Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Creation Stories!!!

While both creation stories seem very unlikely to me, I think the one in the book of Genesis is more likely. The Navajo story says that people have always been on Earth, and it does not give any sense of beginning or creation of humankind, as the Bible does, by saying God put Adam and Eve on Earth. This is at least an explanation, albeit and unreliable and unlikely one. The Navajo story attributes the fleeing through the sky to lust and envy taking hold, but it does not explain why lust and envy didn't used to be a problem. They existed before but weren't a problem and didn't create violence? The Bible's explanation for feelings such as lust and envy come from Eve eating the forbidden fruit, so again, there is at least a reason for such emotions. Also, the Navajo stopped fleeing the evil worlds corrupted by lust, violence, and envy but they stopped at Earth. For the cycle of the story to continue they should have continued fleeing through the holes in the sky, since lust/violence/envy are very, very present on Earth. I do not understand why they didn't flee from Earth as they fleed from all of the other worlds. The Bible gives an explanation for many things it claims happened, such as people are on Earth because God put them there, and envy and lust exist because someone broke a rule and ruined it for everyone. If the first Navajo man who came to Earth was able to transform things into mountains and animals and hours, why wasn't every other man able to do the same? According to the Bible, all humans are mortal and do not have supernatural powers, which seems more likely to me. While both of these stories are very unfathomable for me, I like the Navajo one more because it is more interesting and pleseant, but I find the Bible creation story more likely, if only marginally.

5 comments:

  1. I like that idea of if the Navajo story was true then why didn't the people just keep going through the holes of the earth to escape the lust, violence, and envy. It's a good point because when looking at these two stories, the Genesis one seems more real because of that idea.

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  2. I do agree that the Navajo Creation Story is less likely with the obvious flaws in the description of the first man and the first worlds.
    What caught my attention was your last sentence. Though you establish that the Creation Story in the book of Genesis is more likely, you find the the Navajo Story more interesting and pleasant. Why is that?

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  3. I like how you addressed the fact that the Navajo story has no reason for how humans were put on Earth. I think that adds to your argument that the Navajo story is less believable.
    I also liked how you said that if the Navajos escape worlds with lust and envy, then why haven't they left our world. It makes a lot of sense. We have so much envy and jealousy on Earth today, so according to the Navajo story, shouldn't they have gone to the next world by now?

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  4. Some food for thought: you all point to the present world to argue that the Navajo tale should still be going on if it is true. Okay, well allow me to point to the real world and suggest that the Navajo tale is going on. We currently have a hole in the sky (in the ozone layer) and we fly through it regularly on our way to space. If we ever start to populate other planets, won't this equate to what the Navajo are talking about? Won't the colonists on the new worlds take the role as human-kind's representatives very seriously and try extra hard to behave and get along? Won't they eventually, however, fall back into bad habits? See where I'm coming from?

    As far as the Navajo story not giving an explanation for the existence of human beings, does the Genesis story given an explanation for the existence of god?

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  5. I agree with daniel in how you said that there was no explanation to the beginnings of the Navajo. I also like how you addressed the fact that they ran out of places to run to, and they decided to stay in one place.

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