Seamus+Kirby

=Creation of the Universe by Religion=

A comparison of Creation stories of various Religions
=The Myths:= The three myths that will be analyzed and compared are the Judeo-Christian creation story, because it is the creation story for Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, three of the mosts widely followed religions right now; the Ancient Greek creation story, because it is the creation story of one of the most known pagan religions, and the same story as the Roman pagan religion, the largest ever pagan religion; and the Hindu creation story, because Hinduism is the oldest religion still in practice today. Theses are all religions that are or were widely followed at one time.

[[image:god-creates-man.jpeg width="386" height="205" align="left"]]Judeo-Christian creation myth (Genesis):
In the beginning, God created the universe. At first the earth was shapeless and covered in darkness, and God's spirit hovered over the waters. God said, "Let there be light". And there was light. God divided the day from the night, naming them ' day' and 'night'. This was the first day and God saw that it was good. On the second day God made the heavens to separate the water from the earth and on the third day he raised the dry land up from the waters below the heavens and commanded the earth to bring forth all plants. God saw that it was good. God then made the greater light for the day and the lesser light for the night, and he saw that it was good. This was the fourth day. On the fifth day God commanded the waters to fill with living creatures and the air to fill with birds. And he was pleased with what he saw. On the sixth day God commanded the earth to bring forth all kinds of living creatures and he saw that it was good. God then said " Let us make man in our own image". So God created man and woman in his own likeness and gave them authority over all living things. God looked at everything he had made and was very pleased. On the seventh day, God rested. Now the first man, Adam, was created by God out of soil and given life by God's breath. Adam named all the animals and birds that God had made, But Adam had no companion of his own so God caused hem to fall into a deep sleep and created woman - Eve- from one of Adam's ribs. God told them that together they could live in the Garden of Eden eating whatever they wished except the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. But the most cunning animal, which God had made the serpent, tempted Eve to eat the forbidden fruit. So Adam and Eve both ate and suddenly saw what they had done and that they were naked. Covering themselves with fig leaves they tried to hide from God. But God knew of their sin and called out to them. Then he cursed the serpent and Adam and Eve, and in shame they were driven from the beautiful Garden. God told Adam he would now have to toil and sweat to work the very soil from which he had been created. Then God blocked the entrance to the Garden with a great fiery sword so that no one could enter in.

Short summary:
In the beginning, earth was a dark shapeless nothing, which God turned into the planet we know by creating light, water, earth and plants, fish and birds, and animals and humans. He made the humans in his own image out of dirt from the earth, and breathed life into it. He put the first two humans, Adam and Eve into the Garden of Eden, where they named all the animals. God let them live and eat there, but told them they could not eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge. A snake tempted Eve to eat the fruit, and Adam and Eve were cast from the Garden of Eden where they could be carefree and had all their food given to them, to live on the earth where they had to work for such luxuries.

[[image:http://images.sodahead.com/polls/000992887/greek_gods1_answer_1_xlarge.jpeg align="left"]]Greek creation myth:
In the beginning there was an empty darkness. The only thing in this void was Nyx, a bird with black wings. With the wind she laid a golden egg and for ages she sat upon this egg. Finally life began to stir in the egg and out of it rose Eros, the god of love. One half of the shell rose into the air and became the sky and the other became the Earth. Eros named the sky Uranus and the Earth he named Gaia. Then Eros made them fall in love. Uranus and Gaia had many children together and eventually they had grandchildren. Some of their children become afraid of the power of their children. Kronus, in an effort to protect himself, swallowed his children when they were still infants. However, his wife Rhea hid their youngest child. She gave him a rock wrapped in swaddling clothes, which he swallowed, thinking it was his son. Once the child, Zeus, had reached manhood his mother instructed him on how to trick his father to give up his brothers and sisters. Once this was accomplished the children fought a mighty war against their father. After much fighting the younger generation won. With Zeus as their leader, they began to furnish Gaia with life and Uranus with stars. Soon the Earth lacked only two things: man and animals. Zeus summoned his sons Prometheus (fore-thought) and Epimetheus (after-thought). He told them to go to Earth and create men and animals and give them each a gift. Prometheus set to work forming men in the image of the gods and Epimetheus worked on the animals. As Epimetheus worked he gave each animal he created one of the gifts. After Epimetheus had completed his work Prometheus finally finished making men. However when he went to see what gift to give man Epimetheus shamefacedly informed him that he had foolishly used all the gifts. Distressed, Prometheus decided he had to give man fire, even though gods were the only ones meant to have access to it. As the sun god rode out into the world the next morning Prometheus took some of the fire and brought it back to man. He taught his creation how to take care of it and then left them. When Zeus discovered Prometheus' deed he became furious. He ordered his son to be chained to a mountain and for a vulture to peck out his liver every day till eternity. Then he began to devise a punishment for mankind. Another of his sons created a woman of great beauty, Pandora. Each of the gods gave her a gift. Zeus' present was curiosity and a box which he ordered her never to open. Then he presented her to Epimetheus as a wife. Pandora's life with Epimetheus was happy except for her intense longing to open the box. She was convinced that because the gods and goddesses had showered so many glorious gifts upon her that this one would also be wonderful. One day when Epimetheus was gone she opened the box. Out of the box flew all of the horrors which plague the world today - pain, sickness, envy, greed. Upon hearing Pandora's screams Epimetheus rushed home and fastened the lid shut, but all of the evils had already escaped. Later that night they heard a voice coming from the box saying, "Let me out. I am hope." Pandora and Epimetheus released her and she flew out into the world to give hope to humankind.

Short summary:
In the beginning there was only a void, with just a black bird called Nyx, the Goddess of night. Nyx laid a golden egg which she sat on for ages, and then Eros the god of love rose out of the egg. The top half of the shell became Uranus, the sky, and the bottom half of the shell became Gaia, the earth. Eros made them fall in love, and they had many children, such as the Titans. Kronus the leader of the Titans, had a child named Zeus. Zeus defeated his father, and became leader of the Gods. The Gods created the stars, plants, animals, and finally man. Man had no special gifts, so Prometheus gave them fire. Zeus punished the humans and Prometheus for giving them fire. He chained Prometheus to a rock where he would repeatedly have his liver pecked out, and to man he gave Pandora, the first woman. He left Pandora with a box, known as Pandora's box, and told her never to open it. Eventually she became too curious, and opened the box. All the evil things that plague mankind such as greed, hate, and pain, flew out of the box, and she quickly closed it leaving only one thing in. The one thing she kept in was hope, and then she let that out too.

[[image:http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_cWcuJM9QIG4/TLVtZZN9RZI/AAAAAAAADnc/IT6sFoUn8dQ/s1600/God%2Bvishnu%2BWallpapers%2Bstills%2Bimages+d.jpg width="238" height="315" align="left"]]Hindu creation myth:
This is not the first world, nor is it the first universe. There have been and will be many more worlds and universes than there are drops of water in the holy river Ganges. The universes are made by Lord Brahma the Creator, maintained by Lord Vishnu the Preserver and destroyed by Lord Shiva. Since the universes must be destroyed before they can be recreated, Lord Shiva is called the Destroyer and Re-creator. These three gods are all forms of Supreme One and part of the Supreme One. The Supreme One is behind and beyond all. After each old universe is destroyed nothing is left but a vast ocean. Floating on this ocean, resting on the great snake Ananta, is Lord Vishnu. Some say that a lotus flower springs from his navel and from this comes Lord Brahma. And it is from Lord Brahma that all creation comes. How does Lord Brahma create? Some tell of how he grows lonely and splits himself in two to create male and female. Then he becomes one again and human beings are created. In the same way he creates all the other living things, from the great animals to the tiniest insects. Others say that everything comes from different parts of Lord Brahma's body. All the different animals and all the people come from his mouth, arms, thighs and feet. Everything comes from one - Lord Brahma, who is part of the Supreme One - so everything is part of the Supreme One. For this universe, this world and this Lord Brahma, like all those before and all those to come, will be destroyed by Lord Shiva. How long is the life of a universe? Its length is beyond imagination. One day to Lord Brahma is longer than four thousand million of the years that we know. Every night when Lord Brahma sleeps the world is destroyed. Every morning when he awakes it is created again. When the Lord Brahma of this universe has lived a lifetime of such days the universe is completely destroyed by Lord Shiva. Everything disappears into the Supreme One. For an unimaginable period of time chaos and water alone exist. Then once again Lord Vishnu appears, floating on the vast ocean. From Lord Vishnu comes forth Lord Brahma of the new universe and the cycle continues for ever.

Short summary:
The universe is in a constant cycle of creation and destruction. First, Lord Brahma the Creator creates the universe. There are a few ways people say he does this, some say he splits into male and female, and then creates the world; and some say all the things in the world come from a different part of his body. Then, the universe is maintained by Lord Vishnu, the Preserver. Finally, the universe is destroyed by Lord Shiva the Destroyer. Every morning the Universe is created, and when Lord Brahma is asleep, it is destroyed again.

=Analysis and comparison:=

Similarities:
What is interesting about this is that all these myths came from different places and time periods. The Hindu myth came from India, the Ancient Greek myth came from Ancient Greece, and the Judeo-Christian myth came from somewhere in around modern day Israel and Palestine. These religions are also fundamentally different. Hinduism is a polytheistic religion that focuses on meditation, the Ancient Greek religion is a pagan religion that focuses more on sacrifices and offerings to appease the Gods, and Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, where the Judeo-Christian creation myth are all monotheistic religions that focus on praying in a church, mosque, or synagogue.
 * In all three stories a God or Gods create the world and everything in it.
 * "In the beginning God created the universe" from the Judeo-Christian myth
 * "The only thing in this void was Nyx, a bird with black wings. With the wind she laid a golden egg and for ages she sat upon this egg. Finally life began to stir in the egg and out of it rose Eros, the god of love. One half of the shell rose into the air and became the sky and the other became the Earth." from the Greek creation myth
 * "The universes are made by Lord Brahma the Creator" from the Hindu creation myth

In Genesis, Adam and Eve are kicked out of the Garden of Eden because Eve eats the forbidden fruit, which God said they could not eat. They can no longer live a life of luxury and must work for food, shelter, and all other luxuries and necessities whereas before they could roam around the garden and live a life of leisure. In the Ancient Greek creation myth, Pandora opens the box that Zeus told her not to open. Out of the box fly all the evil things that plague mankind, greed, pain, jealousy, and a variety of other horrible things. Another thing that is interesting to note about these myths is that in both stories, the woman is tempted into disobeying God's command. In Genesis, the snake tempts Eve into eating the fruit, and in the Greek myth, curiosity tempts Pandora to open the box.
 * In Genesis, and the Ancient Greek creation story, a woman brought about the suffering of mankind through disobeying God's command
 * "But the most cunning animal, which God had made the serpent, tempted Eve to eat the forbidden fruit." from the Judeo-Christian myth
 * "One day, when Epimetheus was gone, she opened the box." from the Ancient Greek myth

In both the Ancient Greek society, and for a large amount of time in the Jewish, Christian, and Muslim societies, women were given less rights than men, and were seen as less important in society. Because of this, it makes sense for the people writing the myths to make women God's gift to Mankind.
 * In Genesis, and the Ancient Greek creation story, Woman is given to Man later as a gift from God
 * "But Adam had no companion of his own so God caused hem to fall into a deep sleep and created woman" from Genesis
 * "Another of his sons created a woman of great beauty, Pandora. Each of the gods gave her a gift. Zeus' present was curiosity and a box which he ordered her never to open. Then he presented her to Epimetheus as a wife."

Differences:
The first quote demonstrates the singular that is always used when describing god in the Abrahamic religions, because there is only one God in those religions. The other two quotes give the names of other gods in the Ancient Greek, and Hindu religions.
 * The Judeo-Christian myth is the only myth where there is one god
 * "God created the universe" from Genesis
 * "With Zeus as their leader, they began to furnish Gaia with life and Uranus with stars." from the Ancient Greek creation story
 * "The universes are made by Lord Brahma the Creator, maintained by Lord Vishnu the Preserver and destroyed by Lord Shiva" from the Hindu creation myth

This is interesting because this is one of the major differences between Hinduism and other religions. Most religions believe that God created the world, and thats the world that is being lived on today. Hinduism believes that three gods maintain a cycle of creation, and destruction of the universe, and that it has been going on forever.
 * The Hindu religion has a cycle of universes, instead of just one world
 * "In the beginning, God created the universe" from Genesis
 * "One half of the shell rose into the air and became the sky and the other became the Earth." from the Ancient Greek creation myth
 * "This is not the first world, nor is it the first universe." from the Hindu creation myth

=Final analysis:= These creation myths come from completely different backgrounds and origins, yet they have common themes, such as God creating the universe. In Genesis, God is described as all-powerful, and that he must simply say something for it to be so. In the Ancient Greek mythology, Gods seem to be more "human." They have flaws, they aren't all knowing, they can be defeated. The only thing that makes them Gods are that they are immortal, and have powers. In Hinduism, the three Gods work together to maintain the cycle of the universes, creating, maintaining, and destroying. The two that share the most in common however, are Genesis and the Ancient Greek creation story. They are similar in certain details, such as how women were brought into the world, and their roles in the myths. Another similarity in these religions are that all three, though they have multiple Gods, there is a supreme God. In the Abrahamic religions it is God, in Ancient Greek mythology it is Zeus, and in Hinduism it is The Supreme One, who is made up of Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu, and Lord Shiva.

=Bibliography:=

"Religion Creation Stories." Religion Creation Stories . n. page. Web. 2 Nov. 2011. .


 * "Different religions believe the world was created in different ways"

This website provides the creation stories of the Australian aborigines, the ancient Chinese, the Christians, Hindus, Humanists, Jewish, Muslim, and the Yanomamo Sanema. I will use this source as a reference when analyzing individual creation stories that this source provides.

The next step in my research is to find more creation stories, and sites that analyze individual creation stories.

Ramey, William. "Literary Analysis of Genesis." In the Beginning . Christian Publishers' Bookhouse, April 1997. Web. 2 Nov 2011. .


 * "The majestic opening of Genesis 1:1—2:3 forms the first major literary section of both the Hebrew and the Christian Bible"
 * "Strikingly, Genesis 2:1-3 echoes Genesis 1:1 by introducing paralleling phrases or concepts, but in reverse order in the Hebrew tex"

This document provides a detailed literary analysis of Genesis, the Judeo-Christian story of the creation of the Universe and mankind by God. It also provides some amount of comparison with other creation stories from other religions, primarily the Hebrew account of the creation of the Universe.

The next step in my research is to find analysis of other creation stories.

"Greek Creation Myth." n. page. Web. 3 Nov. 2011. .


 * "In the beginning there was empty darkness"
 * "Soon the earth lacked only two things: Man and animals"
 * "One day with Epimetheus she opened the box. Out of the box flew all the horrors which plague the world today"

This webpage gives the creation story of the Ancient Greek mythology.

The next step in my research is to find an analysis of either the Buddhist or Hebrew creation stories.

"Hindu Creation Myth." n. page. Web. 3 Nov. 2011. .


 * "This is not the first world, nor is it the first Universe"
 * "The universes are created by Lord Brahma the Creator, maintained by Lord Vishnu the Preserver and destroyed by Lord Shiva"

This website gives the creation story of the Hindu's, or rather, an explanation of the cycle of life for universes, where they are constantly created by Lord Brahma, then destroyed by Lord Shiva.

The next step in my research is to find the Islamic creation stories.

"Islamic Creation Myth." n. page. Web. 3 Nov. 2011. .


 * "... all He needed to say is "Be" and it becomes. So it was that God created the world and the heavens.
 * "God took the seven kinds of earth and moulded them into a model of a man. He breathed life and power into it, and it immediately sprang to life"

This website gives the creation story of the Muslims, which is very similar to the Judeo-Christian story, with a few minor differences.

The next step in my research is to find analysis of various creation stories.

=Reflection:= I never knew how similar some religions were. Before this project, I just assumed that the ancient pagan myths, the stories of the modern Abrahamic religons, and Hinduism had almost nothing to do with each other. After reading these myths and analyzing them deeply, I see recurring themes in them that I had never noticed before. I chose this topic because it was the topic that stood out to me in the list of possible topics interested me the most. I am happy with my final product, I think that it looks good and it has a lot of information in it. My only problem with it is that I would have liked to analyze and compare a few more creation stories.