Story of the Flood

Reported

Why?

The boat shape on top of a mountain in the Ararat area has been shown to be a natural rock formation - much like the images of Jesus that pop up on slices of toast in clouds, and so on.

Mount Ararat is the highest point in themountainous area known as Ararat. Mount Joudi is another, lower peak in the area. Each peak has

There is no confirmed archeological evidence for either version, so I think we can declare this contest a draw.

Do we really want Gransnet to be a place where people can bombard us with sermons? It doesn't really matter whether the subject matter is factual or not, this is not what the forum is about.

In some people's eyes there are threads more potentially offensive than this one (the hilarious exploits on "How many Grandads do we have" are not to everyone's taste)

Blocking this one would be highly selective. Tolerance works in many directions at once.

I certainly don't visit Gransnet to be bombarded with these sermons that keep appearing. It must be obvious to anyone visiting that this isn't a forum to plonk reams of religious text without even having the courtesy to introduce yourself and check out what sort of forum it is you are visiting.
I have no objection to having a debate about religion and whether or not Gransnetters support or oppose certain issues, but this latest of many religious tracts we have received is not an invitation to open a discussion. It comes across as some sort of campaign to impose religious sermons on a site where open and frank discussion about all sorts of issues can be enjoyed freely. For me, that's oppressive!

Posted too quickly. Post at 8.43.41 should have included:-

"The Q'ran location refers to "the heights" and the Bible to "the mountains of Ararat" It is the same place."

(Not accustomed to having a touchpad as well as a mouse, It gets touched by mistake)

But those threads are opened by Gransnetters with a history on here, who contribute to a variety of discussions, and invite people to join in - they don't just impose what they are saying without so much as a by your leave. We know where the authors of these threads are coming from and can make a choice to converse with them if we don't agree with them. The posters of these particular religious sermons make no such offer for a discussion - probably because they expect there will be objections and they don't know how to have a balanced debate.

I don't much like them myself, when and Greatnan but as has been said many times on other subjects - just ignore it and it will wither away.

Having said that, I should not, of course, have tried to contradict the OP. Now he will think he has an audience to persuade!

But the narrow and combative view annoyed me.

Without the sermon, it is actually an interesting subject. A natural rock formation was incorporated by two cultures into a flood myth which itself may have have contained folk memories with a degree of truth - it has been suggested by archeologists that long ago a large inland sea, made by melting ice and held back by a narrow rocky ridge, broke through and poured across the area.

A Muslim writer at www.arksearch.com/najudi.htm has a balanced version of the Ararat/Joudi theme

And these proselytisers don't respond to our comments. There is no give and take.

It is not a discussion at all - they probably just have a button to send stuff to dozens of forums at the same time. Blanket bombing.

Yes, the day they come back and have a discussion, I will be happy to join in. There is always room for debate, and as Elegran has commented, there are other versions that may have some merit.

I have absolutely no objection to anyone posting their views about any topic, and I positively welcome the chance to have an intelligent debate about religion or politics or sex (those three most important subjects!) but I agree that these sermons are not intended to invite discussion. I don't know what the intention of the poster is - does he/she/it think we are going to be converted to whatever his sect is peddling? I have said before that it is just the same as someone coming up to a group of friends who are chatting amongst themselves and launching into a religious spiel. In that case, I would tell them pretty firmly to go forth and multiply!

I think if the source of the apparently offensive or unacceptable post is known to be from a 'group' rather than an individual gran then this is not the place for it..whatever the opinions! It would be like a political party posting part of their manifesto under the name 'bloocam' or 'reded' etc. If however a gran who happened to be Muslim posted about her view of family life, weddings etc that is not an issue.

nanaej - I agree with you - that would be a very different matter.

Yes, nanaej I agree, too.

It is a pity there are (apparently) no Muslim posters who want to chat with us in a friendly way, or I think any Jewish ones, though we have had enlightenment on Jewish subjects. The religious axis seems to be religious vs atheist with various Christian varities represented along with some Buddhists.

There are rational people in every faith who can follow their own beliefs without condemning others for being different.