www.abc.net.au/news/2010-09-22/wind-could-have-parted-sea-for-moses/2269314
I thought everyone knew that the red sea was parted by the Tabernacle. It was full of magic stuff that Moses and his mob pinched from the Gypos, same stuff that did for the nasties in Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Seriously though, if it was done by God in order to keep the chosen people safe from the Egyptians, why did he not just lift them over it? Would have saved a lot of mucking around
yeah I'm sure wind can do that. Storms in Perth make the river higher and I go windsurfing thru where there is normally waist high reeds, big deal.
but, believer or not, one must acknowledge
(1) it says parted, not pushed back from the shore. Big difference. I bet that different terminology existed in Hebrew also.
(2) it was to escape their pursuers. Now if you push the water back a little way from the beach and run thru the mud, won't your pursuers just run along the beach say 100m (or 13 cubits ) adjacent to you? The whole point is they ran thru the middle of the ocean and then the sea closed up so the pursuers would have to go around (or get drowned). If the water simply receded back from the edge, due to the wind, they would not have had a magical wonderful escape and there would be nothing to write about!
(3) wind can do that so why write a big story that prevails for 2000yrs if all that happened was a big wind pushed water back from the edge (as opposed to parted by God or something, which would be worth writing home about)??
Also, wouldnt the original documents note the wind? I mean seriously, 12hrs of 60knot winds would probably have been written in other documents by authors unware of the magical sea crossing, or mentioned in the original bible manuscripts - they were not dumb and knew a strong wind could move water. Duh. It was written about because something unexplained happened OR it was all made up and nothing happened. Either way the wind theory is redundant.
"US researchers" they say? Like many studies, the title should be "Propellorheads who've never had a girlfriend, wasting Govt grant money to bash out a thesis to get a useless doctorate"
The bible is actually 66 books authored by about 150 different people and compiled into one volume. Writing started in about 1500BC and completed about 98AD.
Koran was written by Mohammed and completed by 632AD
Bible doesn't recognise Mohammed because he wasn't born until 400 years after it was completed.
Of course there will be similarities between the two books. Islam developed much of their belief system from some of the old testament and the gospels.
The tabernacle was a mobile temple and wasn't built until after the jews went across/around the sea. Indiana Jones's Ark of the Covenant lived inside the tabernacle and contained some valuable artifacts. It was the focal point of the jewish system of worship.
Its all very interesting from a historical point of view without getting into the religious side of it all.
There was no mention of any kiters out on that day in March 1513BC so I'm not sure if it was the wind
I put this story (and the whole Bible for that matter) down to a classic case of Chinese whispers. It started out that some wind parted moses' cheeks after drinking some red sea water and then everyone fled his tent which was made in Egypt.
Its interesting in that someone would even want to try and explain this story based on a possible strong wind.
Why would you bother arguing this?
If you saw a huge wall of water open up, without any hint from God that he was going to hold it open for you the whole time, would you walk on in there?
If you were to argue that God was telling you he would hold it open, why can't he just turn on his anti-gravity deflector shields (*TM) and open it that way? Who needs wind?
I have formulated a thesis which can be understood through fluid dynamics, backed up with advanced computer simulations.. where the possibility of flying pigs is logically possible. I conclude it is therefore rational to believe my personal ancient religious scripture which explicitly describe historic events where flying pigs were common place in the daily life of my ancestors. Because it is logically possible under the right conditions, This thesis proves that I, and my fellow pigflyers are not brainwashed idiots for believing this plausible story.
Thanks for the laugh guys,
Bigwavedave,
There was no mention of any kiters out on that day in March 1513BC so I'm not sure if it was the wind
And Barn,
Your thesis is so plainly plausible to all but the most utterly simple minded that I feel a conversion coming on. I have only one question to ponder, what inspired the holy launch? I'm going to meditate on it until I have clarity.
Cheers Guys, laughed so hard, it felt great.
Joey
Have they ever put a date on the actual parting of the sea?
All that Moses and all is only a repeat of more ancient legends often grossly distorted in the bible.
Whilst in a transcendental meditative prayer searching for oneness with the flying pigs, The Flying Spaghetti Monster
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_the_Flying_Spaghetti_Monster
appeared to me in all his noodly gloriousness and enlightened me with this knowledge I now offer to you.
Flying pigs are angels of his Pastafarian order.
As modern people, we have forgotten the ability to see the angel pigs, who are always there, luckily we have also forgotten to see and smell their excrement, which is always there also .
Polar bears launch pigs at certain times of the year as an appeasement offering to His Noodlyness. They hope to not end up as polar bear spaghetti. It is simply a geographic meteorological coincidence that winds at the anciently foretold offering dates and times are strong enough to launch the pigs.
That should clear it up, Works for me.
Joey
After reading and considering all the evidence presented. One can only assume that the flying pig is the only plausible argument.
So you are my sole green thumber? hahaha
I don't care if you remove it or not, nothing against you and not having a crack at your little Venn diagram, it just sh!ts me that it is OK in mainstream society to take the p!ss out of Christians but not any other group and this forum is no different.
Whatever cisco said probably should have been modded, but so should some of the threads here with the self proclaimed intelligentsia hanging sh!t on creationism (for example)
Hey like I said in the other thread - I don't give a rodent's rectum what the rules are (maybe cos I'll break them anyway ..... no, hang on, that's not it...oh yeah- ) as long as they are consistently applied.
Go ahead and crucify me, maybe I'll be famous like that other guy (what was his name? Oh that's right, John Saffran)