POST 2: How Creation Stories Shape The Way We See The World
Every Religion and culture in the world has a story about where we came from? How the earth came to be? who created us? And what is our purpose for being here? All these stories have similarities and differences that when taken into account have shaped the way we see the World.
Creation stories help the way we see the world by giving us a sense of belonging, purpose, direction and meaning in our day to day lives and our interactions with one another. Nevertheless, its the reoccurring themes in each creation story that helps shape the way we see the world."Many of the stories either omit the role of women or condemn women. Izanami speaks first and spoils the first effort of Japanese creation. The female of the Upanishad is raped repeatedly. In the Hebrew story, Eve gets humanity expelled from Eden, and no other female is mentioned for generations thereafter. Young girls are likewise responsible for disaster in the Apache story."(UGA Summary of Creation Stories) This brings up one of the most debated topics we have in the world today, society's gender roles. In the Bible the idea of female subordination begins in the book of Genesis. To begin with, Eve is created of Adam's rib and in a sense seems to be simply made to keep him company, as some sort of helping hand. (Genesis 2:20) From the point of creation she is automatically given a secondary or subsidiary role. In addition to her less important role, it is woman, not man who is tempted and eats of the forbidden fruit. when he eats the fruit too, she takes the blame for it too. It isn't until after this that we see just how, but not far from similar our modern views are to that of this creation story. In her punishment, God decrees to Eve that¦ he will greatly multiply her pain in childbirth and in pain she will bring forth children. And yet her desire shall be for her husband and he shall rule over her. (Genesis 3:16). This is the basis for our Christian gender roles. It is the woman who begins the fall of man. It is woman who is created in a lesser and more subservient function. And it is woman who needs a husband and must be ruled by him. This has shaped women's lives in the world for Centuries and if you are to count Eve's struggle, i would dare to say from the beginning of time. Women have struggled to be heard and have had to fight to own anything in a world made for Man.
Furthermore, "Many of the stories justify the human exploitation of nature. The Hebrew myth tells how Yahweh told humans to go forth and multiply of an earth made for them, and the Maori story of the Separation of Heaven and Earth tells how the god of humanity struck back at his brother gods in revenge for their weakness in the face of the winds.,,"(UGA Summary of Creation Stories) If we had to go a little back in our history Man has always had a tendency of taking "dominion" over one another, nature and animals, many great wars have been fought to take control over something or a specific group of people, We have enslaved one another and made ourselves masters of our brothers and sisters. We have disrupted the earth with pollution, cut down the tress and killed for sport or food the animals, rendering most of them in extinction. Not because man is so bad, but because in the beginning when god created Man he said "Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky,over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." (Genesis 1:26) Because we see ourselves as having predominance over our surroundings to control it, shape it, and mold it however we want has led to the development of the modern world we have today.
Creation stories help the way we see the world by giving us a sense of belonging, purpose, direction and meaning in our day to day lives and our interactions with one another. Nevertheless, its the reoccurring themes in each creation story that helps shape the way we see the world."Many of the stories either omit the role of women or condemn women. Izanami speaks first and spoils the first effort of Japanese creation. The female of the Upanishad is raped repeatedly. In the Hebrew story, Eve gets humanity expelled from Eden, and no other female is mentioned for generations thereafter. Young girls are likewise responsible for disaster in the Apache story."(UGA Summary of Creation Stories) This brings up one of the most debated topics we have in the world today, society's gender roles. In the Bible the idea of female subordination begins in the book of Genesis. To begin with, Eve is created of Adam's rib and in a sense seems to be simply made to keep him company, as some sort of helping hand. (Genesis 2:20) From the point of creation she is automatically given a secondary or subsidiary role. In addition to her less important role, it is woman, not man who is tempted and eats of the forbidden fruit. when he eats the fruit too, she takes the blame for it too. It isn't until after this that we see just how, but not far from similar our modern views are to that of this creation story. In her punishment, God decrees to Eve that¦ he will greatly multiply her pain in childbirth and in pain she will bring forth children. And yet her desire shall be for her husband and he shall rule over her. (Genesis 3:16). This is the basis for our Christian gender roles. It is the woman who begins the fall of man. It is woman who is created in a lesser and more subservient function. And it is woman who needs a husband and must be ruled by him. This has shaped women's lives in the world for Centuries and if you are to count Eve's struggle, i would dare to say from the beginning of time. Women have struggled to be heard and have had to fight to own anything in a world made for Man.
Furthermore, "Many of the stories justify the human exploitation of nature. The Hebrew myth tells how Yahweh told humans to go forth and multiply of an earth made for them, and the Maori story of the Separation of Heaven and Earth tells how the god of humanity struck back at his brother gods in revenge for their weakness in the face of the winds.,,"(UGA Summary of Creation Stories) If we had to go a little back in our history Man has always had a tendency of taking "dominion" over one another, nature and animals, many great wars have been fought to take control over something or a specific group of people, We have enslaved one another and made ourselves masters of our brothers and sisters. We have disrupted the earth with pollution, cut down the tress and killed for sport or food the animals, rendering most of them in extinction. Not because man is so bad, but because in the beginning when god created Man he said "Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky,over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." (Genesis 1:26) Because we see ourselves as having predominance over our surroundings to control it, shape it, and mold it however we want has led to the development of the modern world we have today.
Are you suggesting, then, that the traditional Christian view of creation encourages us to believe that both women and nature are subordinate to men? Could you be a traditional Christian without believing in the superiority of men?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the fine posts.