We are told that several cities were destroyed by this divine judgment. And pray how many cities could exist in a hot and arid desert, where there was not a drop of water that a human being could drink?
VII. TOWER OF BABEL.
Of all the stories ever recorded in any book, disclosing on the part of the writer a profound ignorance of the sciences,—embracing, at least, astronomy, geography, and philosophy.—that of the Tower of Babel was probably never excelled. A brief enumeration of some of its absurdities will disclose this fact.
1. We are told (in chap. xi. of Genesis), that, after God had discovered by some means that "the children of men" were building a city and a tower to reach to heaven, he "came down to see the city and the tower" (Gen. xi. 6). The statement that he "came down" implies that he was a local being, and not the omnipotent and omnipresent God.
2. If he were not already present, and had to travel and descend in order to be present, we should like to know what mode of travel he adopted. It appears from the story that, if he came down, he must have returned almost immediately, and descended a second time; for, after this, he is represented as saying, "Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language" (Gen. xi. 7).
3. Who was this "us?" The use of this plural pronoun "us" implies that there were several Gods on hand.
4. And, if he came down, who did he leave in his place? Must we assume there is a trinity of Gods? But it would be superlative nonsense to assume that the three Gods could be one (as Christians claim) if one of them could leave the kingdom.
5. How did the writer know that he or they talked in this manner, as he could not have been present in person to hear it?
6. In this same chapter the "inspired writer" tells us, "The whole earth was of one language and one speech" (Gen. xi. 1). In the preceding chapter there is a long list of different tongues, or languages, and nations; and it is declared they were "divided in their lands, everyone after his tongue, families, and nations." How contradictory!
7. What a childish and ludicrous notion the writer entertained with respect to heaven when he cherished the belief that a tower could be erected to reach it!