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February 2nd, 2003
Santa Cruz, California
Received by F.A.B.
I am here, Noah.
It is I, Noah. I was a real person, and lived, as everyone knows,
a very
long time ago. In my day, we understood more things than you would
realize.
It wasn't as primitive as is generally thought.
I know you are wondering about the veracity of the Flood story
and the
Ark. Well, there is some truth to it, and some things that are not
true. Of
course, God never had the intention to destroy living things with
a flood.
How could He purposely destroy His creation after having taken such
pains to
create it? No, this idea does not conform to any truth that can
be
recognized.
But I will say that there were severe rainstorms that did threaten
our
lives. When these rains began, people at that time had the thought
that they
were being punished, and this became the idea that translated into
the
Biblical account. As in every age, there were people who had done
wrong
things, and, as in the case of the story of Moses and Egypt, it
was
generally felt that God made His presence known through weather
conditions.
For we did believe in God, or at least in a Supreme Being who
showed His
pleasure or displeasure freely. There were many in my time who felt
responsible to this God, and many who did not. So that when the
rains came
and threatened our lives and our livelihood, we trembled at the
displeasure
we thought we had caused in our Maker.
There was no ark at all. How this came into the picture is hard
to say.
But you do understand that many Bible accounts were simply folk
myths handed
down through the generations.
I will say, though, that the rainstorms were so severe that the
event was
remembered and recorded in many different cultures, hence the accounts
of a
flood that appear in many different cultural traditions. And the
rain did
cause flooding and severe dislocations in many parts of the world.
Of course, my culture disappeared from common knowledge, so it
would be
very hard to reconstruct our beliefs and way of life. You must know
that
there were many civilizations that flourished and that disappeared
from
humanity's knowledge. Mine was one of them. Obviously, we knew nothing
of
Judaism, since the events creating this religious tradition did
not occur
until a long time after my death. But this I can say, that we understood
the
importance of our responsibility to our Maker, and that many of
us erred,
just like people of your time.
I did my best to live a righteous life. But I certainly was not
the only
survivor of the rains. Though the flooding killed many people and
animals,
it did not destroy all the earth except me and my family, as the
Bible
relates.
But all that is past, and I have found my happiness in a God who
has
bestowed upon me the New Birth of the soul, with its corresponding
happiness.
Sincerely, Noah
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