Chapter 89: Myth of Creation

"Mhm… Understood. My understanding is still vague and somewhat unclear but I understood most of it." 

"Good." After complementing Jia for her hard work Xin was about to wrap up and let Jia create her vessel when he got interrupted in the middle.

"Master then can you please tell me something about the creation of the universe. If I can apply the same in the creation of my vessel then…." She stopped at that and started to observe the mysterious voice reaction on it.

Xin frowned on her request, but didn't refuse it. He knew that Jia had inherited the power of Space & Dimension, and getting confused and asking such questions was usual for her types.

Xin didn't respond for sometimes, then after a brief pause her resumed.

"If I describe the creation of everything then I have to tell you from the very beginning. But before that do you know or have you heard about the Book of Genesis?"

"Yes, I have."

Jia replied immediately. Her parents belonged to the Christian community and they had taught her about everything related to their religion. Being a devote believer of Christianity Jia had learned them all by heart.

"Then tell me what you have heard in the book of Genesis?"

Jia started her explanation from Genesis 1 by saying, According to Christian belief, God created the universe.

There are two stories of how God created it which are found at the beginning of the book of Genesis in the Bible. Some Christians regard Genesis 1 and Genesis 2 as two totally separate stories that have a similar meaning. Others see the two chapters as part of one continuous story.

in the beginning - God started creation

the first day - light was created

the second day - the sky was created

the third day - dry land, seas, plants and trees were created

the fourth day - the Sun, Moon and stars were created

the fifth day - creatures that live in the sea and creatures that fly were created

the sixth day - animals that live on the land and finally humans, made in the image of God were created

by day seven, God finished his work of creation and rested, making the seventh day a special holy day.

In Genesis 2, some people think that the story goes on to give more detail about the creation of humans, seen as two individuals, Adam and Eve.

Adam was made from 'the dust of the ground' when God breathed life into him. Eve was created out of one of Adam's ribs to provide company and help for Adam. They lived in a special place called the Garden of Eden. Both of them were given the task and responsibility to look after the place that God had created for them.

Many Christians do not believe this story to be true in every detail. They believe that God was responsible for the beginning of the universe – that he set things in motion and oversaw the process. They can also learn lessons from the story about the importance of humankind and the responsibility humankind has over the rest of creation.

Most Christians would accept that the central message of both Genesis 1 and 2, whether seen as one or two stories, is:

God made everything

God made everything good

God made humanity as the highpoint of creation

There are many interpretations of the biblical accounts of creation among Christians today.

Most believe that God brought the universe into being from nothing. This is sometimes referred to as ex nihilo. Some believe that it was created from matter that already existed. This is sometimes referred to as ex materia.

Some Christians take the biblical accounts of creation literally, believing that they describe exactly how the universe and human beings were created.

Other Christians regard these accounts as more like parables or symbolic accounts that tell, in story form, the profound truth that God brought the universe and all that is in it into being, and sustains his creation."

"Good," Xin complemented again then asked, "Do you know about the Big Bang theory then?"

"Yes, I know!" Jia replied in an instant and without Xin's asking started posing her opinion and knowledge on the same.

According to her, One of the theories put forward by cosmologists is the Big Bang theory. This suggests that about 15 billion years ago there was a massive explosion. This was the point at which all matter in the universe began. Space and time began then too. Over time, the universe that we know, and human and animal life, emerged.

This theory is generally accepted by scientists as being the best theory they have to explain the origins of the universe.

If the Big Bang theory is true, then it could mean that the universe 'just happened' and that it did not emerge as a result of the activity of a creator God.

Many Christians have no problem in accepting the Big Bang theory. They see the cosmologists helping them to understand how God brought the world into being - the Big Bang could have been the mechanism God used. And there is nothing in the theory itself which proves that there is no such being as God.

Evolutionary biology

The idea that life might have evolved was first mentioned as early as the 4th century CE by St Augustine, who wrote that God probably only created very simple life forms and that these developed over time.

Today we associate evolutionary science with scientists such as Charles Darwin who wrote On the Origin of Species in 1859. He argued that life began with very simple cells and later developed into what we see today. He said that natural selection was one of the major mechanisms driving evolution.

Darwin upset many people with his views and even some respected scientists, such as Philip Gosse, argued that the fossils, which were discovered in the ground, had been placed there by God deliberately to fool people.

"Nice, looks like you have read your part research and learning." Xin paused and continued afterwards saying that hundreds of religions on earth have different mythologies explaining the creation of the world and the Earth.

"Then which one do you think is the correct one?"

Jia was stunned by this question. She was ready to reply in an instant but on a second thought she wasn't able to find a suitable answer. To diversify her knowledge Xin told her some more about different mythologies.

Like the Chinese mythology, according to which, a giant called Pangu used his own body to create the world. Before creation, Pangu was like an egg yolk inside an egg. After eighteen thousand years, the world began to open. The light air called "Yangqi" flew up and became sky, and the heavy and wet air called "Yinqi" sank down and became earth. When Pangu breathed, his breath became wind. When he cried, his tears became oceans and rivers. After many years, Pangu died, and his head, body, and limbs turned into five famous mountains in China.

Somewhat similar to Chines mythology was Greek mythology which says that After Zeus assigned the titan (giant) brothers Prometheus and Epimetheus the task of creating man, Prometheus shaped man from mud, and the goddess Athena (Minerva to the Romans) breathed life into the clay figure. 

As per Xin's understanding these all are termed as 'Myth of Creation.'

The myth of creation is the symbolic narrative of the beginning of the world as understood by a particular community. The later doctrines of creation are interpretations of this myth in light of the subsequent history and needs of the community. 

Thus, for example, all theology and speculation concerning creation in the Christian community are based on the myth of creation in the biblical book of Genesis and of the new creation in Jesus Christ. Doctrines of creation are based on the myth of creation, which expresses and embodies all of the fertile possibilities for thinking about this subject within a particular religious community.

Myths are narratives that express the basic valuations of a religious community. Myths of creation refer to the process through which the world is centred and given a definite form within the whole of reality.

They also serve as a basis for the orientation of human beings within the world. This centring and orientation specify humanity's place in the universe and the regard that humans must have for other humans, nature, and the entire nonhuman world; they set the stylistic tone that tends to determine all other gestures, actions, and structures in the culture. 

The cosmogonic (origin of the world) myth is the myth par excellence. In this sense, the myth is akin to philosophy, but, unlike philosophy, it is constituted by a system of symbols; and because it is the basis for any subsequent cultural thought, it contains rational and nonrational forms. There is an order and structure to the myth, but this order and structure is not to be confused with rational, philosophical order and structure. The myth possesses its own distinctive kind of order.