Means of creations

In the different cultures habiting this planet we can find many symbolic narratives of how everything came into being. Lots of stories were created to give people an idea how the world might have began and how people first came to inhabit it.

Mythology is an important feature of every culture. Various origins for myths have been proposed, ranging from personification of nature, personification of natural phenomena to truthful or hyperbolic accounts of historical events, to explanations of existing ritual.

Creation on the exterior shutters of Hieronymus Bosch’s triptych The Garden of Earthly Delights (1480–90)

Concerning the myths telling about the beginning of the universe we have to notice that in most of them there is no mention of a ‘oer god’ or ‘primal god’. The primitive gods in the myths all seem to come from something, be it an egg or other element of nature. The rudimentary elements all seem to be ignited by some force or by a reaction to an action.

In most of the creation stories we can find the same element over and over again: first having disorder or chaos and than coming bit by bit more order and structure in things. Most of them seem to agree on the ‘dim’ past or the ‘darkness‘ and ‘chaos‘ there must have been. Only in moderner versions we notice the trend to come to a a static universe with a finite space but all seem to look at it as an unbounded (analogous to the surface of a sphere, which has a finite area but no edges). This spheric idea might perhaps brought the dust-ball, fireball or egg in some stories. people also have been intrigued with darkness and light, intrinsic luminosity or the brightness of an object or surroundings caught the eye and attention. For this reason also in many stories we can find several figures to be spoken of as being a light in this world. Also in Christianity we find such a referral to Jesus for example, him being the light in this world and him being a new creation. (About that light and New Creation later more.)

We always should remember that it are ‘Creation myths‘, stories trying to explain things we human beings can not understand yet? It does not mean that there would not come a time that we shall see more clearly in to the matter. Science develops and more and more people come to see further in history and start finding more out about creation, telling us how things began. We always should keep in mind that those stories about creation are told in metaphorical terms to explain our sense of who we are in the context of the world, and in so doing they reveal our real priorities, as well as our real prejudices. Our images of creation say a great deal about who we are.

Modern science has propounded many theories as to how the primieval gaseous substance evolved into the present harmony of the universe. These theories may be called scientific cosmogonies; and the account of the origin of the world given in Genesis, i and ii, is styled Mosaic cosmogony. {Cosmogony}

Scientists investigate cosmology with the tools of empiricism and rationality, but creation myths define human reality in very different terms. They were also written in pre-scientific times where the oral story to get most of the people a good idea was more important than the accuracy. Moses in the same way did not want to give a detailed explanation how everything exactly came into being. In a certain way is that not so much of importance for humankind or for how we cope with life. The Book of books is there to give mankind a guide, a manual for life, not a scientific study book.

While creation myths are not literal explications they do serve to define an orientation of humanity in the world in terms of a birth story. They are the basis of a worldview that reaffirms and guides how people relate to the natural world, to any assumed spiritual world, and to each other. The creation myth acts as a cornerstone for distinguishing primary reality from relative reality, the origin and nature of being from non-being. {Sproul, Barbara C. (1979). Primal Myths. HarperOne HarperCollinsPublishers. ISBN 978-0-06-067501-1, p. 6}

The Old Testament story brings us the founding-stone and in the New Testament the evangelist John tries to build further on it and continues in the lines of the First Creation, looking at a New Creation, in both instances having a voice out of darkness bringing light. Moses and John focus on that Voice, uttering words, and by bringing out the Word having the things or persons coming into existence. As such we hear that God spoke and it came into being. There was darkness and God spoke in the darkness and there was light. The Word of God sounded and heavens and earth came into being. In the same way God Spoke and the first living creatures came squirming through waters and earth. Wriggling elements started filling the world, in the air (heavens), on the ground and in the waters.

Science can only give a fairly dry description of the physical processes underlying creation. Science never has any intention to go looking behind the core element of what they can see. They are not primarily interested in looking for a godhead behind everything. They probably shall also not be able to come to the finest details of creation and to reveal God’s role.

Aker, an ancient Egyptian personification of the horizon. Two lions symbolize ‘yesterday’ and ‘tomorrow’ with the sun-disk rising between the symbolic horizon between them. The hieroglyph for ‘sky’ spans across the top. Based on New Kingdom tomb paintings and the book of the dead. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Jesus also tried people to understand that God His Ways are not catchable for our limited human brain. He also wanted us to reassure us we should not worry too much about certain matters. It is good to investigate things. But by doing our research we may never forget the most important matter in life. Jesus also wanted to sooth his followers reassuring them we can trust The One Who is behind everything, and that He has provided for everything to be able to live and to be part of this creation and shall be fitting in the Plan of God.

Mat 6:24-34 NHEBJE  “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other; or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Mammon.  (25)  Therefore, I tell you, do not be anxious for your life: what you will eat, or what you will drink; nor yet for your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?  (26)  See the birds of the sky, that they do not sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns. Your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of much more value than they?  (27)  “And which of you, by being anxious, can add one moment to his lifespan?  (28)  And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They do not toil, neither do they spin,  (29)  yet I tell you that even Solomon in all his glory was not dressed like one of these.  (30)  But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today exists, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, won’t he much more clothe you, you of little faith?  (31)  “Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What will we eat?’, ‘What will we drink?’ or, ‘With what will we be clothed?’  (32)  For the Gentiles seek after all these things, for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.  (33)  But seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  (34)  Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Too many Christians are loosing site of the essence of the Word of God, by going to deep into details, wanting to explain those things which are not essential for faith. We do not need to know exactly what came first and how and how it really looked like and what it had to eat or how it ate. It is sufficient to know Who was behind everything and how He let it evolve to come to the situations where it is today and how it shall still evolve in the coming years or centuries. We may not forget that after the prophesied Word War III or Armageddon there shall still be another thousand years, where we shall probably have to face a further evolution.

In the old times it was enough to tell in an easy way how things are. As such we get in Psalm 139 a description by the Psalmist’s own creation in his mother’s womb. A great deal is known about how babies form, and it is clearly through natural processes — but at the same time, Psalm 139:13 describes that God wove the embryo himself. But the Bible doesn’t tell us how God creates things, and Psalm 139:6 suggests that we couldn’t understand even if he told us.

Psa 139:13-16 NHEBJE  For you formed my inmost being. You knit me together in my mother’s womb.  (14)  I will give thanks to you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful. My soul knows that very well.  (15)  My frame wasn’t hidden from you, when I was made in secret, woven together in the depths of the earth.  (16)  Your eyes saw my body. In your book they were all written, the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there were none of them.

God was and is everywhere. No human being, no animal nor plant can hide from Him. God is an all-knowing God without any limitations. We shall have to face our own limitations which are different for each of us.

Psa 139:2-12 NHEBJE  You know my sitting down and my rising up. You perceive my thoughts from afar.  (3)  You search out my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways.  (4)  For there is not a word on my tongue, but, behold, Jehovah, you know it altogether.  (5)  You hem me in behind and before. You laid your hand on me.  (6)  This knowledge is beyond me. It’s lofty. I can’t attain it.  (7)  Where could I go from your Spirit? Or where could I flee from your presence?  (8)  If I ascend up into heaven, you are there. If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, you are there!  (9)  If I take the wings of the dawn, and settle in the uttermost parts of the sea;  (10)  Even there your hand will lead me, and your right hand will hold me.  (11)  If I say, “Surely the darkness will overwhelm me; the light around me will be night;”  (12)  even the darkness doesn’t hide from you, but the night shines as the day. The darkness is like light to you.

We might even be limited to come to understand the deepest thoughts of the Creator, but being created in His image, The Creator wants us to get to know Him and has given us His Word, the Bible to tell us that He is The Creator God, the Elohim Hashem Jehovah Who is One and Who created all things (e.g. Isaiah 45:12, Hebrews 11:3), and why He created them.

Isa 45:11-13 NHEBJE  Thus says Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker: “You ask me about the things that are to come, concerning my sons, and you command me concerning the work of my hands!  (12)  I have made the earth, and created man on it. I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens; and I have commanded all their army.  (13)  I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will make straight all his ways. He shall build my city, and he shall let my exiles go free, not for price nor reward,” says Jehovah of hosts.

God His word is there for us to receive enough information to continue. While many people would like to know more, that limited information in the Book of books is what God chose to tell us.

Having God’s Word we should be able to find the most essential things for life and should we able to find reasons enough to trust this Divine Creator. With those Words we should have enough building-stones to create our fortress of trust in God. those Words should take us and nit us a life of faith, worthy of the Divine Creator.

Heb 11:1-3 NHEBJE  Now faith is assurance of things hoped for, proof of things not seen.  (2)  For by this, the elders obtained testimony.  (3)  By faith, we understand that the universe has been framed by the word of God, so that what is seen has not been made out of things which are visible.

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Preceding articles:

1. Background to look at things
2. The very very beginning 1 Creating Gods
3. The very very beginning 2 The Word and words
4. Scripture about Creation and Creator Deity
5. How Many Persons Created the Heavens and the Earth?
6. God, the Father, the Sole Creator of Heaven and Earth
7. From waste and void coming into being by God’s Word
8.  Something from nothing

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Additional reading:

1. God’s forgotten Word 3 Lost Lawbook 2 Modern scepticism
2. Creation Creator and Creation
3. Other stories about the beginning of times
4. Creator and Blogger God 1 Emptiness and mouvement
5. Serve him without fear
6. Written to recognise the Promised One
7. Searching, light, fear and deliverance
8. You Need Light for Your Path
9. Increased in wisdom in favour with God
10. Is it “Wrong” to Believe that the Earth is a Sphere? Inclusive the first generation of Christadelphians their views
11. Bible containing scientific information
12. The mythical conflict of science and Scripture (1)
13. The mythical conflict of science and Scripture (2)
14. Science and the Bible—Do They Really Contradict Each Other?

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Related articles

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  He sounds a lot like Thomas Brodie who as a continuing practicing Roman Catholic finds the truth of the Christ Myth adds a new dimension of meaning to his faith. So will those people who imagine that “mythicism” is a plot by angry atheists to destroy Christianity please come to their senses! Some of us really are more interested in exploring the evidence for the sake of understanding. (See also an earlier post of mine: Is the Christ Myth a Threat to the Christian Faith?)
• Living by the myths (renewamerica.com)
  When one thinks of myths, the mind typically races to those classical tales of the ancient Greek and Roman gods. In the Roman Pantheon were stories of the way the universe, the world, the gods and mankind came into existence. The story of Deucalion and Pyrrha is the Greek myth that supplants the biblical story of Noah and the Flood. Many scholars believe the reference in Genesis chapter 6 to the fame of “mighty men, men of renown,” and their many exploits may be the roots of much classical mythology.Often myths of old were an alteration of what God had actually revealed concerning himself. Distortion, perversion, and counterfeit are the ways of the deceiver, Satan.

  However, myths are not exclusive to antiquity. Every culture has them and they are the means by which people seek to explain the world in which they live.

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  If Adam did not literally exist, then he did not literally commit the first sin, thus there’s no need for Christ to die on the cross and the whole Bible collapses.This argument, which is indeed short-sighted, may well be the reason why hardline Christians cling so hard to Creationism in the first place and why the science-denial involved in it has become one of their two big emphases at present.
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  The funny thing is that Christianity as a whole neither rises nor falls on a literal reading of Genesis–only fundamentalism/evangelicalism does. Their leaders have chosen to pin their entire religion on something this comically erroneous. The fight is not between atheists and Christians, or even between science and religion, but rather between those who understand and accept scientific explanations for our universe and those who deny and/or misunderstand those explanations. And there are Christians in both of those camps. Christianity itself isn’t the enemy; zealotry is. Indeed, we must not fall into the trap of thinking that Creationism is any sort of monolithic belief; even when surveys ask Christians what they think about the subject of evolution and the universe’s origins, a lot depends on precisely how the questions get asked. When asked questions in a way that doesn’t threaten Christians’ compartmentalizations of religion and science, they tend to fall along more sensible lines.
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  “When the gods, as men, bore the work and suffered the toil – the toil of the gods was great, the work was heavy, the distress was much.”

  Conditions were so severe that, after 40 periods of hardship, the gods rebelled against their leader Enlil. A council of the gods was then called, at which the god Ea (alias Enki) provided the solution:

  “While the Birth Goddess is present, let her create a Primitive Worker, let him bear the yoke, let him carry the toil of the gods!”

  The ensuing passages of the Atra-Hasis describe what appears to a modern-day reader as a cloning process, in which the goddess Nin-ti (‘Lady Life’) made fourteen pieces of ‘clay’ and impregnated fourteen ‘birth goddesses’.

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  So we see that it is not just in Christianity that we are told that humans were created in the image and likeness of God.  And, “in the image and likeness” encompasses both our spiritual component and our physical body.

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