Genesis 6-9 describes God’s judgment regarding mankind’s sin and His punishment via the Great Flood. It also explains Noah’s relationship with God, his family, and the animals he brought with him on the ark. 

In the time of Noah, the human race was almost totally and completely depraved. Genesis chapter 6 states, “the thoughts of man’s heart was only evil continually.” God grieved, however, he decided to destroy the Earth because he saw nothing but heinous sin. Even in the midst of all this sin, one man, Noah, and his family found grace with God. Opting to show the holy man mercy, God instructed him to construct an ark that would keep, not just his family, but also seven pairs of every “clean” animal safe during the coming armageddon. Noah did as God commanded him and eventually the ark was completed. 

After boarding with his family and the animals, heavy rains began to fall on the face of the Earth. The storms didn’t cease until the whole planet was flooded, killing every living being outside of the ark. 150 days later, Noah sent out a dove. If the bird didn’t return, that would mean it had found dry land, but if it did, that meant the land was still covered with water. The first time Noah sent the dove, it came back, having not found any land. The second time, it returned but came bearing an olive branch, suggesting that trees were sticking above the surface of the ocean. And the third and final time, the dove didn’t return at all, telling Noah the water had receded far enough for him and his family to exit the ark. 

After leaving the massive ship, God demanded all men and beasts to multiply and promised to never flood the Earth again. The symbol of this covenant would be the rainbow, which would be shown periodically to remind men of His covenant. The ark that had saved Noah would come to represent God’s grace and the dove would stand for the peace God made with mankind. 

Even though most of people perished during the Great Flood, God still showed his mercy and love for man by saving Noah and his family and promising to never flood the Earth again. The Great Flood account, as described in Genesis 6-9, is one of the most crucial events of world and religious history.

Dear Mr. Fish, 

In both your 5th and 6th grade history class, you address, multiple times, the pre-schism Western Christian Church as “Catholic” when in fact there was no Catholicism until 1054 when the Great Schism occurred. 

Before 1054, both the Eastern and Western Churches were one. There were many reasons for the split occurring but one of the major causes was the West declaring the Pope as the Supreme Head of the Church while the East only recognizing him as “The First Among Equals.” The Pope had been recognized as the “First Among Equals” for over a millennia when the Latins decided to separate from the East by excommunicating the Patriarch of Constantinople. 

Leading up to the schism, the Roman Church had been slowly revising original Christian practices by changing some of their theological beliefs, like the adding of the Filioque, painting their icons to look more realistic, and changing the architecture of their churches and cathedrals, while the Eastern Church’s dogma, icons, and architectural designs didn’t, and still haven’t, changed from the way it was 2,000 years ago. 

In lesson 130 of grade 5 history, you address St. Polycarp as “bishop of the Catholic Church in Smyrna” and “shepherd of the Catholic Church throughout the world,” when in reality Polycarp, although sainted in today’s Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches, was not a Catholic Bishop. Smyrna wasn’t even under the jurisdiction of the Pope, as it was a Greek city on the coast of Turkey. St. Polycarp was, by all means, an Orthodox Bishop. 

In lesson 131, you say “Arianism,  the reigning ‘orthodoxy’ of the day, was in fact heresy.” While Arianism was a heresy that affected the Western and Eastern churches, it might be misleading to call it the “‘orthodoxy’ of the day.” Although your use of orthodoxy here is correct, your improper use of Catholicism could lead students to equate Eastern Orthodoxy with the heresy. Many Eastern bishops opposed the heresy and condemned Arius and his followers at the Council of Nicaea.

Lastly, modern Orthodoxy is not just Greek but is the prominent, and even sometimes official religion in many European countries including Russia, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, Moldova, Serbia, Montenegro, Belarus and Georgia. It’s also the main form of Christianity in Syria, Israel, Iraq, and Egypt. In addition to these countries, Orthodoxy is growing in parts of the United States.

Although a common misconception, the pre-schism Western Christian Church was not Catholic, but Orthodox, united with the Eastern Church.