The Great Flood or Just Scattered Showers?.
"So God said to Noah, "I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth. So make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out" (Genesis 6: 13-15). "You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you. Two of every kind of bird, of every kind of animal and of every kind of creature that moves along the ground will come to you to be kept alive" (Genesis 6: 19-20). "Seven days from now I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will wipe from the face of the earth every living creature I have made" (Genesis 7: 4). For various reasons, many people today find the story of Noah's Ark quite difficult to believe. From both believers in God and non-believers, there have been many objections to the credibility of the story of Noah and the Ark. For as long as the Bible has been in print, creationists and skeptics have debated the issue of a cataclysmic flood. Historical records from such ancient civilizations as the Chinese or the inhabitants of the Indus valley show no period of time where these civilizations were suddenly wiped out by a global flood, to be slowly repopulated later. There is simply no evidence whatsoever from archeology, geology or history, which indicate a worldwide flood that wiped out all but eight people.
For many reasons the account of Noah given in the book of Genesis simply cannot be literally or historically true. One obvious problem results from the building of the boat itself. According to the Bible, the Ark had dimensions of 300 cubits by 50 cubits by 30 cubits tall. This is four times the size of any wooden ships constructed during the time period and is roughly the size of today's oil tankers.