I don’t understand why we’re so incensed about this. Old Testament archaeology is a perfectly legitimate discipline. Lots of the OT is based on historical fact, as filtered through the lens of Jewish belief and legend. It’s not *impossible* that the ark had some basis or other in fact, even at a pretty distant remove. Even metaphors can relate to something “real.”

Of course, this is coming from the person who said to her teacher in Adult Catholic Instruction class, “You mean we still believe in H*ll? Like, that it’s real?? I thought it was just a metaphor!”
How I Failed Catholicism.