Mount Ararat. You have heard of it – though you may never have known her proper name. This mountain in Turkey is said to be the location that Noah’s ark ran aground after the Great Flood.
Turkish and Chinese Evangelical explorers now claim to have officially found the ark (or what is left of it) atop Mount Ararat. They have released images of the wood recovered from the undisclosed location. There are no trees atop Mount Ararat and certainly none that match this wood. Wood brought down before from the mountain top was dated to around 5,000 years ago. Which begs the question – how the hell did it get there?
Now, if we are to believe the Earth is literally 6,000 years old (roughly), this would make this wood old enough to have been around during the time of the Great Flood. People who believe the Creation story literally (as in we were created in literally seven days – from dust) will hold this to be God’s own Truth.
Others who believe in a more figurative (like me!) version of the Bible will say that perhaps there was a flood, maybe not (read: not) a world wide flood. But that wood got there somehow. If it was really found there.
And then, of course, our buddies who don’t believe (hi, guys!) will say the wood got there some other way, or didn’t come from Mount Ararat, or (logically) there is no evidence that the Great Flood every happened.
None of us really know. At this point, we don’t even know if the wood was actually found where these – clearly biased – explorers claim to have found this evidence. But, if it was there and it can be accurately dated to that time frame and we can show that no tree was atop that mountain that could have produced this wood – where did it come from? And why is it there?
I think I should have gone into some form of sociology. I crave to know these things. If it isn’t Noah’s Ark (legitimately, there is a good argument for it not being so), what is it? Who put it there? What was their life like? Did they ever think that one day a few people who have never met would be discussing those pieces of wood they left on that mountaintop?
And more importantly – China has evangelicals? Scary thought.
Uruk
4 months ago
This is an interesting one! (As all your posts are, btw)
Well, where do I begin with this one?
I’m no expert– that’s the first point I’ll make.
I’m curious if they excavated this wood or if they just found it laying around. I can’t tell from the story. If they didn’t excavate it from the ground by digging, I’d really find this to be fraudulent without any further thought. Over time, finding something that old would probably take some digging activity.
As for carbon dating . . . I don’t think one can use the method of carbon dating to prove that this wood is from the Ark with 99.9% certainty and then turn around and say that carbon dating cannot prove the age of the Earth to be 4 billion years old. Can’t have your cake and eat it, too.
And plate tectonics can’t be overlooked. Not only has life evolved on this planet, but the planet itself evolves. Mountainous areas were thought to once be flat areas. Perhaps areas that were lush with forests. When the plates crash, the earth buckles in a big way. Mountains are growing higher every year because the plates are still pushing in those places. That wood in that area could have been there from millions of years ago.
Well, maybe not– not if the carbon dating says its only 4,800 years old or so. But I’m interested in hearing what other sources would say about the carbon dating. You know, a second or third opinion to see if the same time frame reoccurs in the results. That would be interesting to know.
I’m not sure, but I think we’ll eventually hear something that will take the wind out of the sail of this finding. But I’ll keep an open mind about it despite all of my previous statements. I’m curious to know the ultimate outcome.
the lion
4 months ago
I just think it is odd that we keep finding this wood on Mount Ararat.
mac
4 months ago
I hope whatever it is can be definitively determined. I’ve heard this type thing before.
The legend of Noah may well indeed be partially true.
The area of the Tigris/Euphrates rivers is prone to flooding every spring. It is believed that one such spring was particularly bad, around 2900 BC. A lot of people lost their lives. One survivor was a Sumerian king, Ziasudra. Yep, he built a barge, loaded it with his possessions and floated out the flood.
It’s part of the Gilgamesh mythology too. They believe that the gods warned Ziasudra of the flood and ordered him to build his barge.
I don’t know what any of it means. Other than, yes, ther were floods of great proportions. And yes, some folks rode out those floods on boats they had made.
But, gosh! Wouldn’t I be embarrassed if it were proven to be Noah’s ark ;-)
Uruk
4 months ago
“But, gosh! Wouldn’t I be embarrassed if it were proven to be Noah’s ark”
Me too, Mac. Me too.
Michael Lockridge
4 months ago
Obviously the same people who faked the moon landing did this in a studio. I am not sure who is making a profit from the whole faking thing, since it has to cost a few bucks to create the whole ark thing and hire crews and buy off people who would bust the whole thing wide open.
It may be the Underpants Gnomes. They figured out how to profit from hijacking undergarments, so they are probably behind this whole thing. It’s true. Check out South Park. They uncovered the panty plot, and exposed the nefarious gnomes.
Yep. It’s all fake. The Earth is flat, by the way. Those Big Blue Marble photos are also fake.
Underpants Gnomes.
the lion
4 months ago
Oh Michael. Have you read about the people who truly do believe the Earth is flat? They think the Earth is flat and ringed by a giant wall of ice. They think all space photos are fake and that the Govvies are faking it all…and guarding the ice wall so no one knows about it.
I am not making this up.
Uruk
4 months ago
I didn’t know about the giant wall of ice.
Yikes!
mac
4 months ago
It seems more evidence is coming to light that these guys aren’t exactly on the up & up.
I’ve heard that the spider webs were a give away as much as anything. Spiders don’t live at that level and climate…