Parting of the Red Sea

[wandapec]

Wasn't sure where to put this one - it covers all sorts of categories religion to magic. Got a mail from a work colleague that is very similar to this regarding chariot wheels found in the Red Sea.

I believe there could be many reasons for this, least of which is going to be that someone twiddled a stick in the air and defied the laws of nature, physics, etc.   

[mdg]

Hi Wandapec,

I was sent a similar email about this the other day too. Ron Wyatt was a fraudster who claimed to have found the Ark of the Covenant, Noah’s Ark and other biblical artefacts. You can read about some of his claims on www.badarchaeology.net. It’s a brilliant website that is, in their words,“…dedicated to exposing Bad Archaeology wherever we find it, naming and shaming, pulling no punches in exploring all its shameless horror.”

I don’t think the find of chariot wheels at the bottom of the Red Sea is proof of anything other than it was part of a trading route used by the people of the Ancient Near East and that more than a few trading ships were lost at sea in bad weather. Geology explains the channels, but I know that religious people won’t see it as anything other than the biblical exodus.
 
mdg

[bluegray V]

Thanks for the post. I agree, a few artifacts at the bottom of the sea is not much proof of anything. There are many ways for it to get there.
What I find more interesting is the gentle slope they talk about. Anyone know more about this?

[mdg]

The gentle slope could be a natural geological formation. The article doesn’t give any idea of depth or where this “path” is located. The Red Sea is a geologically active area so if the “path” was originally part of the shoreline, it’s quite possible for it to have been covered by water by rising sea levels or subsidence. Either way, there’s nothing mysterious about it.
There’s also the debate that it wasn’t the Red Sea that was crossed by the Israelites during the exodus, but rather the Sea of Reeds; a large lake close to the Red Sea, which has since dried up since the Suez Canal was built.
 
mdg

[Tweefo]

As usual they will jump at the slightest bid of evidence for their case but ignore overwhelmly amounts of evidence if it does not support their point. Evolution for instance.