CREATION MYTHS

 

QUESTIONS to consider for Creation Myths Group Project

 

Creation Stories and Cosmologies

•          What is a cosmogony? How does it differ from a cosmology? Do we need both?

•          Why do people feel the need for a cosmogony? What needs to be explained? List several items whose origin needs an explanation.

•          Is there a necessary connection between the creation of the universe and the creation of each individual person?

•          Why is it that, in most creation myths, the universe was created in a perfect state? How do we reconcile that with the present state of affairs?

 

Individual Creation Stories

•          Summarize the creation story.

•          What are the main elements of the universe?

•          What things may be created and destroyed? What things are eternal?

•          Was creation planned or accidental? If planned, why? Who is responsible for creation?

•          What similarities are there between this story and any of the others? How do you account for the similarities? The differences?

•          What is the purpose of this creation story?

Creation Stories in General

•          Creation stories are a part of almost every culture: Why is this so? What is similar about all human cultures, that they need stories like these? What are the different types of creation stories? What can we learn about the variety in human cultures, by looking at the various creation stories?

•          Creation stories explain something: What is there that needs to be explained? Why is it not sufficient, to describe how things are at this time? (I.e., why is a cosmology not enough?) Why do we need to tell a story describing how things came to be as they are?

•          Creation stories are themselves created: Who makes up creation stories? Is this done by the society as a whole, or by specific individuals? What drives some individuals to invent or contribute to creation stories? How are these people regarded by the other members of the society?

•          Creation stories lend authority: What are the features of creation stories that are most relevant to the everyday life of members of the society? Does a code of conduct gain adherents more easily, if it is based on a creation story? Can creation stories be used to gain power, or justify a power structure already in place?

•          Creation stories tell us where we came from, and where we’re going: Which gods are “real” gods, and which ones are more like our ancestors? Are there characters in the stories that behave nobly, and so should be emulated? What is the fate of evil characters in the stories? In a traditional culture, where was knowledge stored, and how was it passed on to the next generation? Why should a creation story affect people’s behavior?

•          Creation stories signify the value the society places upon things: Why were some things worth creating? Does the creation god act randomly, or with a plan and foresight? Why were humans created? How do they compare to the creation god? Where do humans fit into the grand scheme of things? What is the value of the earth, the sky, the rivers and seas, the sun and the moon, and nonhuman life?