Jesus was born years earlier than thought, claims Pope

[Zeus]

Historical figures in the Bible no more confirm Christian mythology than the known location of Mt Olympus confirms Greek Mythology. Moreover, dreaming up fantastic ways that might explain why the earth is only 6000 years old is not science, it's desperation.

The Bible has proven to be more historically and archaeologically accurate than any other ancient book. It has been subjected to the minutest scientific textual analysis possible to humanity and has been proven to be authentic in every way.

To off handily reject the findings of the most studied and found to be accurate book in all of human history displays a total lack of objectivity and honest recognition of fact.

[Rockntractor]

To off handily reject the findings of the most studied and found to be accurate book in all of human history displays a total lack of objectivity and honest recognition of fact.

He has too much at stake to admit to the truth of the bible, pretending it doesn't exist will not get him off the hook though.
Me thinks he doth protest too much.

[djones520]

To off handily reject the findings of the most studied and found to be accurate book in all of human history displays a total lack of objectivity and honest recognition of fact.

He's not off handedly rejecting it. He stated that there has been verification of things that are in the bible. That does not mean that the rest of it is correct.

Such as the great flood. Geologists have completely debunked the possibility of that ever having occured. That is unless you want to attribute all evidence of it being erased by the divine will of God.

[Rockntractor]

He's not off handedly rejecting it. He stated that there has been verification of things that are in the bible. That does not mean that the rest of it is correct.

Such as the great flood. Geologists have completely debunked the possibility of that ever having occured. That is unless you want to attribute all evidence of it being erased by the divine will of God.

Marine Team Finds Surprising Evidence Supporting A Great Biblical Flood
ScienceDaily (Sep. 10, 2007) — Did the great flood of Noah's generation really occur thousands of years ago? Was the Roman city of Caesarea destroyed by an ancient tsunami? Will pollution levels in our deep seas remain forever a mystery?
These are just a few of the questions that are being addressed by a new environmental marine research team from Tel Aviv University and the non-profit research and education organization, EcoOcean.

The team, headed by EcoOcean's Andreas Weil and Prof. Sven Beer of Tel Aviv University, are working to uncover new secrets about civilization and climate change from the depths of the sea floor. They are also a conducting a large-scale study on the health of the Mediterranean Sea with Ph.D. students they sponsor. The work is being done aboard "Mediterranean Explorer", a floating marine vessel.

"When I was looking for a partner, I needed to find a team of marine scientists who were leaders in their fields," says Weil, a Swedish environmental philanthropist who helped conceive and fund the idea of giving a free, floating marine research lab to any scientist who needed it. "I didn't want us to be just another Greenpeace group of environmental activists. My dream was to build the foremost research vessel for high-level scientific marine research.
Read More>http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0907150931.htm

[djones520]

There are a ton of area's that have been buried by flood waters over the year. The entire northern coast of the black sea is riddled with communities that were drowned by the great deluge when the Mediterranean and the Black Sea linked together.

As the bible stated though, that flood never occured. There is no geological record of it. No displaced sediment layers, no mass extinction fossil layers, nothing like that has been found. The Bible stated that god wiped out the human race, covering the the globe in water, burying the tallest mountains by as much as 45 feet.

There would be clear evidence of this in the ground. Yet there isn't. Pointing to a drowned city here, another there, it does not verify the biblical account.

[Rockntractor]

There are a ton of area's that have been buried by flood waters over the year. The entire northern coast of the black sea is riddled with communities that were drowned by the great deluge when the Mediterranean and the Black Sea linked together.

As the bible stated though, that flood never occured. There is no geological record of it. No displaced sediment layers, no mass extinction fossil layers, nothing like that has been found. The Bible stated that god wiped out the human race, covering the the globe in water, burying the tallest mountains by as much as 45 feet.

There would be clear evidence of this in the ground. Yet there isn't. Pointing to a drowned city here, another there, it does not verify the biblical account.

The grand Canyon. was formed fast by a lot of water fast, not the slow trickle of a river. you have no more proof that there wasn't a flood than believers in God have that there was, but I guess you have your faith to fall back on.

[djones520]

The grand Canyon. was formed fast by a lot of water fast, not the slow trickle of a river. you have no more proof that there wasn't a flood than believers in God have that there was, but I guess you have your faith to fall back on.

I'm not getting your reasoning. Clearly established scientific markers do not exist, so that means I have no evidence that there was not a flood?

Floods displace sediments. You have clear distinctive layers in geological strata that show where and when flooding occured. You'd also have a layer of fossil remains from the mass extinction that would have occured with this. But it just does not exist.

For a world wide global flood to have occured these two things would have to exist, but they don't.

Look, I'm not saying there wasn't a flood that inspired the story. The Black Sea deluge is a popular candidate, given the time frame that it happened in. As the bible stated though, it didn't happen. The only way it did was if God waved his hands afterwards and made the evidence dissapear, which just ends up bringing up the problem of arguing the Bible from a scientific point of view.

[Rockntractor]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aNlb3lFhFM

[Lanie]

And you care why exactly?

That's my point. I don't care. If we're going to celebrate Christ's birthday on a day that probably wasn't his birthday, then what difference does the year make? The important thing was that he was born, not when.

[Novaheart]

The grand Canyon. was formed fast by a lot of water fast, not the slow trickle of a river. you have no more proof that there wasn't a flood than believers in God have that there was, but I guess you have your faith to fall back on.

I have seen that piece on EWTN and it's quite interesting. However, even if we allow that the Grand Canyon was created by a freak event less than 6,000 years ago, it still doesn't support the literal read of the Biblical tale of Noah's flood. There is no middle ground here. If you are arguing that the Bible is factual, then the only thing you have to do is prove that what is stated in the Bible is not supported. A flood as described in the Bible is not supported by any science. What is supported by science are various hypothesis of regional floods which might be the basis for the story. Even then, the idea that the only animals and people to survive were those on a large boat is unsupported and implausible. Every explanation for how it was possible to put all the animals on the boat, and every explanation for how all of humanity descends from Noah's family, requires "reason" outside of the written word of the Bible.

Moreover, if they find "the ark" then you will know it's a lie. They would not leave the only finished lumber in the world in a boat which would now be on dry land. They would have torn it apart and built houses out of it.