Essay on Religion, Creation Stories, and Creation Myths

Stories are used as tools for overcoming logical contradictions that cannot otherwise be overcome. Ever since we have been kids we have annoyed are parents with the million-dollar question, ‘what is that?’ to help solve our endless curiosity, or perhaps just to shut us up, we have been told stories. Creation stories work the same way. In order to explain complex and elaborate events, such as the creation of the world, we tell stories that act as guidelines as to how and why these things came about. We see examples of powerful creation stories in Genesis, Erika Zetterlund’s Singing Visions, and Marduk and Tiamat. These stories become socially important because they tell people their origins and can guide their present and future actions.

In Genesis one and 2, it provides a full understanding of God’s creations and wisdom of human nature because it is free from evil. God created everything from nothing; to be perfect from his perspective. Human nature is revealed from Genesis one with God creating the Earth and the Heavens and creating the man of his likeness. The Bible explains how God created the man named Adam from the dust and was placed in the Eden’s Garden (Genesis 2:7). Adam helped God to take care of the land and all his creation. The Bible explains, Humanity was created to work and serve, keep the garden (Genesis 2:15). Subsequently, Eve was created; “God had created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him: male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27). Adam and Eve would help God because He wanted them to multiply the Earth by taking care of his creations (Hiles & Smith, 2014). God is the sovereign ruler which he created humanity as how he should have wanted. The Bible explains about human nature that God created everything to be distinct from animals and all His creation. Humankind is able to show on our nature because we are capable of reasoning. God created all differently and we were all born naked and pure as Adam and Eve were. God created in his own image that why we all look different; we are unique in His eyes. Also, God created us to be good because we are born innocent of all evil and loving God.

Some people believe that there are two creation stories in the book of Genesis. In this paper, I will compare and contrast the events in the first two chapters of Genesis and determine if the two creation stories theory is probable. Towards the end of this paper, I will give my own opinion on the two creation stories theory based off of the scriptures that I read.

Creation stories are used to tell the tale of how the world came to be. They vary culture to culture and help people connect with and understand new perspectives. In the works The Songlines, Ovid’s Metamorphoses, and the Book of Genesis, three very different stories of creation are depicted and are each significantly impactful in cultures and societies.

On the other hand, Genesis chapter 2, that is 2: 4-25 is anthropocentric, focusing on the creation of man and his place within this created system. In Genesis 2, one finds that each thing is created with man being the focus, placed in a particular relationship to man. In Genesis 1, man is the epitome of creation, created in the image of God; in Genesis 2 man is the center of a circle with created things in a relationship to him. The garden is planted for man (8,15); trees are made to grow so that man may eat of them (9, 16); the two trees that are an exception have a special relationship to him (17); animals and birds are created so that man give them names (19); woman is made as man’s helper (21). Interestingly, Genesis 1 refers to the “heavens and the earth” (1:1; 2:4a), while Genesis 2 has the opposite sequence: “the earth and the heavens” (4b). This is significant, for the remainder of chapter two the emphasis is on the earth and man’s place in it. Genesis two makes no mention of light, firmament, sun, moon, stars—parts of the heavens; rather it concerns the earth, the garden, trees, rivers, animals, birds, and man and his

Everyone on this Earth has a different opinion. Whether they are black, white, hispanic, conservative, democratic, religious or nonreligious… everyone has a different opinion and we do not agree with one another. Religion is a pretty big topic today and people for centuries have been wondering who it was or what it was that created the world we live in. Creationists refer a verse in the the Bible, Genesis 1:1 which says, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” Creationists also believe how in chapter 1 of the book of Genesis explains that God created the earth in six days and rested on the seventh. But what there was not a God who created the world? Perhaps there is some alternative as to how we got to be here. Maybe it

(1:8, 12; 2-1). 6. There is no validity in this argument, and one is not surprised that serious scholars have labeled it "illusory" (Kitchen, p. 118). Another argument raised by critics is that Genesis 1 represents animals as existing before man (24-26), yet Genesis 2 has Adam created before the animals are formed (19).

Creation stories of early humanity have similar thematic characteristics, along with very different themes. Monotheism and polytheism distinguish themselves through importance placed on actions done by their followers to serve their god(s). In most creation stories, supreme beings are pronounced to establish order in the universe following with submission to said supreme beings. These themes are evident in the Middle East, specifically in Ancient Near Eastern creation stories.

Since certain details are different in each of the creation stories, it is concluded that they must be products of two different times. Genesis 1:1-2:4a proposes a cosmocentric account while Genesis 2:4b-3 revolves around an anthropocentric account of creation. Although both accounts foretell the creation of the heavens, the earth, humanity, and all accounts of life, the stories differ by the names for God, methodology, and order.

And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made…” (Gen. 2.4). In the second story, creation takes one day, man is created first, then proceeds the creation of all the plants and animals, and in the end, the woman is created. To further reiterate what some people believe Genesis One and Two are no doubt contradictions based on the descriptions others have the intuition that Genesis One is the account of the creation of the universe and life on planet Earth as it happened in chronological order. Genesis Two is simply an expanded explanation of the events that occurred at the end of the sixth and creation day-when God created human beings.

Throughout human history people around the world have looked upon the stars and pondered their very existence, seeking answers for questions that seem as unanswerable to many: how did we get here, what are we here for, what happens when we die? More often than not theses questions were left unresolved and humanity was forced to find reason in their own existence. Humanity began to look at the world around them for explanation, slowly creating stories that would become the building blocks of religion. These stories or Myths became an extremely important part of cultures all around the world, giving an explanation to questions that once seemed unanswerable.

The Bible begins with two separate creation stories, differing significantly from one another, Genesis 1 and Genesis 2. The first story runs from Genesis 1:1 through Genesis 2:3. The second story picks up at Genesis 2:4 and runs to the end of the chapter at Genesis 2:25. In the first story, creation takes six days and man and woman are created last after all the plants and animals are created. In the second story, creation takes one day, man is created first, then proceeds the creation of all the plants and animals, and in the end woman is created. To further reiterate what some people believe Genesis 1 and 2 are no doubt contradictions based on the descriptions others have the intuition that Genesis 1 is the account of the creation of the universe and life on planet Earth as it happened in chronological order. Genesis 2 is

Soon, however, man grows lonely, so God creates for him a woman out of his rib . Upon laying eyes on God’s creation, Adam proclaims that she is perfect for him and names her Woman, for she was born of Man.

The importance of the Creation account is reiterated numerous times throughout the pages of the Old and New Testaments. In fact, God is acknowledged as the Creator of the universe in the very first verse of Genesis. In the first two chapters of that book, the author describes that God created the universe from nothing and all that He created was good in His sight. The end of the first chapter notes that God formed a man as the pinnacle of His creation. This account is further explored in Genesis 2. However, even in the thorough description of the creation of man and woman that is found in the second chapter, the author still focuses on the fact that God creates how and what He pleases, and all His works submit to Him. Even from these two chapters alone we can see the creativity, sovereignty, and goodness of God on display as He is revealed as our Creator.

One of the puzzling life questions is the origin of human beings. People are curious about their origin and concerned what happened to their ancestors (McCabe, 2010). Science through the theories of evolution and the Big Bang theory has tried to explain the origin of life. Unfortunately, the theories are associated with flaws on highlighting the source of life or the first cell. Conversely, people use religion to answer such questions. According to Christianity, the universe and human beings were made by God. Man was the Lord’s final