Genesis vs. Iroquois Creation Myth Essay - 645 Words

Genesis vs. Iroquois Creation Myth All different cultures have their own creation stories, mostly all containing the elements of a Higher Power of some sort, how the power created the world, and the creation a human man. The Christian belief in the Genesis story has these key elements , as does the Iroquois creation myth, The World on the Turtles Back. Although these two creation stories share similarities, they also have some stark contrasts. These contrasts include, how the two cultures of the Native American Iroquois tribe and then Christians view life and aspects of good and evil, the way each culture views nature and the impact that has on their culture, and finally the way the Christian God and the Iroquois gods are portrayed to†¦show more content†¦In contrast, in the story of Genesis God gave man dominion over all the creatures of the Earth. (Genesis 1:28) The man to this day, hunts animals of all kinds and disrespects nature, with clear-cutting of forestry and pollution. Finally, the Christian God and the Iroquois gods are viewed differently in the eyes of a standard human. First off, the God of Christianity, is the only God. But, in the Iroquois culture there are multiple gods, who become the elements, and then the Iroquois praise these elements.(Iroquois 30) In Genesis, man is created in the likeness of God,(Genesis 1:27) but in the Iroquois myth man is created by another man. The Genesis God is thought of as more of a paternal God who loves His children but reprimands them when the children disobey, where the gods of the Iroquois is just revered and respected, no mention of punishment for humans is mentioned in the Iroquois myth. One similarity is the belief that the gods or God dwell in a place above the rest of the world, the Sky-World in Iroquois, or Heaven in the story of Genesis. To conclude, the two stories of The World on the Turtles Back and Genesis are very similar but, they also have their individual differences that really separate the two cultures. The way the two cultures view life and aspects of good and evil. The aspect each culture views nature and the impact that has on their culture. Finally, the way the Christian God and the Iroquois gods are portrayedShow MoreRelatedWestern and Eastern Cosmologies1423 Words   |  6 Pagesuniverse is shaped, ordered, operated, and mens role in it.† The goal in this essay is to illustrate philosophical, literary similarities and differences between Eastern and Western cosmologies by using King James The Fall and David Cusicks The Iroquois Creation Story. The Eastern and Western cosmologies are defined by philosophical and literary perspectives, not based on geography, culture, and language. The Eastern cosmology is based on collectivism and Yin and Yang. Yin and Yang is Chinese philosophyRead MoreControversy Within Racism And Religion1738 Words   |  7 Pagesfactor in the 17th and 18th century and continues to take place in the 20th century still? As I read the stories I will briefly speak about Mary Rowlandson, Iroquois Creation, and Benito Cereno. All three stories are coming from the (Norton, Anthology American Literature) Vol A B. The first overview will be on Rowlandson, next will be Iroquois Creation, followed by Benito Cereno. The story seemed to me right off as there were some segregation taking place in all three even with many religious beliefs