Jésus+Jimenez



=Download the PDF version of this page --> [|copperreligion2010-Jsus_Jimenez-28102010.pdf]=

=Introduction= Creation has always been debated by theorists, philosophers, scientists, religious leaders, and your local pastor. But why is it such a fuss if whether your religion is right or wrong? It actually does matter. It matters that people are debating to something that they all agree on, but it's being told differently to other people. Religion isn't what it seems to be anymore to some people. It used to be culture, history and tradition. Many people can't get that message though their heads. Nowadays, religion is something you fill out in a standardized test in school, or in a government form. It's just another way of saying your different that the guy right next to you, or the person that runs the sandwich stand. Most of us don't think of the world as united, but if you dig deep enough and know about the different cultures around you, you might find out that we're not that different after all.

===Provided below, there are three creation stories, from: Christianity, Hinduism, and the Native American Iroquois. Along with these stories, there is commentary which explains some ideas about the story.===

=Christianity = = =

Story:
//"In the beginning there was a void. A few thousand years ago god made the heavens and earth and then the people and all the animals. God made all the living creatures separately, and in just six days; on the seventh day god rested. God made first man, Adam, and first woman, Eve. They lived in a state of bliss in a lush garden (the Garden of Eden) with dominion over all the animals. There was a special tree (the tree of knowledge of good and evil), and also a wicked serpent. The woman conversed with the serpent, broke the rules, ate the forbidden fruit of that tree, and gave the fruit to the man to eat. Because of this rule-breaking, both the woman and the man were punished and were thrown out of the garden."//

Source - <@http://www.mukto-mona.com/science/skybreak/creation_myths.htm>

33% (33% of the world's population are Christians) of the world have this as their religion's creation story. They believe the old fashion "higher being creates all". God is not mentioned as being a person, or supreme being. Although, it does seem he has a breaking point, because on the seventh day "The Sabbath", he rested. Which means his powers must have a limit to them or it could just be he was tired. Nevertheless, people are influenced by this story and it plays a big role in their daily lives. The story divides right, and wrong. It sets the borders for what this religion works. If you do good, you go to paradise, (like Adam and Eve were in the beginning). If you do wrong (you are sent away from paradise). From this story people are influenced to do good and play a normal role in society.

=Hinduism =

Story:
//"Before time began there was no heaven, no earth and no space between. A vast dark ocean washed upon the shores of nothingness and licked the edges of night. A giant cobra floated on the waters. Asleep within its endless coils lay the Lord Vishnu. He was watched over by the mighty serpent. Everything was so peaceful and silent that Vishnu slept undisturbed by dreams or motion.//

//From the depths a humming sound began to tremble, Om. It grew and spread, filling the emptiness and throbbing with energy. The night had ended. Vishnu awoke. As the dawn began to break, from Vishnu's navel grew a magnificent lotus flower. In the middle of the blossom sat Vishnu's servant, Brahma. He awaited the Lord's command.// //Vishnu spoke to his servant: 'It is time to begin.' Brahma bowed. Vishnu commanded: 'Create the world.'//

//A wind swept up the waters. Vishnu and the serpent vanished. Brahma remained in the lotus flower, floating and tossing on the sea. He lifted up his arms and calmed the wind and the ocean. Then Brahma split the lotus flower into three. He stretched one part into the heavens. He made another part into the earth. With the third part of the flower he created the skies.// //The earth was bare. Brahma set to work. He created grass, flowers, trees and plants of all kinds. To these he gave feeling. Next he created the animals and the insects to live on the land. He made birds to fly in the air and many fish to swim in the sea. To all these creatures, he gave the senses of touch and smell. He gave them power to see, hear and move.// //The world was soon bristling with life and the air was filled with the sounds of Brahma's creation."//

Source - <[]>

Hinduism is one of the polytheistic religions. (Although, it is debated whether each god represents themselves because essentially, some texts claim that all the gods are actually various forms of one god.) Having many gods in the same religion really confuses people. Is it one supreme god who overpowers other gods? Or do they all collaborate and function as one? In this story, it tells us about a serpent, (a reoccurring theme is the serpent. It always has a vital role in these stories, either helping or representing evil.) who is maintaining this "Lord Vishnu" character. Lord Vishnu, along with the serpent, vanished after creating a god like being "Brahma". Brahma was the supposed creator of the world, but he was given the command to do so. Which technically makes this world he created, not his. The way Brahma created the world goes into little detail. He basically split a lotus flower into three pieces. Then, with each third, he made the Earth, heaven and skies. But Brahma made living things with his bear hands. It doesn't go into much detail on how the rest of the gods were created, but it's possible that those are different stories.

= = =Native American (Iroquois) = = =

Story :
//"One night she dreamed about the tree that was the source of light. The dream frightened her, so she went and asked the men in the Sky World to pull up the tree. They dug around the trees roots to make space for more light, and the tree fell through the hole and disappeared. After that there was only darkness. Distraught, they pushed the woman through the hole as well. The woman would have been lost in the abyss had not a fish hawk come to her aid using his feathers to pillow her.// //The fish hawk could not keep her up all on his own, so he asked for help to create some firm ground for the woman to rest upon. A helldiver went down to the bottom of the sea and brought back mud in his beak. He found a turtle, smeared the mud onto its back, and dove down again for more. Ducks also brought beaksful of the ocean floor and to spread over the turtle's shell.// //The beavers helped build terrain, making the shell bigger. The birds and the animals built the continents until they had made the whole round earth, while the woman was safely sitting on the turtle's back. The turtle continues to hold the earth on its back.// //After this, one of the Spirits of the Sky World came down and looked at the earth. As he traveled over it, he found it beautiful, and so he created people to live on it and gave them special skills; each tribe of the Iroquois nation was given special gifts to share with the rest of humanity."//

Source - <[]>

The story the Iroquois are sharing with us, has been passed down from generation to generation. People have heard about this story before, but the versions seem to differ from tribe to tribe. But in the end, they all have the same message. This woman, nameless, had the simple idea about a tree. Animals were already created, so maybe for the Native Americans the animals and spirits were the founders of this world. Anyway, the fish hawk, helps the woman by catching her before she disappears inside the dark abyss. It gets tired and can't find a way to rest the woman. So the Helldiver goes and brings up a turtle. Yes! A turtle, not a serpent, not any kind of flower, but a turtle! The story basically ends when the Helldiver puts mud on the back of the turtle's shell, then animals move to the shell, they make it their home, and BOOM! You have earth! I think the reason for this story to be told by this is because the Native Americans were really connected with nature. It was sort of wrong to disturb nature because for the Native Americans, the animals were already there! So they treated them with respect and maybe even honored them to the level of gods.

=Why it matters=

All the religions are in their own way, amazing. The fact that there are actually stories that tell us how the world was created, is simply magnificent. It shows that there is a connection in each religion. We might not be so different after all, if we look into Islam and take the time to Analise it, we can find out that it's not that different from Christianity. The reasons why the stories are the way they are too many to put on this page. It's REALLY simple actually. It depends on where we were born and who raised us. All the stories have a common theme to them. They end with either something happening to the human, or an aftermath of the creation. Maybe it wasn't so clear in the Hindu story, but it was there. The stories differ in the way they are told because of the role the people want you to play in society depending in what religion your in and where you are.

=Closing=

Religion is a way of life. A way to explain why our world is, and a reason for people to have faith. That's what all religion really is. Faith is what keeps religions alive, they also help us preserve different cultures. Spirituality helps with religion because it gives you a connection with your religion and your inner-self. It comes in contact with what you want, and what you believe in. Creation is just another that helped the average human mind to keep active. Whether they accepted the fact that there might be a god looking at them, or not is totally up to them. What really mattered was whether their religion affected the role and initiatives they play in society, and if they contribute to our world history.