On Tue, 19 Sep 95 14:37:58 MDT you wrote:
JB>....why do virtually all ancient civilizations have a flood story
>with striking similarities? The event was loooonnnnng gone, before
>man could think, talk, make pancakes, anything. So why do we have
>Manu in Hindu, Fah-he in Chinese, Nu-u in Hawaiin, Tezpi in Mexico,
>Noah in Hebrew...all men who survived, with their families, through
>the flood?
JF>I don't know much about comparitive mythology, but here is a
>posting saved from talk.origins, by someone who does. [Mark] And
>those flood traditions from virtually every ancient culture have
>nothing in common except water."
I tend to agree with Jim Foley. The prevalence of flood stories may
simply reflect the prevalence of floods! Some flood stories that are
similar to the Biblical story may reflect missionary teaching absorbed
into tribal culture. A global Flood would not guarantee Flood stories
globally, because everyone witnessing it would have died except those
on the Ark anyway.
The best evidence of the Flood is the similarities of the flood
stories from those cultures around the Fertile Crescent, and of course
the account in the Bible itself, which was confirmed as historical by
Jesus (Mt 24:38 Lk 17:27).
Regards.
Stephen
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