(March 19, 2014 at 10:50 am)Bittersmart Wrote:(March 19, 2014 at 10:40 am)Drich Wrote: Then please explain in detail how the ark is indeed a pivotal belief and unique to Christianity.
The story of Noah is about the nature of the Christian god and the nature of the people he created. It's about sin, punishment, and fear/respect of god. This story has also been used by creationists in scientific discussions. It's also a standard story for children's Bible Study and a lesson about not to pissing off god and that it's okay when when the Christian god kills people. Saying that the story of Noah doesn't have an impact on the Christian community is disingenuous, I think.
Another takeaway from the Noah story is that a person's works can save not only himself but also others. Noah could have had all the faith in the world but in order to save himself he had to get off of his butt and do some works.
The Noah story illustrates the power of works. Other stories illustrate the power of faith. Faith is pretty much useless when one is faced with impending physical doom. The Bible stories explore how one is "saved" -- by faith, works, or grace (luck).
Jesus had a lot of faith but it didn't prevent him from getting crucified.
Noah did some works and saved not only himself but also his family.
Lot and his skanky daughters were saved by grace (luck) even though they didn't deserve it.
