Op2,

You might do well to consider the proposition put forward by Max Ehrlich that the Earth is but a speck of dust in the Cosmos and that humanity is a sub-microorganism that lives on it.

That puts us into some sort of perspective.

You're reading the wrong holy book, dude.

The true word of God is here:

http://www.klps.pl/pliki/gospel_fsm_eng.pdf

And I know that the Flying Spaghetti Monster exists. There's a video on youtube and everything.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vL7FcvEydqg

I hear-tell that there is a book around that some fools find rather compelling. It’s a children’s book called “Animal Farm”. Basically it purports to claim that farmyard animals can talk and can organise themselves for their own benefit. Clearly the book contains innumerable errors because animals can’t talk – or at least can’t speak English. Nonetheless many adults believe this book. Fools.
The author, someone named Eric something, was so ashamed of the book that he hid his identity and said others wrote it under his inspiration.

Hilariously these admirers of the book assert that it ought to be read on multiple levels. Can you imagine it?…a book that can mean different things to different people depending on their age and background. How improbable is that? (BTW have I mentioned the book contains errors?). Not only that but they think that if you read the book on these other levels it contains (hidden?) messages and lessons for modern man. How can that be? (Did-I-point-out-the-book-contains-errors?)

Multiple levels? I’m of a superior intellect to these fools and I can tell you right here and now that there are never multiple levels. Every book means exactly and ONLY what it literally says. No deeper meanings. No ‘other’ levels.

Some have tried to explain the other levels to me but I always belittle their views by pointing out that animals can’t speak. They are left without a counter argument. Dills. Even more disturbing, the book contains a character called Moses which is a talking bird with religious overtones. Do I need to point out that no such creature has ever existed? Yet these people think that what this Moses person says actually has some value and hidden messages. But birds can’t speak and certainly can’t speak religion.

Disturbingly there appears to be a lot of fools out there who think that books can have meaning other than their literal understanding…books like ‘Alice in Wonderland’, ‘1984’, Aesop etc. But those of my intellectual standard know full well that no such hidden lessons ever exist. (aren’t I wonderful?)

Oh, did I mention animals can’t talk

Is Mise,

Just a little more on your Noah story. The full theory relates to melting of the ice fields in Canada around 7000 years ago as the last ice age came to a close. The idea was that the ice around the present-day Hudson melted slower than the ice in central Canada thus forming a plug to the growing mass of melt-water. Then the plug suddenly gave way which caused a massive amount of water to flow into the Atlantic and the Mediterranean.

It seems there is a natural dam of sorts in the Dardanelles which held back the Mediterranean Sea from the then smaller fresh water Black Sea. The sudden rise in the Med overwhelmed this natural dam and the Black Sea flooded.

The theory is that this is the basis of the Gilgamesh/Noah story.

There are also flood stories from around the world in places like China, Japan, South America and Greece (Atlantis).

This theory of the sudden world-wide deluge emanating from Canada rather eloquently offers understanding of all these stories.

mhaze,

You’re terrible at sarcasm, but your point is sound enough (which is why I suggested to Opinionated2 that he/she ask what individuals believe first). I look forward to your input when the Qur’an is portrayed as only having one possible meaning to all Muslims, and that Muslims who claim otherwise must necessarily be deceiving us.

Dear mhaze,

Perhaps the following link may clarify things
for you:

http://www.enotes.com/topics/animal-farm/in-depth