The Capsizing the Ark, and Corrupted Animals Questions

Stevia Dolce, the baker at the Darwin Ranch, made one of her stealth visits to my place. (This is because she does not dare show doubts about evolution for fear of her job.) As I chewed on a croissant she brought, Stevia said that her questions may have been tolerated by foreman Rusty Swingset, but she was not sure.

The first question is quite reasonable for believers and unbelievers alike: In the Genesis Flood scenario creationists describe, how could the Ark avoid capsizing? Second, why were the animals punished and called "corrupted?"

Ark Encounter, Pixabay / Michael Wysmiersk

Those are good questions. After complimenting Stevia about her thinking (and baking), I admitted that I had a bit of work to do because I had not considered either question very much. Now, I don't think the Ark was the very first ship built, ever; Noah and his sons would have had shipbuilding skills. Also, while the Flood and many aspects of it were miraculous, not everything involved was.

Comparing what we know of the Ark with past and present knowledge of shipbuilding, it can be shown that the Ark was seaworthy. That may not matter much if it is broadsided by waves in heavy seas. Using some rather technical nautical science, the Ark had many features in common with a modern cargo ship.

Preliminary sea trials indicate the superiority of a bow-mounted fin for directional stability. How could this be interpreted in the context of Noah’s Ark or ancient shipbuilding?

A bow-mounted rigid “sail” or fin demonstrated a significant steering effect. The optimum design would have the feature as far forward as possible (maximizing the yawing motion arm), relatively high (increasing the wind velocity and away from wave-induced air turbulence), high enough to avoid contact with waves, and as large as possible without compromising stability (wind heeling motion).

Yep, that article launches. To dive into the rest, visit "How Could the Ark Avoid Being Capsized?" Be sure to come back for the challenging second part.

The question about the animals killed in the Flood is, to be blunt, troubling. While atheists may use it as a "Gotcha!" question, believers may wonder the same thing. Mankind had grown so evil that everything was wicked, all the time. Can animals be or do evil?

While there are many speculations and quite a bit of theology involved (be very reluctant to argue or discuss theology with an atheist), some of these ideas make sense. Know that the deaths of the animals was not an instance of God saying, "Oops, I didn't take that into account."

In Genesis 6:12–13, Moses, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, records God’s view of humanity and the land animals just before the flood. Although we often focus on (and rightly so) the wickedness of antediluvian mankind, little attention is given to the statement that “all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth” and what this might mean. Is it possible that animals could be corrupted and even “corrupt themselves”?

For the rest of the article, see "Why Are Pre-flood Animals Described as Corrupted Flesh?"