The next ten questions of Bewes' book continue to concern themselves with The Universe we Inhabit. He broaches such topics as the origin of evil spirits, the end of the universe, what angels really are and why doesn't God intervene? However, just the same as my previous article, I will only be tackling a few of these questions.
12. How Big was the Flood?
A Mesopotamian Disaster, or a world catastrophe? The Flood continues to fuel speculation worldwide
Within this question, Bewes is addressing the story of Noah and the great Flood that is written about in Genesis 6-8. God, seeing how humanity has become wicked, swears to destroy them all in a great flood, except for Noah and his family. Even though I had to explain it, as Bewes rightly points out, it doesn't need to be explained, as it is "firmly embedded in the human memory on every continent." Bewes proceeds to explain that similar flood narratives exist in Hindu, Chinese, Cherokee and Babylonian traditions. This was an idea that fascinated me. In my own naivety, I didn't expect these biblical narratives to exist across the world, but it makes perfect sense when you think about how the bible was compiled. These are ideas that I will explain further in later articles, but I think there's a common misconception that the bible was transcribed as it happened. This wasn't strictly true. Rather, it was written down about five hundred years after everything had occurred. Before this, the stories had existed in an oral tradition, circulating for centuries, no doubt being embellished and altered, as time progressed. When the bible was compiled, it was done so from a variety of sources by a variety of authors.
As for the size of the flood or whether it actually happened, this is, as Bewes argues, is not nearly important as to what the flood represents.* Bewes asserts that if we become obsessed with the technicalities of the flood, we distract ourselves from its true message: primarily, a warning for future generations, but also an example of behaviour for others to follow. I find myself agreeing with Bewes' argument, and this is something else I will touch upon in the future, as I believe that too many people take the bible literally. They interpret everything as it actually happened, when in actuality, a lot of the events are symbolic of bigger ideas.
19. Why doesn't God Intervene?
As I look at the violence and persecution of the world today, at the ethnic and sectarian strife, I long for God to intervene. Surely he could put these things right at a single stroke?
Another common question in relation to Christianity. If God is an omnipotent, omni-benevolent being, then why doesn't he wipe out all of the evil in the world? Bewes respond to this question with this argument:
"Many people long that violence and pain could be banished - but the answer to our question is itself a question: 'How Righteous are YOU?' What risk of you being wiped out with the rest of the evil-doers, if God was going to end the troubles just like that?
The Bible teaches that God is going to act at a single stroke. In fact it keeps warning us that he will (Zephaniah 1:2, 18; Revelation 20:10, 14) But when it happens, it will only be on a day and time, known only to him (Matthew 24:36.) And it will be the end of the world."Bewes continues by arguing that God far from being a wrathful being is also a patient one. He doesn't want to wipe out humanity, but he will if he has to. This is why he repeatedly sends us prophets and messengers to guide us in the right direction. It is only when he has no other choice does he act on his words. Obviously, Bewes is referring to the Apocalypse and the Second Coming of Christ, but we see multiple instances of genocide in the bible, as God kills his people. The obvious example is one we've already discussed: The Flood, but there was also the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis, the ransacking of Canaan in the book of Joshua, and how he allows the Assyrian Empire to destroy Israel and the Babylonian Empire to destroy Judah. Within these cities, the people had turned against God, despite how he sent them judges, prophets and kings to lead them back into the light. God wants to believe that humanity will learn from their mistakes, but when they repeatedly disappoint them, he has no choice but to punish them. Like any good disciplinarian, he has to follow through on his threats to maintain respect.
I think the problem with these ideas lie not within Bewes' argument, but within the actual question. God gave us free will and, thus I believe that, he gave us the ability to solve our own problems. By constantly complaining that an external force is not doing anything to help us with OUR own problems, we're shifting the responsibility away from us. What would be better is if we took accountability for our own actions, rather than blame others for problems that are entirely our fault.
*I actually did a little research into whether the Flood did occur and I found a few sources, which assert a few different arguments for why it could have happened.
Jenna Millman, Bryan Taylor and Lauren Effron of ABC news published an article, which argues that evidence has been unearthed demonstrating that the great flood did occur. Within it, they write about underwater archaeologist, Robert Ballard's findings. Ballard used advanced robotic technology to investigate a theory made by students at Columbia University. They argued that the Black Sea was "once an isolated freshwater lake surrounded by farmland, until it was flooded by an enormous wall of water from the rising sea." Upon investigation, Ballard and his team discovered an ancient shoreline with shells that carbon-dated to 5,000 BC, which is when scholars believed that the flood occurred. Ballard went on to find pottery, man-made structures and also a shipwreck.
Millman et al also make reference to biblical archaeologist Eric Cline who argued that "the earlier Mesapotamian stories are very similar where the gods are sending floods to wipe out humans," thus it can be argued that the biblical narrative was inspired by the Mesapotamian one.
Lorence G. Collins follows a simple line of argument, asserting that whilst the flood may have occurred, whether it covered the entire Earth is a matter of perspective. Collins argues that storms in Mesapotamia can lead to the Euphrates and Tigris rivers overflowing and flooding the surrounding areas. If abundant rain fell across Syria, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Iran, then this could lead to the tributaries all contributing to the volume of the floodplains of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers. After the flood had occurred and Noah was in his ark, due to the curvature of the Earth, he wouldn't be able to see the peaks of any hills, as the Earth's curvature prevents it. Thus, from his perspective, it would have been like that the entire Earth had been flooded.
As always, leave your challenges, interpretations and thoughts below. Read the two sources I cited for yourself and let me know what you think.
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