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What is the origin of MANKIND
What is the origin of MANKIND
Creationism vs. darwinism
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When modern men ponder the origin of human beings, we often struggle between the theories of modern science and the divine intervention by an unseen God that was predestined to create the first man and woman according to religion. One of the most intriguing questions that faith struggles to discover is that of our beginning. Why did human beings begin on earth? How and when were we made? Was there a creator? What was the purpose that men came into the world? For some, these questions have always been answered by the belief in religious deities. Each religion, no matter how ancient or modern, has sought to answer these most fundamental questions that influence, if not dominate, the attributes of that human civilization. Because of this, diverse …show more content…
Were there gods who made humans or have humans created the gods? We have the Bible, the Book of Genesis where Adam and Eve are. We have the Book of Mormon which leans on biblical Christianity. We have the "word of Buddha" in the Pali Canon, Mahayana Sutras and the Tibetan Book of the Dead. The Hindus present the Sanskrit Vedas. The Sikh Scripture is called the Guru Granth Sahib. Islam 's Koran declares one God and one creation. Even from Africa, we hear the Rig Veda, itself a creation myth; then the Mayan Popol Vuh. Each one of these legends gives us a diverse perspective on the creation of human civilization and the world; these creation myths also strive to interpret natural phenomena, teach divinity to the believers, and emphasize the position and purpose humanity has in the vast existence that is the …show more content…
Archaeologists refer to apparent intentional burials of early Homo Sapiens from as early as 300,000 years ago as evidence of religious ideas. Other evidence of religious ideas include symbolic artifacts from Middle Stone Age sites in Africa. Archaeological evidence from more recent periods is less controversial. The examples of Upper Paleolithic remains associated with religious beliefs include the lions, the Venus figurines, cave paintings from Chauvet Cave and the ritual burial from Sungir.
Granted, the evidence is overwhelming. But now, however, there has been indeed a new revelation that has challenged the very foundations of science and religion that even now has, in archaeological and evolutionary sciences, been uncovered by the fellows of the Courtland Institute of Prehistoric and Archaeological Studies. We present the paper as not applying to myth, but the sincere possibility that human beings, may, from some remote hidden possibilities of the very ancient past, may have come from a more astonishing beginning that has been widely anticipated.
The Book of
Humanity became fascinated with the idea of evolution with the work of Charles Darwin and the Scientific Revolution. People began hunting for fossils that would prove that man had an ape derived ancestry (Weiner, 1955). After various years of searching, a piece of physical evidence was found in England that was said to confirm the theory of evolution (Weiner, 1955).This confirmation came from Charles Dawson’s discoveries from 1908, that were announced publicly in 1912 (Thackeray, 2011). Dawson was believed to have found the fossil remains of the “missing link” between ape and human evolution, the reconstructed skull of Piltdown man (Augustine, 2006). The material was found in stratigraphical evidence and animal remains that were, at the time, adequate enough to confirm the antiquity of the remains (Weiner, 1955). In 1915, another specimen, Piltdown man II, was found further proving this theory (Augustine, 2006). However, this was merely a hoax proven by fluorine relative dating in 1953; the artifacts and bone fragments discovered turned out to be altered to fit the proposed scenario (Augustine, 2006). The skull found was actually composed of a human braincase that was younger than the complimentary orangutan lower jaw (Falk, 2011). Both sections of the skull had been stained to appear to be from the same person of the same age (Falk, 2011).The perpetrator of this act was never caught and there are many theories proposed for the motive of this hoax (Augustine, 2006). Many people have been taken into consideration for this crime, such as Chardin, Woodward, Hinton, and Dawson (Augustine, 2006). Nevertheless, the evidence that proves that Dawson is guilty of this crime against anthropology is quite substantial compared to the evidence...
Creation stories have profound effects on humans. Those associated with ancient cultures/civilizations aim to ensure the successful survival or well-being of themselves and that particular culture/civilization of their association, but not all are beneficial, prosperous, or fortunate. Mesopotamia’s “The Gilgamesh Epic”, Egypt’s “Hymn to the Nile-Documents”, and Mesoamerica’s Mayan and Aztec creation stories/religion are influential to establishing significant relationships within society, whether that is between humans and nature or humans and their “god(s).”
The Question of God is divided into two parts. The first part, titled: “What Should We Believe” seeks to answer the first half of the questio...
Myths – as they are known to most of the world – give insight into the pasts of various countries and religions as the people saw them. They have been used to explain phenomenons in nature or describe the tales of courageous and important men and women throughout history. Creation myths in particular define how the Earth itself was created, along with the universe, heavens, hell, people, and creatures that exist today. Genesis of Christian mythology, for instance, tells the story of how the single deity God spoke and formed everything from day and night to man and woman. Various African creation myths, such as with the Yoruba, explain the creation of the Earth through at least a couple gods working together and all life sprouting from a seed. But all share a common themes, such as a form of chaos or nothingness before life is created. Joseph Campbell notes that “... the idea of an absolute ontological distinction between God and man – or between gods and men, divinity and nature - first became an important social and psychological force in the near East, specifically Akkad, in the period of the first Semetic Kings, c. 2500 B.C.,” showing another similar trait – a god or set of gods exists to create in each story (626). Joseph Campbell makes a comparison of how both Genesis and the Book of the Dead of Egypt share the same idea of their bodies belonging to their god in some way, or being reabsorbed into them at death (630-631). Others, like the Japanese and Iroquois creation myths, claim the Earth was once covered entirely of water before land was formed. Adam and Eve of Genesis and Izanagi and sister Izanami of Shintoism provide examples of myths that share both a passive and active pair of people who eventually create the Earth's population. In any case, certain popular creation myths, some closely tied to prominent religions, share more common characteristics than others. An entire sub-study, called comparative mythology, gives insight into this subject.
Throughout the world there are various cultures with varying religions and creation stories to explain the creation of the Earth and it’s inhabitants. Of these creation stories two with similar and also different characteristics is the Creation story in the book of Genesis which is a part of the 1st Testament in the Hebrew Bible and explains the creation of Earth and humans, and the Theogony which is the greek creation story that describes the origins of the Earth and the Greek Gods. Both the Theogony and the Creation in Genesis show nature as a blessing for humans but it can also affect them negatively, However the myths differ in the ways that the Earth and humans were created and how humans interact with the deities of the creation stories.
The creation myths that I have studied are similar in many ways. They also have differences that show an inherently different way of thinking about the world. All have creators-gods that make the world into what is now. There are conflicts within their world, and these conflicts change the face world. God to god or human to god maybe be involved in these conflicts. Their bloody struggles prove who is more powerful, causing change in the control of the world. Some gods are beneficial to man and others are self-serving, using man only as a tool.
The second creation myth I will examine in this essay is of Greek origin and is known as The Five Ages of Man. This myth begins wit...
The questions about the existence of life and the creation of the world are always mind-boggling and fascinating, however, the real answer to these questions may never surface. All there is to rely on are the myths, stories and legends passed on from generation to generation by ancestors and the clues they have left. This essay will try to uncover the ancient Mesopotamian and Hebrew views on existence and creation by looking at sources like the Genesis and other ancient Mesopotamian texts and poems. Mesopotamians and Hebrews had contrasting views on how they explained the events in their lives, and through analysis of ancient sources, those differences will be outlined. In such populated and booming areas, human conflict was inevitable and some of the law codes that were placed in effect to establish order within the society will be examined. Throughout it all, god and religion played a central role in these ancient civilizations.
Every ancient society and civilization has creation myths that were passed down and keep alive throughout the passing of time by word of mouth. These myths are the world’s oldest stories and are vital to these cultures because they explain their beginnings and give purpose to their existence. By analyzing and interpreting different creation myths it becomes easier to understand different cultures and their connections and relationships with heir beliefs and god(s).
All in all, every culture and religion has their personal beliefs on human civilization and how the earth was produced. The most frequent belief modern day of the first humans, is the story of Adam and Eve. There is a plethora of theories, but none that are one hundred percent accurate. If you ask me, scientist will never know how earth came about and they will never identify who the first humans were. Every “story of creation” is a myth.
Through out history there have been questions of where we come from and how we got here. It all comes down to the question of God’s existence. God’s existence has never been questioned during the times of when Christianity, Judaism and Islam were born. The question of God’s existence comes from our new way of thinking after these religions. Science has made us think of how things work in our world and brings Gods existence into question. There were no scientific studies done during the days of Jesus to prove that God exists, so where did the people in history get this idea of God from? Many philosophers have been questioning and giving their ideas of God and his existence. The ideas that we may have of God is usually connected with religion and our beliefs. One philosopher that touches on this topic is Descartes. Descartes gives his ideas on God’s existence and his out look on our selves compared to God. Most religions believe that there is a God and that he has created everything around us. Everyone has a different answer to this question that they think is the right one. Throughout this paper, I will be discussing God’s existence, while looking at Descartes ideas and through different perspectives of whether or not God exist as well.
Theory of the creation and for some, it is still a myth. However, Genesis introduces the God or Elohim in the Hebrew as the creator of the world, humans, and nature. The tree chapter mainly focuses on how God has created the heavens, earth, animals, and humankind.
In Genesis, it is written that everything came to be by the word of God. For example, the establishment of light. “And God said, ‘Let there be light’, and there was light.” (Genesis 1:3) In the Egyptian creation myths it is written similar to Genesis, in that
Stories surrounding the creation of the universe varies between religions. In some parts of the world, cultures believe the creation of the universe began its start from the desecration of a mythical creature. For others, the universe existed prior to their deities’ birth. Every story has a beginning, however, how the interpretation of the story differs
The origin of the world has been a topic for discussion since the early days of theology. We can all see this matter around us; the sun, moon, trees, and wildlife, but where did it all come from? The first book of the Bible, Genesis, gives two separate explanations for this phenomena. In Genesis 1:1 through 2:3 the first account of creation is given, and in Genesis 2:4 through the end of chapter two the other explanation for creation is described. These two stories depict creation in different ways, but the underlying story in Genesis 1 and 2 are fundamentally the same.