HI Belle,
What ere some of the evidences that there was not a global flood as described by the bible and believed by the witnesses?
The location of live on earth. De JW believe is hat all life except for the fish and lower life forms was destroyed and came from two pairs brought into the arc.
Consider the fishes, there are a lot of lakes containing fish. Studies have indicated that fishes in lakes close to each other are more related then those farther away. Some can still interbreed, others can’t. The evolution process takes much longer for this to happen. There are even places where fishes of some kinds can interbreed with both kinds in the lakes beside them, but they fishes in the lakes beside them can not interbreed. (This is also a very strong point to prove that the evolution process does actually happen)
Same for other species for example the mammals in Australia.
A piece of more hard evidence comes from drilling samples of ice on the poles. Like the rings in the trees where you can count how old a tree is, there are also ‘rings’ in the ice. The seasonal changes cause the ice in winter and summer to be different, and also the (micro)organisms that are trapped in the ice are different. So, those layers can just be counted. This becomes increasingly difficult for longer periods as the ice is more compact if older (more pressure on top).
Anyway this has been done and the estimated age of some of the core samples are 100000 years. It is pretty accurate until 7000 years and it becomes more and more difficult to get the exact age when older. Still it proves that there this part has never been underwater for a long time. The ice would have been melted a very different layer of ice would have been the result.
If the rain was not salt (most logical) the salt-water fishes would be in deep trouble. Salt water is heavier and the mixing occurs slowly. They couldn’t stay deep because of pressure and could not stay on top because of lack of salt.
More evidence in the animals.
Many species can’t travel very well or fast and some are restricted to colder climates. Noah must have got them from far away.
A lot of species can only survive without predators and are only found on islands where no (big) predators are. God must have got helped them to the ark and put them back afterward.
After the flood the animals would have starved to dead. Some animals are very specific in what they eat.
Tree ring dating. This goes back until about 10000 years. No evidence of a global flood here.
There is evidence of other water catastrophes, natural dam breakings etc. Why there is found evidence for that and not for the great flood. If it really happened the evidence must be overwhelming.
If really believed God must have interfered at so many places. Where the water went, can’t be only natural. (Lifting the mountains etc). Where the water came from also. And must have given extra protection for Noah when this kind of catastrophes happened. What is the use of the ark then?
It is clear how the mountains came to be, because of continental drifting.
Then what is called the evidence of the flood?
Legends and Myths.
Answer: there have been local floodings (very recently one in Indonesia). Of course those things give rise to myths and legends. There is some evidence that there was probably 9000 years ago a local flood in the black sea area. Flooding is one of the most catastrophic events on earth (even today). So no wonder that many tribes have stories about them.
So the possibility that those myths came from a local good, however
note that the bible does not speak about a local flood:
1) The time the bible says Noah was in the ark
2) The necessity of Noah to go in the ark the first place
3) The necessity of birds and animals to go inside the ark
4) The bible says the water were above the mountains
5) Gods promise to never to it again would mean nothing for a local flood (and would be untrue)
6) The bible says all people come from Noah