Comparing Creation Myths

Most people have an organized story that explains how this grand planet came to be. Whether that story is a random man popping up and creating us and the Earth, then punishing us when we do something wrong, or an invisible entity making the Earth from the back of a turtle is open to interpretation. Whatever the story may be, the similarities and differences are unnerving, to say the least, considering the varying cultures. Most of these creation myths tend to include animals functioning as some part of society, but their purpose depends on the story. For example, "How The World Was Made" depicted animals as helpers of Maheo, the god of the story, who found land and for lack of a better word became the earth. While "In The Beginning", …show more content…
"In The Beginning", God is describing as this all-knowing and powerful deity that created the Earth within 7 days, making us from dust and ribs, and is the reason anything is even here. Other versions of creation like "How The Earth Was Made" try to make their god a little most realistic with Maheo, a god having unlimited power, but limited usage of that power, so he asks for help from his creations contrasting the powerful god from the Genesis. While the Taoist version of creation seems to throw out the concept of a super god with Pangu, a being that keeps the earth and heavens separated by growing 3 meters every day and holding the two apart. An interesting idea, considering Pangu dies in the end and becomes nature itself, something that differs both most myths concerning their divine …show more content…
For example, "How The World Was Made" makes a huge emphasis on the evolvement of animals and how important they are, treating both humans and animals as these remarkable creatures created for Earth. This attitude led the Cheyenne people to appreciate all the Earth’s gifts and leave it as it was for generations to come, which differs from the Genesis' views on things. The Genesis seemingly depicted beings on a scale with God ruling over all, following us, then animals, which is even stated in the story, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” This mindset does lead the believers into thinking of themselves as rulers of the earth, second only to God. Coming back to appreciating nature like the Cheyenne, the believers of Pangu seem to convene in temples outside with nature, as in the Pangu story, Pangu becomes nature, so it would make sense that the believers would want to connect with Pangu by being near