It is not unusual for those that reject the truth of Scripture to suggest, 'All those animals simply could not fit into Noah's ark—it HAS to be fiction!' And I have to admit that to some degree early on, it was disturbing to me.
It wasn't until much later, when we were home educating our children and required them to outline the real dimensions of the ark—at least 450' long, 75' wide, and 45' (three stories) high—that I understood just how much space God gave Noah. I already knew the dimensions, because I had read them many times before—but the only visualizations I had came from childhood, such as the toy that looked like a fishing boat outfitted with a shack on the deck, and filled with huge animals (still available today at Wal-Mart, minus references to Noah or a flood). Interestingly, a toy that was meant to familiarize me with God's word actually became a cause for doubt!
The 'Ark Encounter' in Kentucky is a full scale replica, designed to demonstrate the believability of the Genesis account. One of the displays uses a series of panels in the context of a wall of books and toys to consider this very real issue—and they call it, 'the 7 D's of Deception.'
'Disregarding God's Word: The Bible explains that the size of the Ark was 300 x 50 x 30 cubits. Using artistic license and stylizing the Ark is not necessarily sinful, but these cute arks drastically distort Scripture and make the account look like a fairy tale.'
'Distorting the Message: Fairy tale ark stories often focus on cute animals on a fun boat ride. But the flood account is about the righteous and holy God judging an exceedingly sinful world with a cataclysmic Flood while showing mercy to Noah's family and the animals.'
'Deceptively Cute: Many of the fairy tale arks are extremely cute and were surely drawn with good intentions. However, cute things are not necessarily innocent or harmless, and good intentions can lead to disastrous consequences.'
'Discrediting the Truth: Many atheists and other skeptics love to use fairy tale arks to mock the Bible. Christians should be defending the truth of God's Word against skeptical attacks rather than providing ammunition to the enemies of our Lord.'
'Destructive for All Ages: The cute fairy tale arks are not only marketed to children; thousands of items featuring whimsical arks have been made for adults too. The abundance of these fanciful objects attacks the truthfulness of scripture.'
'Disorienting the Reader: Some children's books send mixed messages by citing the Biblical dimensions of the Ark while displaying an image of a fairy tale ark. Presenting contradictory information confuses readers rather than properly instructing them.'
'Defaming God's Character: By treating Noah's Ark and the Flood as fairy tales rather than sobering reminders of divine judgment on a sin-filled world, these storybooks frequently trivialize the Lord's righteous and holy character.'
There are some—perhaps many—that would argue that this is not really a big deal; 'We are talking toys and children's books!'
Two final panels illustrate the seriousness of this well-meaning but unfortunate thinking, the first of which is surrounded by a sinister three dimensional serpent (a reminder of our age old enemy, Gen 3:1; 1 Pet 5:8): 'If I can convince you that the flood was not real, then I can convince you that Heaven and Hell are not real.'
The final panel merely notes, 'And everyone died except the 8 people in the ark. Genesis 7:23.'
