One of the greatest and most shocking stories in the Bible is the story of a global flood. This is without a doubt the hardest story to believe, and it is often the most attacked by non-believers. There are many Christians today who confess they have a hard time believing in this event. One of the many attacks on the account of Genesis comes from the fact that there are hundreds of legends about a global flood. Some of these legends actually date back to before Genesis was even written by Moses. These accounts also vary in specific details concerning what happened during the flood. Do these accounts discredit the flood, or make it stronger?
There are over 200 accounts scattered across the globe concerning a global flood. These accounts all differ, but they also have a lot that is similar. Dr. John Morris of the Institute for Creation Research listed the percentage of similarities concerning these legends:
- Is there a favored family? 88%
- Were they forewarned? 66%
- Is flood due to wickedness of man? 66%
- Is Catastrophe only a flood? 95%
- Was flood global? 95%
- Is survival due to a boat? 70%
- Were animals also saved? 67%
- Did animals play any part? 73%
- Did survivors land on a mountain? 57%
- Was the geography local? 82%
- Were birds sent out? 35%
- Was the rainbow mentioned? 7%
- Did survivors offer a sacrifice? 13%
- Were specifically eight persons saved? 9%
http://www.icr.org/article/why-does-nearly-every-culture-have-tradition-globa/
As you can see there are some very shocking similarities concerning the legend of over 200 cultures. The most interesting piece of this, however, is that these legends are scattered and found on EVERY CONTINENT. That means that there is no possibility of a tribe in North America somehow telling people of Europe about a flood. This helps the argument of a past global flood tremendously. The thing about legends and folklore is that from generation to generation the stories change, but there is almost always a hint of truth.
If a flood long ago really did destroy the world, then it would only be logical that cultures throughout the world would have a story concerning it. Considering the events that took place during the flood happened at least 4,500 years ago, it is not shocking that the story has changed and been exaggerated from generation to generation. After looking at the evidence, it is fair to conclude that the mythology surrounding the flood helps to prove its place in history rather than disprove it.
