Simmons,+Marquis

Marquis Simmons

Gold Stream

World History-C Band

Creation Myths in Religion

Throughout history there have been many stories passed down through generations that explain how things were and are created. These things include pain and suffering, the earth and life as we know it. Although cultures have different stories, many of them hold the same meaning in the end. According to the Christian religion, at first there was nothing but empty space, until God created everything. He created the heavens and the earth, including everything on it. In the Bible, Genesis 1:1 through 3:24, it explains how exactly God created the earth. The entire creation took seven days in total, with a certain thing being done each day. According to Genesis//,”// // 1:1 //// In the beginning [|God] created the heavens and the earth. //// 1:2 //// Now the earth was formless and empty. Darkness was on the surface of the deep. God’s Spirit was hovering over the surface of the waters. 1:3 //// God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. //// 1:4 //// God saw the light, and saw that it was good. God divided the light from the darkness. //// 1:5 //// God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. There was evening and there was morning, one day. // ” This section of Genesis is explaining how day and night came to be. This concluded the first day. Genesis continues and tells how each day another thing was created. God rested on the seventh day. Christianity and Judaism creation myths are so much alike that there aren’t many ways to tell the differences between religions. “//There is no single or comprehensive cosmology in the Hebrew bible, so that it is difficult to state with any degree of confidence just what the world created by the Hebrew God looked like. [|The Book of Job] mentions the pillars that support the earth, the foundations for the world, the "gate" which closes the sea and marks its boundary, the celestial storerooms of the snow and hail, and the channels through which the rain to pours out of the heavens (which are plural - other Biblical verses make clear that there are three heavens, with the stars being set in one and Yahweh having His throne above the highest).”// This quote shows the main difference between the two religions. There is a mutual thought here, God creating everything, but the explanation is different. For example, in Christianity it was completed in seven days, while there is no given amount of time for Judaism. Another difference is that, in Christianity, everything was created from nothing at all. In Judaism, they believe that there was only water and the earth was brought through it. A main similarity that Christianity and Judaism have is that they both believe that the seventh day is a sacred day. Jews call is Sabbath and hold this day for time to relax by not doing chores and working, while Christians go to church on this day and save it as the main day for worshiping God. The creation narrative of [|Islam] is split among many verses in the [|Qur'an]. This narrative is very similar to the Jewish and Christian myths of creation. //“According to the Qur'an, the skies and the earth were joined together as one "unit of creation", after which they were "cloved asunder" After the parting of both, they simultaneously came into their present shape after going through a phase when they were smoke-like. The Qur'an states that the process of creation took 6 days or epochs (depending on the interpretation).”// Islam has a very close similarity to Christianity and Judaism. These similarities include the thought of the creation taking place in six days and resting on the seventh. Although the Islamic myths of creation are close to both religions, it shares almost the same traits as Christianity. The Qur'an states that, //“God created the world and the cosmos, made all the creatures that walk, swim, crawl, and fly on the face of the earth from water. He made the angels, and the sun, moon and the stars to dwell in the universe. He poured down the rain in torrents, and broke up the soil to bring forth the corn, the grapes and other vegetation; the olive and the palm, the fruit trees and the grass. God molded clay, earth, sand and water into a model of a man. He breathed life and power into it, and it immediately sprang to life.“// This source continues to explain the story of Adam and Eve, the first people created by God, which is the same exact story told in the Bible. The Qur’an contains the same information but is given in a different way, such as the way it is explained. These three different religions are worshipped by people across the world and have been for thousands of years. Their slight difference are what set them apart, although their similarities are what keep people wondering how they can have the same stories and thoughts, but be different religions.