Elsewhere on this site I addressed fraudulent scientific teachings.  While I do not at all intend this to be a scientific or religious site, it wouldn't really be fair if I exposed scientific falsehoods and left religious falsehoods untouched. 

 

It's not that I dislike science or religion either one.  Science and religion is fine-- if they are true and accurate.  I dislike untruths.  I dislike things that distort the pattern.  And such things are rife both in science and the world's mainstream religions.  So please bear with me, you might find this interesting.

 

    How many of each kind of animal did Noah take aboard the ark?

 

    Be careful... this is a trick question.  By “trick”, I mean that the answer we’re seeking is the right one.  It’s ok to check your Bible if you have one.
    
    If you’re like most people, you answered “two of each”.  That is the correct answer, isn’t it?  That’s what we’re told in church.  It’s in all the story and color books.  All the movies and T.V. shows portray two of each animal.  Pretty much of a no-brainer.

    Except of course, that it’s the wrong answer.  When we take a look at Genesis 7:2, we find the correct answer:

    “Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and the female.”

 

    So, seven of the “clean” and two of the “unclean”.  If you’re wondering what is meant by clean and unclean, Leviticus and other books of the Bible indicate that “clean animals” are those that both “chew the cud” and “split the hoof”.  So cattle, deer, goats and sheep are "clean".  Fish with scales are also clean, as are some kinds of non-carrion-eating birds. 

 

    However, animals that do not both chew the cud and split the hoof are unclean.  So pigs are unclean, because although they split the hoof, they don’t chew cud.  As everyone knows, down to this day practicers of the Jewish faith consider pork as unclean and inedible.
    
    So why is it that Noah took seven of the clean animals?  Chapter Genesis 8:20 relates the reason.  After the flood, Noah and his family exited the ark.  What was the first thing he did?

 

    “And Noah built an altar unto the Lord; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.”

 

    So Noah had to have extra of the clean animals to offer sacrifice, because unclean animals may not be used in sacrifice.  In addition, since all the vegetation on earth was pretty much wasted, Noah and his family had to have something to eat, which is why God told Noah in chapter 9 that he could, for the first time, eat meat.  There is a joke about Noah getting confused at dinnertime and preparing a unicorn, forgetting that it didn’t chew the cud.  A pity...

 

    Here’s the real question we’ve been working up to all this time:

 

    How come we’re always taught that Noah only took two of each kind of animal aboard the ark when the Bible clearly states the actual number was 7 of the clean, 2 of the unclean?

 

    Why is it that whenever Noah and the ark is discussed in Sunday School or even from the pulpit, it is always “Noah took TWO of each beast”?  Why does every coloring book we’ve ever seen feature only two of each animal?   Why do people almost universally believe Noah only took two of each kind of animal aboard the ark?

 

    The answer:  because in the prior chapter, Genesis 6:19, it mentions only two of each beast, and that is as far as most people get.  They read one scripture and fail to compare it with the rest of the bible.  They fail to examine the bible as a whole, which to be honest is a common failing of society in general:  people tend to not research fully, if at all.  We tend to simply believe what we're told, especially by authority figures.  The failure to question and do personal research leaves us open to misinformation.

 

 

THE SHAPE OF THE ARK

    Is that as far as it goes however?  Well, no.  Churches don’t seem to teach the truth about Noah’s ark either.  Think about it:  Noah’s ark is always presented as a large boat, isn’t it?  Bow, stern, curved shape... with Noah standing peacefully alongside the animals out on the deck.

 

    Except that the Bible states the ark was basically a long, wood box and didn’t have a deck.  It didn’t have to move quickly or be steered; all it had to do was float.  We can check the dictionary:  The term “ark” means, “box, chest”.  It wasn’t a boat, it was an ark... a box.  

 

     Why are we not told the truth about Noah’s Ark?  Why don’t churches teach the truth about the number of animals he took aboard that ark?  

 

    These are good questions.  But here is an even more interesting one:

 

    If churches don't tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth about a simple thing like Noah’s Ark... what else might have been left out for the sake of brevity?  (For more on such questionable teachings, see the end of this article.)

 

    Surprised?  Shocked?  That's understandable.  If religious leaders are willing to allow people to believe there were only two of each animal, what else have they ommitted in their teachings?

    It’s so much easier for them to just let people believe there were two of each animal.  Saves time, explanations, the concept of “sacrifice”-- stuff that no one really wants to hear anyway.  It’s just plain easier, so why bother with details?  Yes, those things are in the Bible, but they don't have to actually teach them, do they?

 

    It doesn’t stop there.     

 

SAMSON AND DELILAH

Who cut off Samson’s hair? Delilah, right?

 

    Check out Judges 16:19...

    “And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head.”

 

    So Delilah’s servant shaved them off.  This was used by actor Dick Van Dyke in a movie in which he bet an entire bar that Delilah didn’t cut off Samson’s hair.  As you can imagine, he won a bundle.

 

    So why are we always told Delilah cut off  Samson’s hair?

 

    Admittedly, some may argue that Delilah had it done and so she was the culprit, and I will accede that point.  Some may argue that it really doesn’t matter.  However, with that I will respectfully disagree.   Because the Bible itself states, “He that is faithful in small things is faithful also in large things.”   So those who stick to the truth on small doctrines will likely stick to the truth on large doctrines.   Conversely, they who lie or withhold the truth about small doctrines are likely to show the same lack of integrity regarding important doctrines.

 

    This is something I have labeled “The Noah Syndrome”, mainly because using the word “syndrome” with any subject makes it sound instantly professional and true.  But what it boils down to is simple:   

 

    The "Noah Syndrome" is the tendency of churches to take the “easy doctrinal” way out, at the sacrifice of truth and accuracy.

 

    In my observation, religions tend to teach what is easiest to teach, that which causes the fewest questions, what requires the least thinking and concentration on the part of the flock.  They teach "the milk of the Word" rather than serving the meat.  They teach "the elementary things of Christ" rather than the deeper concepts. 

 

    In a nutshell, the Noah Syndrome is the use of watered-down or even hidden truth in order to keep people happy, to avoid making them think, because if they start thinking about what they believe, they’ll start questioning what they believe-- which can make teaching church doctrine uncomfortable.   Besides, people usually don’t want to hear the truth, especially if it necessitates change.  So why bother them?  Near-truth is good enough.  

 

    Could it be the churches don’t really care as much about truth as they do about filling their pulpits and coffers?  I'll let you be the judge of that.  I merely lay the cards on the table.  You get to turn them over and examine them.

 

    I have read the Bible, several times.  One thing I became aware of is that most religions do not teach what the Bible teaches. The alarming and shocking thing, is this:  The Noah Syndrome is not limited to small, trivial, inconsequential matters.  Like a snowball at the top of a steep hill, the lies grow and grow until they have permeated the very core of Christianity today.   So what things does this “white lie” tendency involve?   What does the Bible teach that most religions don't?  The answers involve the very deepest core teachings of mainstream religions. You'd be shocked.  In this short article, I've barely touched the tip of the iceberg.

 

Noah's Ark.  Bet you didn't know that you didn't know. 

 

--o--

 

* ADDITIONAL QUESTIONABLE RELIGIOUS TEACHINGS

The statement was made above that a great number of mainstream "Christian" teachings do not agree with the Bible.  Here are a couple you may wish to double-check if you have the inclination. Examine the scriptures yourself.  Supposedly, the Bible is the ultimate authority for Christian life. Why then, don't churches teach what the Bible teaches?  

 

HELLFIRE

Is "hellfire" real... or is it a translation tactic used by early churches to scare people into submission to church authority?

See Ecclesiastes 9:5... Psalm 115:17... Psalm 146:3,4... Revelation 20:14

 

HEAVEN

Do all good Christians go to heaven?

See Psalm 37:10,11,29... Matthew 5:5... Revelation 21:3,4

Cross reference with Rev 5:9,10 and Rev 20:6.

 

These are just two topics with fairly easy-to-understand scriptures.  One might be shocked to learn there are even heavier, more central foundational teachings that are equally misrepresented.  I don't go into them here as it is not desirable to cause anyone's brain to explode.  But such concepts do warrant examination of what we have been taught all our lives... whether the subject be religion, science, society, or our most solid core beliefs.  Because in all areas of life people have agendas and desire for wealth and power... and humankind is often prone to using propaganda, half-truths and even lies to achieve its goals.

 

My goal is truth and reality.  Pilate asked "What is truth?"    Christ stated to his disciples:  "You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."  It is up to the reader therefore, to learn and discern truth.

 

This is about as close to discussing religion as I intend to get on this site.  In the interest of fairness and transparency I discuss questionable scientific teachings in other / articles.