World Religions

Nichols 1 Ashley Nichols Professor Mark Canter REL 1300 4 October 2011 Who and Where Did the Universe and World Come From?

In every nation and culture across the globe, there has been, are, and will always be questions that challenge the belief systems of each religion. The main query tends to be about different religions view on creation. In a historical viewpoint, I will attempt to explain the beliefs on creation of five major world religions.

The Aborigines of Australia have come to Australian soil about 40,000 years ago, bringing with them their own traditions, languages, and beliefs, including their story of how the world was created. They believe that “the earth was featureless, flat, and grey. There were no mountain ranges, no rivers, no billabongs, no birds or animals – in fact not one living thing.

(Resture).” Then, Baiame, ‘maker of things’, decided to introduce the Dreamtime. Dreamtime was a point, a time frame, in the Aborigine history where giant ‘Beings’ were released to roam the unshaped world. The Beings had human needs and quenches, therefore they spent their time on earth digging for water and searching for food. Their journey through the world is an etymology for how the earth is the way it appears, with the mountains, valleys, etc. As time grew on, Dreamtime began to dwindle away into nothingness; the Aborigines believe that the giant Beings essentially gave birth to their culture and religion. Dreamtime is more than just their earthly foundation, it is also their creation story based on their religious beliefs. Baiame is their god of creation, son of Gaea in their mythological stories; Gaea is also mother earth in GreekRoman mythologies. (1, 2 &3) Taoism is a mainly Chinese religion in which the believers try to create harmony with everything that exists. Taoist believe that in the beginning of time, earth was like an egg, slowly incubating itself into creation, floating within gases and elemental substances. It was said that a mist came and transformed everything, turning the egg into a hatched earth and separating heaven from it. From this separation comes the most powerful Taoist forces, the yin and the yang. The yin is the female force that embodies coolness and moisture, almost everything peaceful and relaxing; yang is the male force that inhibits heat and fire, things that embody anger and passion. Separate, the yin and the yang can destroy the world, but together they create a perfect balance of symphonic harmony and the four well-blended seasons. After being combined, the yin and the yang created a creature called P’an Ku who was given the task of organizing the world and putting things into their proper places. Upon his death, his body spread to finish the earth’s creation; his eyes became the sun and the moon, his body morphed into the mountains and valleys, his hair became the earth’s vegetation, and the fleas from his flesh were the ancestors of the human race. Today, Taoists worship different elements of nature, in praise and remembrance of how their world was created. (2 & 4) Christians believe that God is the only true creator of the universe. The book of Genesis goes into depth about how God created the earth and everything on, in, and around it. Genesis

Nichols 2 1:1-2 says that “God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.”

God created the world in 6 days, each day speaking something new into existence. On day one, God created light and separated it from darkness, in doing so He created day and night. On day two, He created the sky, so that there could be separation from heaven and earth. On day three, God dried up bits of sea and made land, and then he flourished it with an abundance of vegetation. On the fourth day, God created the sun, moon, and stars in which to rule over day and night while providing navigation. On day five, He made both animals for the sea and the sky. On the sixth day, God created animals and land dwellers; he also, from a grain of dust, made the first man and from him the first woman, so that they could rule over the land that he created. Genesis 2:2-3 says that “…so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy…” This seventh day is now called the Sabbath, and on this day Christians come together to praise and worship God in thanks for his creations. (5) Hindus strongly believe in reincarnation, and not just for living beings, but also the world. The world has always been here, but it was reincarnated, and it will also be reincarnated again whenever it dies. Hindus have creation myths in which Brahma sprung from Vishnu Purana’s navel and then created all living beings. They also have a trinity that controls things; Brahma is the god of creation and is believed to have created the universe, Vishnu is seen as the sustainer, and Shiva is the god of destruction. (2) Muslims believe that god talked things into existence that he created Adam and Eve. Muslims also believe in the Quran and follow its words diligently. The Quran teaches the Muslim followers that for “everything living thing, since it came from god.” The Quran is a collection of all the creation stories of god and Muhammad was seen as the last prophet to relay the message of god. Muslims also believe that we must take care of, because it was a gift from god. (2 & 6) Each of these five religions has significant differences concerning their beliefs about creation. They each have the foundations of their principles laid out in the form of a Bible or a manuscript. When it comes down to it, it is up to what religion each person believes in that will determine how they believe the universe was created. Given the fact that there is not a one religion world, each person’s belief in creation will be based on what their religious faith is.