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Show Sunday. March 8. 1998, THE DAILY HERALD. Intelligent scripture reading is sound recommendation F Susannah Dodge, daughter of Ted and Kathy Dodge of Orem, I ner received Y o u n g Womanhood I the straightforward reading of the biblical narrative: internal contradictions in the text, the extent of the water, and the date. The date is clearly a critical issue, since it has deep implications for the entire chronological integrity of scripture. But today we pursue other matters. Just what organisms were drowned? The narrative seems pretty clear that God's stated intent was to wipe out everything that was not on the ark. But the defenders of tight interpretations of the story are equivocal on that in various ways. Some say it was only land animals with which God was disthat plants, freshpleased Recognition water and salt-wat- aquatic species, etc., were apparently nice organisms and could make it on their own. This refuge is taken to reduce the obvious er problem of how Noah could gather, load, maintain, and disperse ten million or so species. Interpretations are further made that "species" were not what Noah loaded; that "kinds" were the critical unit and that 8,000 or so "kinds" from the ark e into ten million species immediately after the Flood to produce the ecosystems evident in our early human records. An LDS religious scholar suggested that Noah had to save only those organisms which contained "the breath of life," a tiny group of divinely-create- d organisms. Other species, which had developed after creation by natural means (evolved, apparently), did not have to be saved and many such would apparently evolve again after the Flood. could quickly micro-evolv- SO WHICH interpretation of death is correct, if any? The fundamental question is whether all presently living things or maybe merely all land organ- J DUANE JEFFERY 1 Award on Nov. 2. She is a member of the Cascade 1st Ward. Her projects included making scrapbooks, being the prop mistress for two years for the "Nutcracker" ballet and temples for a quilt. cross-stitchi- of the end of the last Ice Age, about 9,000-12,00- 0 years ago. DURING THAT Ice Age huge masses of water were tied up in ice; the ocean level was much lower than at present. With the melting of the ice caps and glaciers, massive quantities of water were released. Some waters formed huge lakes behind natural dams which ultimately broke and released horrendous cascades into the valleys and lands below. We know of the catastrophic draining of Lake Bonneville, for instance, which scoured out the marvelous canyons of the Snake River. The breakouts of Lake Missoula left the massive channeled scablands of eastern Washington. The Missouri and Mississippi Rivers are known to have undergone flooding at those times far beyond anything we have witnessed in written history. But there is evidence also that the basins of today's Persian Gulf and Black Sea were, during the Ice Ages, just broad fertile valleys and surely occupied by humans. And as the Ice Age ended and the ice melted, the ocean level rose and breached the entries (at the Strait of Hormuz and the Dardanelles, respectively), creating unimaginably terrifyg ing floodings into the basins. Anyone there at the time would have indeed docu-mentab- ly low-lyin- thought the entire heavens at them and thus created a folk memory that, over several thousand years of oral transmission, could easily have given rise to the Genesis account. Interes ted readers may consult Zygon 2:272-271967, for the Persian Gulf story, and New Scientist Oct. 4, 1997: 7 for that of the Black Sea. The latter article particularly, summarizing extensive drilling of the Black Sea's floor, has some very ' interesting data. were storming isms or maybe just all land animals have an ancestry that goes back to a single source and locality a few thousand years ago. To put it succinctly, such a 24-2suggestion is beyond defensibili-ty- ; to make feasible it attempts have done little more than illuminate the problems. We'd have to throw out most of what we know about early history, and Such possibilities do indeed virtually the whole of the scipush possible dates for the ences, to countenance such an Flood back several thousand idea. And since our entire civilization depends on the technolyears and cast it in a light. But for those who ogy produced by those sciences, to wish maintain a belief in nonis abandoning them clearly sense. scripture, they also suggest possible ways to make sense of a But proponents of a regional narrative which, probably more or local flood interpretation have than any other, has caused less trouble, of course. For a many to abandon biblical faith. regional flood would not disturb j Widtsoe argued that "the the overwhelming majority of the world's ecosystems. For LDS scriptures must be read intelliflood gently." That's pretty sound readers, a Widtsoe-typ-e advice. (see last week) would drive essentially nothing to extinction; Duane Jeffery is a 3YU professor there would be no particular zoology. of problem squaring things with history and modern science. There is an immediate "scriptural" objection to a mere regional flood, however: If the flood was just local, why the elaborate story of the ark? But many local flood adherents see no particular problem there. They feel that Noah may well have built some conveyance to salvage animals from a flood arjd the story has grown from there a process common even today. And since every commentator on the story is equivocal in one way or other, their interpretation seems satto them. isfactory But what makes a believable story for some amounts to gullibility or downright heresy for others. So, are we done now? Not quite. 1 Let's go back to the matter of dates. It is often asserted that i i many ancient cultures have oral traditions of huge floods. That's true. Many but not all do. But since big floods occur - ... nearly every place sooner or t later, what do such accounts mean? Anything? Well ... maybe. For there was 11 a period of spectacularly massive flooding that occurred quite possibly within the range of human cultural memory. I speak luh Page AI3 EAGLE SCOUTS The Daily Herald encourages to submit Young Women Recognition as well as Eagle Scout announcements for inclusion in the Sunday paper. Brandon Parris Egbert, 13, readers last week three of the main reasons that apologists for the Genesis Flood provide no substantive defense for We introduced 18, Prmo. son of Parris and Lori of Egbert was Orem, awarded the rank of Eagle Please address them to the The Daily Herald, P.O. Box 717, FAX Provo, UT 84603-071to 7. .' received by the Monday before noon. at publication Information forms are available at The Daily Herald. There is no charge for one-tim- e B. Maureen Smith of Orem, I 1J tluie wr was awtuueu rank of Eagle r"""1 J Scout on Feb. 17. He is in Troop i Scout on Feb. 17. He is in 5243 Troop 9. ldeanheraldextra.com. All submissions must be 5243 sponsored by the Canyon View 10th Ward. sponsored by the Canyon View 10th Ward. His project was to assemble hygiene kits and organize a combined youth activity to make quilts and receiving blankets to give to Provo's Community Action Agency. .notifies, women must wait longer for liver transplants Brandon Robert Hicks, 17, son of Robert B. and Glenda prejudiced against" said Dr. John Fung, director of transAssociated Press Writer plant surgery at University of BALTIMORE Minorities Pittsburgh Medical Center. Fung agreed with the study's wait longer for liver transplants that the. need for small-siz- e finding than white men, and the discould make it harder organs crepancy may be based on financial as well as medical reasons, for women to find a donor. The study found that women according to a study. waited about 21 days longer The longer wait for minorities men's median of 68 than the may partly be because many are blood type O about 45 percent days. The middle number of was 70 for blacks, putting them on a more com- waiting days for 88 Hispanics and 124 for petitive hst, according to the Asians. On the whole, the medistudy published in Thursday's an was 76 days. Critically ill edition of Medical Care. But financial reasons also patients waited about seven could be a factor because sur- days. Klassen said the study was geons may place patients on the first of its kind, and agreed waiting lists without final that more research was needed. from payapproval The Hopkins study looked at ers, said the study's author, Ann 7,422 patient records from the Klassen, an instructor at the United Network for Organ Johns Hopkins School of Public and the Organ Sharing Health. Procurement Transplant "It is difficult to measure how Network over a period often issues of financing delay from 1990 through 1992. surgery, but there is anecdotal Liver transplants account for evidence that this occurs," she 20 percent of all transplants and said. are the second most common Some physicians said the surtype of transplant in the United vey did not reflect what they States. They are also the most saw in their operating rooms. expensive organ transplant, "It's hard for me to imagine with a median cost of about how a minority patient would be $186,000 in 1992. By DAWN FALLIK Ryan David Smith, 17, son of ni uerald u. and p-- L. Hicks of was Orem, V - 1 Hi awarded the rank of Eagle Scout on Feb. 17. He is in 5243 Troop sponsored by the Canyon View 10th Ward. 1 V C M I. VJU ..J His project was to collect supplies and organize emergency survival kits for each classroom at Orchard Elementary School. Adam Parrish Ash worth, 18, son of Brent and C h a r 1 e n e Ashworth of l r 1 r was Provo, awarded the rank of Eagle Scout on Feb. 12. He is in Troop I 766 sponsored by the Oak Hills 5th Ward. His project was to collect sports equipment that was donated to the Boys & Girls Club of Provo. ffjij jj David Allen Ashworth, son of Brent and Charlene r 16, His project was a series of of g breakfasts for an Ashworth been has Provo, meet swim invitational jointly awarded the sponsored by the Orem of rank Eagle Timpanogos Aquatic Club and Scout. He is in the United States Swimming Troop 766 sponAssociation. sored by the Oak Hills 6th Ward. L.. i Charles T. Martin Jr., 17, His project sor. of Tom and was to collect winter clothing and shoes that were donated to family Janelle Martin shelters in Provo and Orem. of Orem, was fund-raisin- third-part- y n awarded the rank of Eagle Scout on Feb. 1. He is m th 5243 Troop sponsored by the Canyon View 10th Ward. His project was to work with the Forest Service to clear an area in Provo Canyon for a parking lot. i In Preparation for the New World Order An electronic film. The militia at Valley Forge, 1997. Features: July 11-1- Trochmann, Koernke, Mack, Riley andJeff Baker. Music by: Dave RiddeU. $20VHS. 641B Lancaster Ava. 1285 Frazer, PA 19355 off Wonderbra at ZCMI 25 Enhance your figure with savings now through March 28 8, V ' ' al Sw . J . ' . - "' " ' J , V" .j. -- " r n I t " ':, . ' V umWtfc ft f ' . . .- .- . V .. . 4 V' T.f 4- i ZCMI i Shop hl storfs ttoxm through Friday 10 a.m.-- 9 rm. (pcept Sau Lake Order by Saturoav 10 Downtown phone: In and ZCMI Sau Lake, VUN u a.m.-- 7 rm. ano St. Geosge Downtown: elsewhere m Utah and in the U.S. or the internet at muusmi.aHn 6 1 Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. 6 rm.) Closed Sunday. |