stones lying around to obey Deuteronomy.
We all do no one is righteous no not one except the Lord Jesus Christ!
Wow, this person needs to take the beam out of their own eye before they try and take the speck out of someone else's eye.
Have u ever thought about going in to ministry Ellie or has ur husband?
We have talked briefly about going into full-time ministry, but we don't feel God leading us there right now.
Ellie
I wouldn't give up my day job. The world needs more dentists, not more ministers. Everyone has a mouth & most still have teeth. Not everyone wants to be preached to, but everyone wants a functioning mouth with no pain. You can help more people through dentistry. Look into donating dental services to those who can't afford to pay for it, if you feel you need to do something more.
Hi there, Ellie! On a totally different topic, have you ever heard of the Remembering World War II event in Linden, TN? It's coming up on the 23rd and 24th. Since you're writing a book set during that time period, it seemed like it might be of interest to you! Just Google "Remembering WWII" to find their website and get more info! It is a lovely historical event coordinated by some Christian homeschooling families in the area…Go check them out! You can also find them on Instagram + Facebook!
Blessings,
Katherina V.
That sounds really neat, Katherina! Thanks so much!
Ellie
Oh, I suppose I should have said that it is a WWII reenactment! 🙂
Thanks. 🙂 I've never been to a WWII reenactment. Would be neat to experience one. Unfortunately, my hubby works this weekend, so we won't be able to make it. Thanks for the info though! Maybe next year! 🙂
Elli
Thanks. 🙂 I've never been to a WWII reenactment. Would be neat to experience one. Unfortunately, my hubby works this weekend, so we won't be able to make it. Thanks for the info though! Maybe next year! 🙂
Ellie
I'm worried to see how people can easily believe things like that 900 year old men really existed, because this means you can be so easily convinced of anything that a reckless politician could say. And that could lead to very dangerous decision.
Having faith doesn't mean that you have to completely shut down your rational thinking. 😉
God's Word is trustworthy and sure and it can be fully trusted; the same cannot be said for humankind.
Amen!
Since the Bible is God's Word, it can be trusted. Jesus clearly stated when he was telling a parable. The Genesis account of creation is accurate. It takes less faith to believe the Bible than to believe that things appeared out of some kind of explosion! Hebrews 11:3 "Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear."
God's word is trustworthy but it was directed to the society of 3000 years ago, with its specifications. Things evolve.
What cave do you hide in to get away from untrustworthy humankind? We need to know in case we need to join you.
Completely agree! It is God's word but it has passed through how many mouths before it was written down? Think how easily stories change when traveled by word of mouth first…
Literally 😉
Ah yes, religion. Many years ago, it was dangerous if you didn't keep the uneducated people scared of something you told them was bigger than them. It was also a way to insure you stayed wealthy and stayed in power.
Wait, come to think of it, times haven't changed that much, have they?
Just like Ecclesiastes says, "There is nothing new under the sun." There have always been believers & there have always been scoffers, & there always will be until Judgment Day. Don't leave it too late. "We implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God!"
And what happens if we aren't reconciled or don't want to be? What concern is it of yours?
I have already mentioned what the Bible says happens to those who reject Jesus: eternal torment, weeping and gnashing of teeth etc. Whilst I agree, in one sense, I don't even know you so it is not my concern, it does concern me greatly that anyone will spend eternity regretting that decision. Hell will be worse than I can imagine and it saddens me that people will still choose to reject Jesus, (and therefore the consequence of eternity separated from Him,) when He suffered so much to give us the option of eternal life with Him. No, I don't promise that becoming a Christian will make your life wonderfully easy, because Jesus promised the opposite! But Jesus also promised that He is preparing a place for those who trust Him. It will be incredibly glorious! Everyything in this life will be eclipsed by the first moment I get to see Jesus face to face and worship Him forever.
It is a great question to ask what concern it is of ours if you are or aren't reconciled. If you lived next door to me and your house caught on fire, I would run over and bang on your door and yell, "Fire!" You could stand at your door and look at me and just shake your head no and stay inside the house. It is your choice. I just want you to know that Jesus loved you so much that He went to the cross, died, was buried, and rose again to pay for your sin and mine. He did that to make a way for you to go to Heaven. You have complete freedom to accept Him or reject Him. I just can't pass by with your house on fire and not let you know.
Would you pass the house of a Muslim or a Hindu or a Buddhist and implore him or her to accept Jesus? Or would they pass your house and expect you to change your beliefs to their systems? Why do certain Christians always feel the need to convert everyone they see? Don't they realize how annoying that can be? Don't they understand that their religion may not be the "right" religion for someone else? Not everyone's house is on fire! You might only be seeing what you THINK are flames. Maybe it's the grill and they're about to do something mundane like cooking dinner. And you mistakenly panicked for no good reason.
Perhaps the reason some Christians "feel the need to convert everyone they see" is that they're obeying what Jesus told them to do: "Go into all the world and preach the Gospel". You're correct, not everyone's house is on fire, but according to the Bible, Hell is a lake of fire, prepared for the devil and his angels, and all who reject Christ will also spend their future there. Wouldn't you want someone to warn you if they knew that was going to happen? I'm very glad someone warned me!
Fire is a real objective danger. Faith is a personal subjective opinion. There are hundreds of other faiths in the world, so it's quite presumptive to think that yours is the right one.
Has any other faith leader been quoted as saying, "I Am the Way, the Truth and the Life, no one comes to the Father except by Me."? Has any other faith leader died to take away the sin of the world? All other faiths are trying by their own efforts to get to God. God came down to rescue us, our works don't get us to God. There is plenty of secular historical evidence that Jesus lived & did many miraculous things. He claimed to be God & He wasn't lying!
I try to be a good person in my everyday life because that's the way I like to live, because being positive, helping others, doing my job honestly is a duty of mine (and of each of us) that I joyfully fulfill. Not because otherwise I'll rot in flames…
If you only do what you think is right because you're afraid of fire, that's a pretty weak and selfish motivation.
…Even worse are the people who do nothing for others but think they're OK and will be "saved" because they sit in a pew for an hour once a week, or can quote Bible verses at will.
To answer your question, "Don't they understand that their religion may not be the "right" religion for someone else?" I have read all sixty-six books of the Bible many times. I have never read a single verse in the Bible that says that religion will save anyone. John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. Jesus said that He is the only way to Heaven, so it doesn't matter to me what religion someone is. I am not trying to get anyone to change religions. I am just telling them about Jesus. Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. Romans 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Many religions have never used the name Jesus and don't need to. Would you like people going around trying to tell you that Breged, Ahura Mazda, Rama, Krishna, Brahma, Vishnu, Maheswara, or Allah were what you should believe in? Or are you happy because your Heaven is reserved only for Jesus-believing Christians? Personally, I don't want to go anywhere that exclusive to the rest of the human race.
That’s so cool! My family and I came up from Virginia to visit the Ark Encounter just 1 week after it opened. It was amazing to see in real life what we’ve read about in the Bible all of our lives! They did an superb job on it. We especially loved the living rooms, where they portrayed each of the family members. Thank you for sharing about your time there! We can’t wait to visit it again. 😉
I completely agree. They did a wonderful job on both the outside and inside of the Ark!
Ellie
We visited 1 week after it opened too!
Yes, they really did!!!
That's. neat Alyssa. We visited at the end of August, and it was still packed. I can only imagine how many guests were there the week after the grand opening!
Ellie
The Bible is God's Word!
He said what He meant then and He still means what He says now!
Can i ask which exact day you were there…cause we were recently there also!!! So amazing!! Would highly recommend!!!;)
August 27 🙂
Ellie
I can't wait to go and take my children! We are really looking forward to it!
Hope you're able to go! Let me know what you think of it.
Ellie
Off Topic…..
How are your wrists doing, Ellie????
Cat
Hi Cat,
Thanks so much for asking. 🙂 They are doing much better. Unfortunately, the pain moved to my back, but with help from a physical therapist, I'm on the mend.
I'm blessed to have you as a reader. 🙂
Ellie
I like the stormy picture. It kind of helps in imagining what the real ark must have looked like on the very first day of rain! We're so used to it, but Noah and his family had never seen anything like it!
My friends went there recently, too.
That's very true! It must have been quite frightening. I can only imagine what the people who weren't in the boat were thinking….
Ellie
Guys, it's just a story.
I thought the flood water didn't come down from the sky originally. I thought it shot up from under the ground first and then fell down. And covered everything (even at altitudes where water would freeze). And then somehow disappeared again. Some story!
Who told you that?
That is a bit different from the way the Bible records it!
The story uses the stratagem of the flood to warn humanity to reflect on where we're headed as a society and as individuals. It's not a chronicle of something that really happened.
What makes you sure it isn't a chronicle? and what if you're wrong?
Esther, you haven't read the theory of the water shooting up from the ground? You haven't been doing enough research in fringe theories!
It's not a chronicle because it's unrealistic, contradicted by science, and it's a typical primitive recollection of the origin of the world. It has all characteristics of ancient myths that explained how the world was born. If we should believe all of them were to be taken seriously, then why should God be more believable of Zeus, Poseidon & co.?
I have heard many real scientists do not believe the Bible contradicts science (or the other way round if you prefer!), I find it perfectly believable & anything but typical! None of the myths (that I've heard anyway) mentioned the reason for the Flood being the fact that mankind was exceedingly wicked. None of the myths have such an important message of God rescuing people. The myths don't contain coded messages in people's names in genealogies. There are so many prophecies about the Jewish Messiah all through the Old Testament that Jesus fulfilled, & yes, there is plenty of secular historical evidence that Jesus lived and died. I haven't read that Zeus or Poseidon fulfilled over 300 prophecies. Have you?
And why should God be more believable than UFO's with highly-evolved ETs? If you can travel in space like that, then forming creatures on another planet should be a snap!
Wow!
I visited this summer too. It was a phenomenal exhibit. The sheer size of it was amazing to take in. The inside is done superbly. It will encourage your faith and bring the story of the ark alive.
I agree! And the epic background music that was playing while we "boarded" really set the mood.
Ellie
I really think the stormy picture is really neat! ;)When we went there is was really hot and sunny, but it was still wonderful!
Thanks, Elisabeth! It was actually hot and sunny earlier in the day but started storming just as we were leaving. Perfect timing to snap a pic!
Ellie
There are a lot of interesting back and forth debates about the money spent on the ark being better spent elsewhere, and I really share that frustration. I grew up in a church that raised money for repairs and necessary upgrades, but put as much possible towards helping others. I really have to question the motives of the people who decided that this was a necessary attraction. I don't want to discount the experiences of people who visited and enjoyed it or were uplifted, but at $40 a pop just for a basic ticket, not to mention the cost of driving there, it's pretty inaccessible for most people who don't already have a strong desire to go.
Have you checked into the price to go to Disney lately? It is well over $100 a day. Disney was made to be a place for pure entertainment. I don't hear anyone complaining about the money Walt spent to create Disney World, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, etc. He could have used that money instead to help others. It is ridiculous that if someone wants to spend the money and time to create a learning environment that people are going to complain about it. No one is making anyone go. If you want your money to go elsewhere, then by all means give your money to the poor.
Religious institution have an obligation to help the poor, Disney hasn't.
A church is just a body of believers which means all people have an obligation to help the poor.
Interesting tidbit about the sale of the bonds that helped to fund this project. They were worded so that the repayment to investors depends solely on the success of this park. If it doesn't succeed, the bonds will not be repaid, and nobody can go after the main company this project was tied to. If the park does succeed, then the bonds can be paid off early, resulting in the investors not getting any interest on them. Lose-lose for the investors; win-win for the man who dreamed this up. He's also reaping large tax incentives from the state, although he forced the employees to sign a statement of faith, which is not legal to ask any employee in this country to do.
The outside of this ark may look impressive. But examined from the inside? Not so much. You should at least let your readers know more about what's going on at this place that you're suggesting they visit. Thank you.
Hi there,
The inside of the Ark is a museum that shows the history of the time period and information about the Ark itself. It takes 3-4 hours to walk through. 🙂
Ellie
No, "examined from the inside" as in looking at the true story of what went on behind the scenes with this thing…
The money to build the ark was raised by people willingly donating. If you think about it, football stadiums cost way more, and the money is taken from taxpayers who have no say in the matter.
Ellie
Ellie, I see your point, but, yet, in my personal opinion donating that money to reliable institutions who help the poor would have been a more christian use of it.
That's just my view!
I don't see how that is any different than any other type of investment. If you invest in a company or project, if it succeeds you get your money back. If it doesn't, then you lose that investment. There is always risk involved. Since those who invested knew what type of investment they were making, I don't see what the issue is.
Churches should take care of the poor and not think about investments.
Correct – churches should not think about these kinds of investments, unless the first and foremost thing on the mind of the "church" leaders is money, especially money for themselves. In this country, they're allowed to set up any system they want for getting money and call it a church. It should actually called greed and control. Men like this are skillful at taking advantage of tax loopholes. They'll have to answer for their actions someday…
When I was growing up, the church pastors had use of the little houses next door to the churches, and often money was raised by the congregation to buy the pastor a used car. These days, pastors are on TV, raking in millions, living in mansions, building theme parks, wearing flashy jewelry, and driving a fleet of expensive vehicles. What happened????
I love the Ark! We went there this summer!
I'm glad to hear that!
Ellie
🙂
It is so interesting to see how you all decide to pick apart each other's posts. Ellie is sharing these for people who care. If you don't then go find a blog that agrees with your beliefs and/or start your own!
I do wonder though how you can say "I'm a Christian!" but you don't believe the entire Bible. Please enlighten me.
This is the enlightment: some parts of the Bible contain Jesus' message. Some other parts were written to control society or to explain the world to people 3000 years ago. In the meantime a lot of discoveries have been made.
I won't be a hypocrite. Since I can't believe (or obey) many parts of that book, I choose not to believe any parts of that book. There's a perfectly happy life outside of those pages. Most of the world doesn't even use that book. It pains me to hear that people who do follow that book vehemently condemn all those other people. How "Christian" is that?
I'm not condemning anyone. Jesus said all who reject Him are condemned already because they have not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Oh, Ester is just repeating what Jesus said. I see.
I truly don't understand how so many of you can believe in part of the Bible, that God created the entire universe, and that He has a plan for your life, yet you don't believe He has the power to preserve His Word and translate it into other languages for millions to have and read. God is omniscient(all-knowing) and omnipotent(all-powerful), and He has preserved His Word just like He said He would. Do you really think God is sitting in heaven and thinks "Oh no, someone just changed what My Word says and there is nothing I can do about it."? Do you really think He would let the Bible be corrupted through history without a single accurate copy available? That's nonsense. Of course He can and has kept His Word pure.
To each their own, but this is exactly what happens when people aren't used to seriously study. A person who educates themself is used to critical thinking, to studying, to be able to recognise how reliable a source is. A person who studies knows that even if they don't know something, they can learn it.
A person who isn't used to studying will doubt everything that they can't understand and will more easily accept any tale that makes it easy for them not to feel excluded.
3 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, 4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. 5 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: 6 Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: 7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. 2 Peter 3:3-7
How many centuries now have "the last days" supposedly been near?
We've actually been in the last days for about 21 centuries… God has been incredibly patient and merciful, waiting for people to come to repentance. Jesus will be returning soon. Please make sure you're ready for Him.
I'll set my alarm clock for a few centuries from now. Thanks for the heads-up.
Ellie, you look pregnant in that top!
Way to change the subject there!!!
Oh my goodness, really? Haven't you figured out that Ellie and her husband will start a family when they are ready and she will announce it to her readers when they discuss it together and are ready for others to know? What kind of response do expect to that questio Do you really think she is going to say "You are right. I should have mentioned it. I completely forgot"? From the point of view of someone who has had fertility/miscarriage issues, it is never appropriate to ask if someone is pregnant. You have no idea what that woman may be going through, and frankly, it's none of your business. How about just telling Ellie that she looks nice in that top? By the way, she does :).
Yeah, I usually wouldn't like people who disrespect her privacy, but given the intensity of this debate I actually find it funny! 😛
No she doesn't, you rude person.
Lol!
The bottom line is: everybody is free to believe what they believe, a long as it doesn't hurt others (=impose restrictions of human rights based on a certain group's moral beliefs).
In my opinion, as a progressive believer, a Christian who doesn't just shut down her brain, I appreciate more people who respectfully proclaim themselves atheists than those who think they possess the only truth and believe in stories that are clearly just literary constructions.
Quick question: if you don't believe in creation why did Jesus have to come to the world and die? Just wondering because you believe in Jesus and not in creation.
Accepting evolution doesn't necessarily mean you don't believe in creation. It just means you believe evolution is the way God created man.
Exactly. Evolution is undeniable, but there are certain things in nature that you can totally explain. If you have faith you can believe there is a principle of divine, God, in those things you can't explain. BUT Genesis' story is a story, it's even very curated from a literary point of view, with literary artifices that are the same as they are in other literary masterpieces (repetition of the same formulas and things like that…).
*can't totally explain
Ellie,r u?
Check this out:
http://www.evolutionvsgod.com
Hi Ellie,
I was curious when did you go to the Ark Encounter? My friends and myself vouluntered for a week during July! I would have loved to see you!
Thanks for this post
-Olivia
If you haven't already downloaded The Atheist Delusion, I would highly recommend it. It will be released on youtube on October 22nd. Fascinating facts and figures are presented in a way that is very easy to understand. It has challenged a lot of people and will continue to challenge many more to think long and hard about the questions regarding origins, DNA, information, design etc. Check it out at http://www.atheistmovie.com/