In Search Of… S03E19: Noah’s Ark
*Deep sigh*
Okay. I’ve been reviewing this show episode by episode for nearly three seasons now, and this is the episode that I just can’t deal with. I’ve dealt with UFOs, Nazis, cryptozoology, pseudoarchaeology, disaster porn, New Age nonsense and endless awful 1970s fashion. I just can’t bring myself to care about this one.
The thing about it is, there’s nothing fun about Creationism. I’m a skeptic, but have a sneaking fondness for the cryptozoologists and UFOlogists. Hell, I can even enjoy some of the other weird Biblical stuff like the Garden of Eden episode from last season. This, though…Maybe it’s that this specific weirdness isn’t just a fringe belief, but a central tenant of some very powerful people. Maybe it’s just that this argument has been rehashed ad nauseam since before the Internet existed, so what’s the point of me going over it again? You can just type Creation vs Evolution into Google, if you really want to get into it. I just don’t have the enthusiasm for it.
It’s not like this is even a particularly well-constructed case for Creationism, since the producers bring their own weird interpretation of the end of the last Ice Age being the basis for the Flood story, an idea rejected both by the Creationists and the scientists that they interview.
There’s some okay footage from a movie about the Ark. Nimoy is wonderful as usual. It’s a pity they never got him to play someone like Moses, he really does the reverent voice well. Other than that, I don’t know what to say. If you don’t agree with Creationism, you won’t care for it. If you do, you’ll probably be unhappy that they made such an unfocussed and digressive argument in favour of your beliefs. Either way, I think this is probably an episode to skip.
Next week, Cursed Diamonds. Probably just as badly argued, but at least the people who believe in evil diamonds probably aren’t setting international climate policy.
Summing Up:
Nimoyness: 8/10, Bigfoot: 0/10, UFOs: 0/10, Conspiracies: 0/10, Fun: 0/10. Overall: 8/50. Fail.
just to clarify….this episode was not about Noah’s ark so much as it was about the Genesis flood.There is some interesting evidence to show that large flooding occurred around the world in prehistoric times which could have led to the Ark myth.
Well, like I say this isn’t a topic I’m very interested in, but what they’re arguing is that the end of the most recent Ice Age is the origin of that myth. I don’t think this is a widely held view amongst – well, amongst anyone, really.
oh, absolutely…you are right…..if I remember correctly, even one of the scientists in the show said as much. The part of the show that was most interesting to me the first time I saw it back in the 70’s was that how so many different cultures (who supposedly had not had interactions at the time) each had a similar flood story. Discovering the reason for that would be rather interesting to me.
As I say, I’m no expert. If I had to guess, I’d say that a) most human settlements are close to water sources and b) most water sources are prone to occasional flooding. So if most cultures experienced flooding, the ubiquity of flood myths isn’t all that surprising.