Noah’s Ark? For Real

World View Weekend ^ | June 16 2006 | Brannon S. Howse

[markedmannerf]

How many times have you yawned at the claim “Noah’s Ark Has Been Discovered”? Right, you say, and Elvis has been sighted again, too. People who hoped to find the famous vessel and the legendary voice have been pretty much in the same boat (so to speak)—No proof. Until today.

Led by explorer, adventurer, and featured Worldview Weekend speaker Dr. Bob Cornuke, a fourteen man crew returned this week from Iran bearing stunning evidence that theirs is the long-anticipated even coveted discovery of the remains of Noah’s Ark. Bob’s team consisted of a Who’s Who of business, law, and ministry leaders including Barry Rand (former CEO of Avis), the author and Christian apologist Josh McDowell, Frank Turek (co-author with Norm Geisler of I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist), Boone Powell (former CEO of Baylor Medical Systems), and Arch Bonnema (president of Joshua Financial).

The unusual object is perched on a slope 13,120 feet above sea level. After studying the discovery site, Bonnema observed, “These beams not only look like petrified wood, they are so impressive that they look like real wood—this is an amazing discovery that may be the oldest shipwreck in recorded history.”

Reg Lyle, oil and gas geologist said “the object appears to be a basalt dike, however, it is absolutely uncanny that the object looks like hand hewn timbers, even the grain and color look just like petrified wood….I really need to keep an open mind about this.”

The team returned to the U.S. from rugged mountains in Iran with astonishing video footage of a monstrous black formation which looks like rock but bears the amazing image of hundreds of massive, wooden, hand-hewn beams. Could it be the lost ark on which two of every animal once sailed with their human rescuer?

[markedmannerf]

[CholeraJoe]

Looks like rocks to me.

[bnelson44]

I think people see what they want to see. Didn't they bring a geologist with them?

[Zavien Doombringer]

http://www.anchorstone.com

[Tokra]

How could wood become petrified in just a few thousand years? Doesn't it take millions of years?

If this is the Ark, then I believe I saw the Andrea Doria sticking out of a hilltop in Kentucky along I-75.

[Alex Murphy]

What, no fossilized giraffe skeletons sticking out of a petrified hatch in the roof?

[theDentist]

almost petrified, but the top looks like wood.

[Artemis Webb]

I find this really interesting. If you showed me the first photo and asked, "What is that a picture of?", I would answer that it's a picture of some old beams.

Looking at the entire body of photos the site has posted though I think a healthy skepticism is a good idea here. I would love to know what a geologist thinks of this.

Thanks for the post.

[H. Paul Pressler IV]

Perhaps they could use a geologist to tell them the difference between rock and wood but to claim the Ark is now Petrified is just ridiculous. Fools!

[silverleaf]

Looks like shale to me.

If they want to verify it is petrified wood they must have brought samples, not just photos.

What was the level of scientific expertise (geology? archeology?) on the team...?

[ClaireSolt]

Even if it is petrified wood, what makes it a boat?

[guitar4jesus]

"How could wood become petrified in just a few thousand years? Doesn't it take millions of years?"

Under the right conditions, fossilization takes about 50 years.

For example, here is a fossilized hat:

[Hebrews 11:6]

Wouldn't the most likely disposition of the ark's timbers be that Noah's descendants would have carted them off as ready-made building materials? Isn't that why no one can find the ark, because it no longer exists in situ?

Of course, having thus opined, testing these formations will tell the tale....

[Zavien Doombringer]

http://www.anchorstone.com/gallery/v/NoahsArk/?g2_GALLERYSID=b012f4b02241b27f3fd66a509362afc8

[Corin Stormhands]

Izzit built out of gopher barky barky?

[Dog Gone]

Wood doesn't petrify when it's exposed on the surface of the earth.

Somebody is engaged in some very wishful thinking.

[blue-duncan]

I think I saw a Unicorn peaking out of the larger crevasse in the second picture. Looks like there is a Puma in the crevasse right behind him or her, can't tell which.

[H. Paul Pressler IV]

If not shale some kind of sedimentary rock formation.

However, when I was in Sunday School when I was six I was told the Earth was 6,000 years old. Thus the earth would now be 6,035 years old. What ever the case that wood up on that mountain sure does petrify much faster than they taught me in college Geology!

[Hebrews 11:6]

Thanks for the link. Very amusing. We'll see....

[Claud]

How many times have you yawned at the claim “Noah’s Ark Has Been Discovered”?

One more.