Noah and the Ark

I. Introduction. Placing the Noah story within the book of Genesis in the Bible.

Variations in belief in God that would influence the interpretation of the flood.

Beliefs that the story is allegorical in nature

Beliefs in the cycles of nature, life and death

How American philosophy influences interpretation of Bible stories

Is God capricious, destructive, and angry?

Transcendental beliefs about God in nature.

Conclusion: The interpretation of the story of the flood, Noah, and the pairs of animals depends upon the nature of the belief in God in order to understand the meaning of the story.

Genesis 6-9 relates the story of Noah and the flood, an appealing tale because of the pairing of all the animals and the simplicity of the idea of life continuing if there is one set from each species ( Genesis 6).. This story is appealing to people of all ages, perhaps because of the animals or maybe the feeling of being protected from danger. Metaphorically it seems like a cleansing of the ills of the earth. Why would have God destroyed his own creations? It is the thesis of this essay that the story of the flood, Noah, and the Ark is allegorical, and one's interpretation of the story depends very much on a person's belief in the nature

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rican people of this continent been greatly reduced in numbers? Why is AIDS an epidemic in South Africa? These instances focus mostly on human loss. Why do hurricanes devastate the southeastern coastal areas, and why do earthquakes crumble buildings and kill people? Loss of this scale in terms of loss of life for humans, animals, and plants requires that one think about God, not as a punitive, mean force that throws power at life forms, but as what it is that creates energy and life in the first place. If one can remain somewhat objective about even very large losses and not take it as a personal affront that God destroyed something, one can think about it as the replenishment of all the species in some way that was beneficial. One cannot know the exact circumstances of life on the earth at the time of Noah because the story has been handed down orally. Perhaps there were plant or animal diseases that needed to be flushed off the earth. Perhaps the growth of Homo sapiens had taken a turn that seemed ill suited to the development of a positive life for people, so a new start was necessary. . What one believes about Noah and the ark depends on the nature of the belief in God. If God instigates some action because it is
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Approximate Word count = 1588
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)

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