The Great Flood

QUESTION: Why should I believe in the Great Flood?

ANSWER:

The Great Flood, as described in the Genesis, holds the interest of many people for a number of reasons. We are all interested in dramatic disaster scenarios; the revenue of numerous blockbuster movies confirms that. But beyond mere entertainment, the Great Flood offers answers to many of the Earth’s puzzling geological mysteries. Moreover, it remains a cornerstone of biblical catastrophism which continues to attract many well educated, highly intelligent specialists from many diverse fields of scientific research.

The Great Flood has not only gained acceptance among Christians, it has been accepted by many cultures for thousands of years. The ancient Greeks, the Babylonians, Australian Aboriginals, and dozens of other ancient cultures all preserved accounts of a global deluge. The story of a Great Flood is by far the most commonly shared legend among ancient civilizations. Those who reject the global deluge are forced to explain its appearance in the legends of so many diverse and often isolated cultures as an amazing coincidence. On the other hand, if the story were true, we would naturally expect to find a multitude of flood legends all over the world which is exactly what we do find.

We also find a lot of physical evidence which really only makes sense when interpreted in the context of catastrophism (the view that many of the Earth’s geological features were caused by past cataclysmic activity like the Great Flood). Take sedimentary rock formation for example. Evolutionists claim that these rock layers formed slowly over millions of years. Catastrophists claim they were the result of hydrologic sorting and rapid sedimentation caused by vast amounts of water. Modern geologists have observed the results of mega-flooding (caused by tsunamis, hurricanes, and such) and we now know that sedimentary rock layers, once believed to need millions of years to form, can form in a matter of days.

The explanatory power of the Great Flood extends beyond the sedimentary rock layers. Coal, oil, and other fossil fuel deposits make perfect sense when interpreted within the context of a global deluge (which explains their presence in such unlikely areas as the Arctic region). The Great Flood uprooted countless tons of vegetation and buried it under tons of sediments where crustal heat and compression caused the organic matter to convert into fossil fuels under the Earth.

The great flood has explanatory power for a great deal. Even so, it comes across as an absurd supposition to many secular scientists because of its apparent theological implications. We encourage the reader to not allow philosophical presuppositions get in the way of an objective investigation of the evidence. Let the evidence speak for itself.