Parallelomania: ancient Near Eastern parallels (flood, creation) do not prove the Bible borrowed; similarities are explained by common events or themes

Mike introduces the scholarly concept of "parallelomania"—the 1800s trend of finding parallels between the Bible and Babylonian/Egyptian texts and concluding the Bible copied them. He argues this is simplistic: when read in detail (e.g., the Enuma Elish), the differences from Genesis are vast and theologically fundamental (one eternal God vs. polytheistic pantheon, God creates by word vs. blood-spilling of cosmic monsters, creation is ordered not chaotic). Similarities are better explained by: (a) these are both creation accounts addressing the same question; (b) for the flood, a catastrophic event that left a human memory across cultures. The biblical account would be the accurate one; other flood narratives corroborate a real event.