This is my humble attempt to provide a science-related response.
Our own science ancestors did not know until fairly recently the age of Earth, nor much archeology and history.
The flood, which was also featured in the _earlier Epic of Gilgamesh, probably occurred as the Mediterranean Sea flooded east into its neighbor.
As you know, Biblical families were not the only ones on Earth in Adam's time nor Noah's, nor the only ones with descendants.

According to Leon Uris, civil coalitions were
one of the contributions of early Hebrew culture (made necessary by facing powerful, military, stone-piling empires). Ancient Roman and Babylonian government had a few shortcomings.

It would be illogical to read Bertrand Russell and reject all his ideas if you find _some are not holding up. Same as reading the Bible.

Thomas Jefferson, a fan of Jesus but not of the Bible or Christendom, remarked that virtue is not hereditary. Whatever value there is in "virtue" anyway, physical descendency need not prevent appreciating meritorious thoughts or feelings.

Some of Jesus's words have been helpful to the development of better science throughout the last two millenia, admittedly at first for lucky persons, supporting individual conscience, freedom of inquiry, and belief in large possibilities from humble beginnings.

In the past century the formula for human increase has been world doubling every 35-40 years. Certainly some groups are increasing in numbers more wildly than others.

• Sloppy comparison - luis_hamburgh - December 2, 2001 - 20:31 UTC
  • : ) That's like a black hole calling a black light black - carefuluniverse - December 2, 2001 - 21:36 UTC