Jake Huether Posted September 15, 2003 Posted September 15, 2003 Genesis 9:13 I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Okay - now, for those of you who don't know the Bible... This sentance comes AFTER the creation of the earth, the sun, et al. So now... If rainbow's only began to happen AFTER the flood. Then tell me what was different BEFORE the flood to prevent rainbows from happening. For those who are scientifically inclined, you would know that rainbows happen due to sunlight passing through rain droplets (or after rain - moisture droplets), and being reflected into its different spectra of light (i.e. different wavelengths = different relection angle = different color). So, if rainbows didn't happen before - something should be different. 1) Light was different... there was only one wavelength - therefore, humans up untill Noah, didn't see in color. 2) Water was different, therefore, up until Noah, light didn't relfect through it the same. 3) Our eyes were different - we couldn't see in color. 4) Maybe it just never rained, and no one ever wattered their lawns, etc. Highly unlikely. 5) God just didn't let rainbows happen until then (+ he knew that Einstien and Newton, et al, wouldn't even be born yet. Them early folk were trying to figure out how to start fire, they couldn't be bothered with atomic physics!). 6) other... I go with 5, but then again... Who really knows. What are your thoughts?
Dave Posted September 15, 2003 Posted September 15, 2003 Jake, that's something I honestly never thought of until you brought that up. Now my poor simple mind is going to have to work overtime. See what you started???!!! J/K!! Seriously, though, I'd say 5 would be the most likely response. But as you said, who really knows?
PedroX Posted September 15, 2003 Posted September 15, 2003 Jake, my answer would be number 4. Remember that there was a "firmament" of water between the earth and the heavens that collapsed during the flood. I've heard that this firmament contributed to the "rain forest" like conditions that allowed the dinosaurs to live. Of course this is all speculative science at best, but just my $.02 peace...
God Conquers Posted September 15, 2003 Posted September 15, 2003 I'd actually go with 6) other: I think rainbows happenned before then, just that God pointed it out specifically to Noah and made them a symbol of our covenant with Him.
morostheos Posted September 15, 2003 Posted September 15, 2003 I agree with God Conquers. It doesn't actually say anywhere that that was the first time a rainbow appeared.
VanHooty Posted September 15, 2003 Posted September 15, 2003 God Conquers said my thoughts quite well. Kudos to him
skuba steve Posted September 16, 2003 Posted September 16, 2003 it didn't rain... water came from underground springs Gen 7:11 When Noah was six hundred years old, on the seventeenth day of the second month all the outlets of the vast body of water beneath the earth burst open, all the floodgates of the sky were opened, i reckon
Freaky Chik Posted September 16, 2003 Posted September 16, 2003 yeh I was going to say what Steve said. Up until the flood, it had never rained before. hhahaha can u just imagine all those people who mocked noah? "Dude, what r u doing?" "It's gonna rain real hard soon man, then there will be a flood..." "Rain? What on earth is RAIN?" "Dude...i donno man..."
God Conquers Posted September 16, 2003 Posted September 16, 2003 ok, if it didn't rain on earth for the hundreds (thousands?) of years before Noah, the earth would be like, barren. And so where are these underground springs today?
Freaky Chik Posted September 16, 2003 Posted September 16, 2003 God is an amesome mysterious fantastical God.... so ask Him He knows what His doing.
willguy Posted September 16, 2003 Posted September 16, 2003 it didn't rain... water came from underground springs Gen 7:11 When Noah was six hundred years old, on the seventeenth day of the second month all the outlets of the vast body of water beneath the earth burst open, all the floodgates of the sky were opened, i reckon steve, "the floodgates of the sky were opened" means what if not "dude, it rained, like, a whole lot"? Willguy
skuba steve Posted September 16, 2003 Posted September 16, 2003 sorry... i don't understand that sentence... anyway... how much faith did the guy have... no1 knew what a boat was, no1 new what rain was... and he spent a hundred years building a boat because it was going to rain.
Chastisement Posted September 16, 2003 Posted September 16, 2003 I have real issues with the story of Noah. As a former history and classics student I always wonder if God flooded the whole world, why are there no referances in ancient cultures, ie. Asian, Pacific Islands, Ancient Egyptain. I mean, a world flood has to be hard to miss. Now according to historical geographical records there was a huge Tsumai around the time of the flood, so in all likihood, bibical refereances to this "world" flood are talking about this wave. My other problem with this stems from my scientific and logical mind, animals from Aussie and NZ exist only in those countries, so how then, did Noah get his hands on two of each animal and specieis from the entire contentant? Also, I have issues with limited gene pools, how can two animals spawn millions? How was Noah able to discern what animals had no flaws visiable only on a genetic level, and in which case recessive. Two animals could have Dominant-Rescessive and the D genes the only ones showing, but their offspring woudl have a 50% chance of displaying and inheiriting the deformity, thus, destorying the surivival abilities of the specieis. Also, how big was Noah's family, how many people were taken on board. If it was only a small number, and they were all family, how in the universe did they breed humanity without incest? As for rainbows, I don't really know, I've never really beleieved the entiriety of the Noah saga, and I think more about how it happened, rather then a rainbow.
Cure of Ars Posted September 16, 2003 Posted September 16, 2003 I have real issues with the story of Noah. As a former history and classics student I always wonder if God flooded the whole world, why are there no referances in ancient cultures, ie. Asian, Pacific Islands, Ancient Egyptain. I mean, a world flood has to be hard to miss. Now according to historical geographical records there was a huge Tsumai around the time of the flood, so in all likihood, bibical refereances to this "world" flood are talking about this wave. My other problem with this stems from my scientific and logical mind, animals from Aussie and NZ exist only in those countries, so how then, did Noah get his hands on two of each animal and specieis from the entire contentant? Also, I have issues with limited gene pools, how can two animals spawn millions? How was Noah able to discern what animals had no flaws visiable only on a genetic level, and in which case recessive. Two animals could have Dominant-Rescessive and the D genes the only ones showing, but their offspring woudl have a 50% chance of displaying and inheiriting the deformity, thus, destorying the surivival abilities of the specieis. Also, how big was Noah's family, how many people were taken on board. If it was only a small number, and they were all family, how in the universe did they breed humanity without incest? As for rainbows, I don't really know, I've never really beleieved the entiriety of the Noah saga, and I think more about how it happened, rather then a rainbow. I don’t really know if Noah is to be taken literally or not. But there should not be a problem if it is literal. It is called a miracle and by definition it cannot be explained by science. Explain the virgin birth, the resurrection, how did God make the universe out of nothing? Noah’s ark is not anymore miraculous than these miracles. Actually, I think historically most ancient cultures do talk about a great flood. In fact if I remember right the story of Noah is very similar to a flood story from a different culture but I would have to go back to look this up. The gene pool issue should not be a big deal as well. From the science classes that I have taken the story is that they have traced genes down to one female from Africa. I would have to look this up as well. And if you think about it the human race had to start with one man and one woman. I don't think that evolutionally a whole bunch of male and female humans just came to be all at the same time.
Dave Posted September 16, 2003 Posted September 16, 2003 It's actually Church teaching that all humans descended from 1 man and woman.
Norseman82 Posted September 16, 2003 Posted September 16, 2003 (edited) Remember that there was a "firmament" of water between the earth and the heavens that collapsed during the flood. PedroX, You are the second person to mention this. In Genesis 7, as SkubaSteve said, the floodgates were opened. But in Genesis 8, they were closed, that is how the rain stopped. Nothing about a firmament collapsing. Would you please explain where this "collapsing firmament" theory comes from? I am curious, as this discussion occurred on CycleForums and even one of my non-Catholic associates was unfamiliar with the "collapsing firmament" theory. Here is another possible explanation: the pre-history accounts in Genesis could just be a way of speaking to ancients in a way that they could understand. Does this mean that God is lying? No! Of course not, just like it is not lying to describe angels as "birdies" to small children. Edited September 16, 2003 by Norseman82
skuba steve Posted September 16, 2003 Posted September 16, 2003 of course no other cultures mention it, only 7 jewish ppl survived... all the other cultures perished.
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