openeyes

I wish some of these "Floodies" would just show us how it could be done. I'd let them just take a few thousand species, but they have to take a pair of most of the mammals in the area, including the big ones. They could have help building the boat, but they'd have to use materials and technology similar to what was around in Noah's "time". They wouldn't be able to carry any commercial food for themselves or the animals, just natural things. Only the number of people the bible outlines could actually go on the trip. They could build it by some large freshwater lake and have to stay out for the year or whatever the bible says. I'd even say they could change the people periodically, as long as no extra supplies are added.

Like to see how many animals would still be alive and how the people managed. I suppose the "Floodies" would say that the circumstances can't be duplicated, but I think there would be enough of a present day advantage to counteract any advantages of the past.

Doubting Didymus

Really? Why?

The diversification of all the myriad modern species from just a few thousand is just not possible, unless you accept evolution being about twenty thousand times faster than current thought suggests, which no creationist does. Why accede one of the floods strongest refutations for the sake of argument?

Rhaedas

True that a thousand wouldn't approach enough diversity...

But I'd knock it to a mere hundred or so of the typical children's bible ark animals, just to see them try and wrestle the beasts aboard without chaos ensuing.

If they even got the boat built, of course...

openeyes

That was my point really. I don't think there would be much success even with a few hundred, just managing those and keeping them alive. Of course, the YEC's would probably say animals are much wilder now then they used to be, and other absurdities (such as their diets were more plant-based since they were closer to Garden of Eden days). I don't see why it would have been any easier in Noah's day. In my scenario, they'd just be floating or anchored in the middle of a large lake. They'd have to deal with the elements, but the chances of 40 days and nights of rain in a row would be fairly slim in most climates.

Of course this exercise would not address all the geological incongruities of the YEC's position, but that part would be difficult to reenact.

Jayjay

I'm all for them building the boat, but I wouldn't want them to take any animals with them. The poor things would just drown when the ark replica snaps under its own weight. Perhaps they could fill the ark with equal amount of biomass consisting of creationist volunteers...?

agnawstick

How about we make it more reasonable. I say let 500 fundies work on this project. Since we don't want it to take 98 years, we will give them 5 years with 500 workers to simulate the 98 years it took 4 men and 4 women. Have 100 of them chopping wood, 50 of them processing the wood, another 200 building the ship, another 100 gathering up all the critters determined by sexual pairs, and another 50 gathering up food for all the animals. Build the boat anywhere they want, just as long as it sets sail, and floats in even calm waters for just 20 days, not 40.

Anybody think they could manage this task? They could use all modern technology too. They could tranquilize the polar bears, use net guns to trap emus, you name it. They wouldn't have to use a boat to go to antarctica to get penguins, they could fly down. Hell, let them have all 500 work on the boat, and as many volunteers as they like to bring breeding pairs of animals to the boat. They all have to be alive though when the boat takes off.

Jimmy Higgins

But it would be doomed to fail because God couldn't let it happen. If people saw how easy it was to do, then faith wouldn't be needed to believe in God and the Bible!

So God would interfere and make the animals hate each other and attack the people. The fact that it couldn't be done today is proof that it did happen.

Spaz

They would just make excuses and be stupid about the whole thing. It can't be done because their god's not helping or whatever. Wouldn't their god want them to succeed so that the doubters would follow him? Or is it that their god wouldn't want them to succeed so that the great sadist can see more burning in hell? I think they know that it's impossible, they just feel like they have to accept it as truth or they're going to hell.

openeyes

But if they admit that "god" has to be involved to make it work, it takes it out of the realm of science, and we shouldn't have to allow for its discussion in a science class in public schools.

agnawstick

But, but, but.......

I have heard fundies continuously talk about how it would be possible for men without God's intervention to do this ark building project.

Let them prove it. I will seriously shut up about Noah's ark forever if they can actually build a wooden boat this large that doesn't crack apart. They can skip the animals if they want to cheat. It could be the greatest attraction at fundie land theme park to boot when they are done with it. They could make back most of their costs by having fundies come by and pay $20 to go tour the thing.