Alternate View: Noah's Ark

[Kaplok Kaplok]

Like the previous biblical stories we looked into, Noah's Ark is an illustration about human's difference from animals, the wise' difference from the fools.

Adam and Eve tackled the idea of shame(lust and gluttony) and self reflection; Cane and Abel explored jealousy (envy and wrath) and forgiveness; and now, Noah's Ark, which plays with the ideas of foresight and perseverance and despair(sloth).
[Soon to come is Tower of Babel, on greed and pride]

Trivia: in the original Mesopotamian myth about the flood, god punished people simply for being noisy and loud. This was probably adopted but edited to better cover the sin of sloth performed by the people who was killed in the flood.

Noah's experience with the flood is very similar to experiences we would deal several times in our lifetime. Many times, we will be told of the correct advice to avoid failures, but will be tempted to go against it. People around us will think of us as fools for being overprepared, over-disciplined. But in reality, these people are just making excuses to justify their vices - to keep doing what is fun and expedient.

The effort in building the ark symbolizes many things. It could be efforts for our body with regards to health, it could be our efforts for studies towards a career, efforts for relationship with a partner, etc. It's grand scale is to metaphorically show how hard it will be. It took him more time to build it, than the flood itself. (Some sources say 20-40yrs as per the book of Genesis). Just like Edison once quoted "Success is 1% inspiration, and 99% perspiration."

And then, time will inevitably try to test our perseverance. Even if we know in ourselves that we did the right thing, we will have doubts. As to what Noah felt in his 150 days, with no signs of hope. It will feel the same to efforts we did to whatever cause. Oftentimes people lose hope.

Loss of hope will make us fall into despair. The dark feeling of "there was never a hope." We start to believe that the right decision was wrong to begin with, and sadly, the vision of success will not be seen real, more like an illusion. We just take our suffering, and just blame things that are out of our control. This state will snowball us into further failures and further despair.

Noah fought through this and persevered. And that is exactly what we should. It is better to constantly remind ourselves on why we exerted the effort to begin with. And regardless of the result, the fact that we struggled to the best of our abilities, maybe, just that fact is what will save our humanity. Even in failure and in death, never lose hope.

The story is truly an allegory of the human condition, than it is a story of some guy who believed in God and was saved. The story of how fools think "you only live once" (so do what you can?), and the wise thinks "you live everyday (to see through the challenges), and only die once."

 

[mrparabellum]

Noah’s Ark is a shadow thing to come but already fulfilled by Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 3: 18-22

18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: 19 by which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; 20 which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. 21 The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ: 22 who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.

 

[Kaplok Kaplok]

Noah’s Ark is a shadow thing to come but already fulfilled by Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 3: 18-22

18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: 19 by which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; 20 which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. 21 The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ: 22 who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.

This is because Jesus is the Yang to God's Yin . He is the balancing disruptive CHAOS to God's tyranical ORDER. The renewed flow to the stagnant belief of their time. The gift of resurrecting forgiveness from sin, as opposed by the punishing death.

He is the man who, instead of defeating God, ascended himself as the second half.

 

[mrparabellum]

Christ is not a Chinese god. He is the God of Israel, the visible of the invisble God " Yahuah".

 

[Kaplok Kaplok]

Christ is not a Chinese god. He is the God of Israel, the visible of the invisble God " Yahuah".

Sure. You are not wrong to believe that.
Visibility is too shallow of an observation of Christ's action.
And besides, the ideas of Christ is a parallel to all great philosophical ideas including zen bhuddists, and is respected. Zen bhuddist reciprocates that respect. I personally respect him more that way, than a superstitious God.
That is the point of my "alternate views", it makes the bible more compatible with anyone, even with athiests, like me.

 

[mrparabellum]

Sure. You are not wrong to believe that.
Visibility is too shallow of an observation of Christ's action.
And besides, the ideas of Christ is a parallel to all great philosophical ideas including zen bhuddists, and is respected. Zen bhuddist reciprocates that respect. I personally respect him more that way, than a superstitious God.
That is the point of my "alternate views", it makes the bible more compatible with anyone, even with athiests, like me.

I appreciate your thoughts and giving an alternative view about the Noah's ark. I'm just sharing my thoughts to you brother, even you are an atheist and just wanted to say that every story in the Old Testament was pointing out about the Mashiach.
BTW. Thanks for using biblical Stories as one of your references in life. We Christians really admire that.

 

[plhbg1]

all hail to the greatest genocide of all time that even animals did not able to make it

 

[mrparabellum]

all hail to the greatest genocide of all time that even animals did not able to make it

is the Creator doesn't have a rights to abolish his creations? Lalo kung yung ginawa mo ay puno na ng kasaaman? Lahat ng orbra ng mga manlilikha na sa kanilang kamay yun at mdesisyon kung itatapon nila iyon o hindi.

 

[Kaplok Kaplok]

all hail to the greatest genocide of all time that even animals did not able to make it

is the Creator doesn't have a rights to abolish his creations? Lalo kung yung ginawa mo ay puno na ng kasaaman? Lahat ng orbra ng mga manlilikha na sa kanilang kamay yun at mdesisyon kung itatapon nila iyon o hindi.

This is why I would insist that this story is just an allegory, fable or parable. It just happens that it predated Jesus or even the very first version of the bible before it was compiled. That doesn't remove its value, and in fact enhances it. I mean, how does that kind of god provide spiritual health?

I would even imagine, Jesus was disappointed by this, so he claimed himself "God" because people back then treated their religion, like this story too literally, that it loses it value. And instead of providing peace in their hearts, it just provided fear. (Take note that he made parables of his own, which removes the meanness of the "god", but created an image of a loving father.) His teachings are very "liberal". One parable is anti racist, another is anti-prejudice. In contrast to the "conservative" thoughts back then, his teaching provided a balance.

His teachings has a lot in common with bhuddist teaching, especially tao and zen bhuddism.
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Take this with a grain of salt, but i think the book of Genesis was intended to be allegory, and not to explain something historical.

 

[plhbg1]

is the Creator doesn't have a rights to abolish his creations? Lalo kung yung ginawa mo ay puno na ng kasaaman? Lahat ng orbra ng mga manlilikha na sa kanilang kamay yun at mdesisyon kung itatapon nila iyon o hindi.

eye for an eye ba ka mo, how did the god differ from hitler, only that hitler did not claim he created man but they did both justify their genocide by the wrongdoings of their targets

 

[Arlertz]

eye for an eye ba ka mo, how did the god differ from hitler, only that hitler did not claim he created man but they did both justify their genocide by the wrongdoings of their targets

Haaaay

 

[Asherah Goddess]

is the Creator doesn't have a rights to abolish his creations? Lalo kung yung ginawa mo ay puno na ng kasamaan? Lahat ng sobra ng mga manlilikha na sa kanilang kamay yun at desisyon kung itatapon nila iyon o hindi.​

Ganun?! Sa bale toy(s) lang tayo sa paningin ng Diyos. Sisirain niya kapag pangit na pangit na siya and then kapag satisfied and kuntento na siya ay posibilidad na hindi niya ito sirain. Damay-damay na ang mga inosente.

At saka nagugunita ba ni God in the future na walang changes sa tao na gumagawa ng masama? Omniscient ang God kung ganun dahil nababasa niya ang future ng mga tao kaya meron siya kapangyarihan na wasakin ito sa kanyang mga kamay. E di ang lumalabas na parang wala tayo free will niyan. Alam ng God na hindi magbabago ang tao na gumagawa ng masama and so e ge genocide na ni God ang lahat ng ginawa niya. Sakaling hindi alam ng God na kung ano ang kahihinatnan in the future ay malamang hindi niya wawasakin ang lahat and of course , mag-eexpect si God na magbabago ang tao galing sa kasamaan na nagagawa nito. May puso kung baga.

Sabagay ganoon ang concept o ideology ng God ng mga tao , kung kaya matakot na ang naniniwala pero hindi lahat ng ideal God ng mga tao ay pare-parehas diba? Ang God ng ibang tao ay hindi ganyan ka-brutal ika nga sa ibang description ng God nila.

Pwede naman mag religion shopping e and choose the right God kung saan siya spritual incline and kung nagkaganun ay magiging happy at satisfied siya malamang Siyempre , malamang na hindi naman ganyan ka-brutal ang God siguro ang pipiliin ng tao kung saka-sakali.

​

 

[Kaplok Kaplok]

is the Creator doesn't have a rights to abolish his creations? Lalo kung yung ginawa mo ay puno na ng kasaaman?

It's not that he should or shouldn't have the right. There is a better way, gaya ng itinuro ni Kristo. -forgiveness, especially kung may remorse. Which is the current system the world mostly agrees on, regardless sa religion nila.
Example:

Honestly kasi, claiming that God has the authority to do what he want, just because he is God, it hurts the cause of Christianity.
At least for me looking from the outside.

I mean, pagan idea nmn kasi yung kind ng God who is just more powerful, toying with humans.(to attribute natural catastrophe to God) It is okay to believe this if you are converting from paganism. It will consolidate your previous God to the christian God, pero at some point, specially after learning about the New Testament, maiba na jan ang view ng God, ideally.

I mean it might be better to claim, na
"yes, God did this at some point, and realize it is not the best action for Him. He then decided against genocide that is why he sent his Son"
That would be the position i wish to see with theists. But then, who am I to suggest that? i'm just some random atheist out there..