Natural phenomena and our interpretation of the Bible

Volcanic eruptions. Massive earthquakes. Severe storms and floods. Widespread diseases. Are these things happening because they are written in the Bible?

No.

These phenomena have been happening for hundreds of thousands of years—even millions of years. Geologists, archeologists and scientists have confirmed this. On the other hand, Jesus Christ was born between 6 BC and 4 BC—quite recent in the context of world history. The New Testament was written within the period of 100 years after Jesus’ death. And the Old Testament was written from about 1200 BC to 165 BC. The writers of the Bible (and other Holy Books) used these extreme phenomena to teach moral values. They knew these events have been happening for so long, and they chose to incorporate them into their teaching. And there is nothing wrong with that.

In a Sumerian epic written four thousand years ago, there was a great flood that killed almost all humans, except the hero Atrahasis who was saved because the god Enki appeared in his dream. Enki told him to build a big boat and bring on pairs of each animal. And you all know what happened next, right? Because the story is so familiar to us. Yes, Noah and his ark! Only the names are different, depending on who is telling the story.

We have to re-evaluate how we interpret the Bible.