Creation (theology)

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Creation is a doctrinal position in many religions and philosophical belief systems which maintains that one or more deities is responsible for creating the universe. The theological implications of creation may take a variety of forms, the most innocuous being that of a religious dogma, although there are varieties of such a belief fully compatible with a scientific point of view. There are religious believers who extend this to a strident advocacy of creationism, but the doctrinal belief is not necessarily synonymous with such advocacy.

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[edit] Scientific creationism

The European Enlightenment, in adopting a materialist mechanistic "clockwork" metaphor for the organization and structure of the universe, accepted as a general principle the "transcendental idealism" of Immanuel Kant that the deity was "first cause". The belief that the universe itself was rationally organized and capable of being investigated using reason was a development of the medieval view that the cosmos itself was the primary revelation of the divinity of the creator, and it is this scientific ideology that has propelled the development of modern science over the last three centuries.[1]

More recently a second organicist view of scientific creationism has developed which looks at the hylozoic argument that the sacred is immanent in the creation process itself. This view, closer in some respects to animism, accepts that there may or may not have been a transcendental creator, but in the unfolding of the cosmos, meaning can be found that lifts the processes observed by scientists from the mundane. Rather than an absent transcendental "watchmaker" divinity of the first cause, the immanent view accepts that the entire cosmos is sacred, and that we human beings too are part of this evolutionary process.[2]

[edit] Biblical neo-creationism

Main article: Neo-creationism

In the 1920s the Fundamentalist-Modernist Controversy in the USA led to an upsurge of fundamentalist religious fervor. Anti-evolutionary sentiment stopped U.S. public schools from teaching evolution, through state laws such as Tennessee's 1925 Butler Act,[3][4] and by getting evolution removed from biology textbooks nationwide.[5]

The launch of the Soviet artificial satellite Sputnik in 1957 created fears that the U.S. had fallen behind in science, leading to the promotion of science by the 1959 National Defense Education Act. Biological Sciences Curriculum Study textbooks teaching evolution were used in almost half of U.S. high schools. However, the prohibitions against teaching evolution were still in place, and a 1961 attempt to repeal the Butler Act failed.[6]

In 1961, the book The Genesis Flood by theologian John C. Whitcomb and Baptist engineer Henry M. Morris brought the Biblically-literal Young Earth creationist theories of Seventh-day Adventist George McCready Price to a wider audience,[7][8] and by 1965 the term "scientific creationism" had gained currency.[8] The 1968 Epperson v. Arkansas judgment ruled that state laws prohibiting the teaching of evolution violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution which prohibits state aid to religion.[9] In 1975, the Daniel v. Waters decision required state laws constraining biology textbooks which included "origins or creation of man and his world" to give equal treatment to Genesis creation accounts was unconstitutional. Therefore, creationists instead started to promote "creation science" which omitted explicit biblical references.[6] More recently, creationists have championed the concept of "intelligent design", reviving the creationist views of William Paley of the 19th century.

"Scientific creationism differs from conventional science in numerous and substantial ways. One obvious difference is the way scientists and creationists deal with error."[10] While science is based in the scientific method, Biblical neo-creationism is based in doctrine & Biblical faith.

[edit] Judaism and Christianity

See also: Creation according to Genesis

Traditional Judaism and Christianity holds the belief in a divine creation of the cosmos as it is recounted in the Bible. This is affirmed by most scientific creationists. It is wrongly asserted by some that scientific creationists believe that the process of creation is uncovered best through scientific investigation, experiment and observation.[citation needed] This is incorrect. Scientific creationists believe that the processes present at the beginning of the world are not observable, and therefore the process of creation itself cannot be uncovered. What scientific creationists do believe, however, is that the observable creation itself will, by scientific investigation, experiment and observation, yield results that align best with the theory of a recent creation by God.

Many of the non-traditional Christian and Jewish scientific creationists[citation needed] assert that there is no contradiction between the account of Genesis and the scientific account if one considers the Biblical stories are the best scientific account available at the time the Bible was written, and that the Book of Genesis was written in language that people alive at that time would understand. The truths of the Biblical account are therefore theological, moral and ethical in nature, and the text was composed before our modern conception of science even existed.

[edit] Genesis 2:4-25

Some Biblical scholarship maintains that the creation story found starting in Genesis 2:3 is the earlier of the two Genesis accounts. This is not the traditional view, which is that this section is a retelling of the same creation history, but with a focus on the creation of mankind.

The concern in the book of Genesis 2 seems mainly in the origins of humankind and the earth. There is a clear connection between humans and the land (Gen. 2:7) and the notion that people are a special creation of God.

[edit] Genesis 1:1-2:3

This section was is traditionally ascribed to Moses, although the books themselves are anonymous. He may have used copies of written history extant at the time. Or he may have simply penned the oral traditions that came down through the Jewish tradition. However, the exactness with which he records the genealogies indicates that an earlier source was used.

Some Protestant readings since Martin Luther have maintained that these books should be read in a straightforward manner, or just historical accounts are read today. Read in this manner, it teaches that God created the entire universe, including mankind in his present form, in six twenty-four hour periods, and then he rested on the seventh twenty-four hour period (although some people believe time was measured differently in bible times, thus the conclusion that it took God more than six days to create the earth[citation needed]). Many writers both ancient and modern argue that there is a need to read these accounts within their own genres.

One method beginning in the late 18th century called redaction criticism argues that a redactor was the true author, and not Moses. This "priestly" redactor (known as "P" in the Documentary Hypothesis, aka JEDP Theory) compiled this story and edited it at the time of the exile. There is no hard evidence for this; it is an assumption made by the interpreters of modern times.

Using the JEDP outlook, this familiar account today is utilized for a variety of theological purposes.

  1. It is often used to stress the transcendence of God, his sovereignty, awesome power, and identity as wholly separate from creation.
  2. The account is typically used to establish or strengthen the notion of Sabbath as a key mark of God's "chosen people", particularly by Jewish scholars.
  3. This is a key passage for those who support the notion of creatio ex nihilo, or "creation out of nothing". This belief states that God created the cosmos without the aid of anything to begin. Genesis 1:1 reads in Hebrew, "Bereshit bara Elohim et hashamayim ve'et ha'arets...". In most traditional English translations, it reads, "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth...". God's existence and creative power apart from any original "building blocks" is assumed. A notable exception to this translation appears in the NRSV translation, which reads, "In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth...", which, while still compatible with the Hebrew text, seems to make the assumption that God created the universe out of "chaos". While this idea is found elsewhere in Scripture (notably in the Psalter), the NRSV is the first major English translation to find this notion in Genesis 1.
  4. The first creation story found in Genesis is also the key passage for those who subscribe to some form of creationism. Strict creationism purports that Genesis is a literal account of how God created the universe; other forms of creationism typically affirm that Genesis 1 is true but not to be taken literally. The fact that there are differences in detail between the two creation accounts in Genesis, and that essentially no-one argues that Genesis 1 is more inspired than Genesis 2, demonstrates that not all the details of the two accounts are to be taken literally.

The terms "hashamayim ve'et ha'arets" (translated as Heaven and Earth} is identical to the Sumerian term Anunaki (Anu=heaven, na=and, Ki=Earth {Sumerian)), the name given to the gods in Southern Mesopotamia. By this means, author/redactors of the Babylonian exile were asserting the superiority of their god over the polytheistic gods of Babylonia.

[edit] Psalms

[edit] Rabbinic Interpretation

A Jewish midrash or homiletical interpretation tells that six things preceded the creation of the world: the Torah and the Throne of Glory were created, the creation of the Patriarchs was contemplated, the creation of Israel was contemplated, the creation of the Temple in Jerusalem was contemplated, the name of the Messiah was contemplated, and repentance too. (Genesis Rabbah 1:4.)

The Mishnah teaches that God created the world with ten Divine utterances. Noting that surely God could have created the world with one utterance, the Mishnah asks: What are we meant to learn from this? The Mishnah answers: If God had created the world by a single utterance, men would think less of the world, and have less compunction about undoing God’s creation. (Mishnah Avot 5:1.)

[edit] New Testament

  • In Mark 10:6 in the context of a discussion on divorce Jesus states that "From the beginning of creation, God made [humans] male and female." This is considered by many to be a strong indicator that Jesus himself believed in a literal creation by God, as traditional Judaism teaches.
  • John 1 deliberately echoes Genesis 1 "In the beginning God created..." with "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." Identifying the Word with Jesus, the implication is considered to be that the Word was active in all creation (Genesis 1 says "and God said, let there be light, and there was light" etc...). Coupled with the presence of the Ruach of God (which means Wind, Spirit or Breath, and is generally translated in Genesis 1 as "Spirit") this is considered by Christians as an affirmation of the doctrine of the Trinity.
  • in Colossians 1:15 Paul states that all things were created in Jesus, through him and for him.

[edit] Islam

[edit] Beginnings

God (Arabic:Allah), in the Quran, says:

"Do not the Unbelievers see that the heavens and the earth were joined together (as one unit of creation), before we clove them asunder? We made from water every living thing." [21:30]

Islam, like the Judeo-Christian traditions, says that the universe was created in "days" or "steps":

"Verily your Lord is God, who created the heavens and the earth in six days, and is firmly established on the throne (of authority), regulating and governing all things." [10:3].

It must be noted however, that the Arabic word for 'day' appears in the Quran at several different points, and each time, the length of time is different:

"A day in the sight of your Lord is like 1,000 years of your reckoning" [22:47]

"(Whereby) the angels and the Spirit ascend unto Him in a Day whereof the span is fifty thousand years." [70:4]

And so, it can be said that Islamic creation story takes place over a long period of time, and the six days, are more commonly considered to be six ages.

[edit] Heavens

The Quran declares:

"Then(simultaneously) turned He to the heaven when it was smoke, and said unto it and unto the earth: Come both of you, willingly or loth. They said: We come, obedient. Then He ordained them seven heavens in two Days and inspired in each heaven its mandate; and We decked the nether heaven with lamps, and rendered it inviolable. That is the measuring of the Mighty, the Knower." [41: 11-12]

[edit] Earth

Regarding the creation of the Earth, the Quran says:

"He set on the (earth), mountains standing firm, high above it, and bestowed blessings on the earth, and measure therein all things to give them nourishment in due proportion, in four Days, in accordance with (the needs of) those who seek (Sustenance)." [41:10]

"And We have spread out the (spacious) earth: How excellently We do spread out!" [51:48]

[edit] Hinduism

In Hinduism, Bhakti oriented texts such as the Bhagavat Purana describe that God in his form of the Primeval 'Maha-Vishnu' lies on the 'causal ocean' and as he exhales, countless numbers of universes are created from the pores in his skin. Then as he inhales, they are brought back into his body and become nonexistent again until the time of his next outward breath. Each breath is equivalent to many billions of years according to our calculation.

The first living being created in each universe is called 'Brahma' (i.e "Creator) and is given the task of creating a diversity of life and environments within that particular universe. According to people's karma from the last universe they are put into appropriate bodies in the new one, anything from being Brahma themselves to being a small ant, and the cycle continues for infinity. More purified souls are given the task of stewardship over the existence in a similar fashion to Brahma, and are known as 'devas' but none have his specific powers.

Maha-Vishnu originates from The Supreme Person (Paramatma) - whose abode is beyond this material world. It is said that the material universes exist in a small space of an infinite and eternal 'spiritual sky', known as Vaikuntha. The spiritual sky, Vaikuntha, is beyond our material conceptions being filled with eternity, knowledge and bliss. In Vaikuntha it is said that "time is conspicuous by its absence" and thus there is no creation or dissolution. It is not destroyed when the material universes become unmanifest, but stays as it is.

There are at least 3 hymns within the 10th Mandala of Rg Veda that deal explicitly with the creation: The Nasadiya Suukta, The Hiranyagarbha Suukta and The Purusha Suukta.

[edit] Maya

Maya account for creation is described in details in Mayan sacred book Popol Vuh. According to this book, Earth, the universe and people were created by three water-dwelling serpents and three heaven-dwelling entities:

...There was only immobility and silence in the darkness, in the night. Only the creator, the Maker, Tepeu, Gucumatz, the Forefathers, were in the water surrounded with light. They were hidden under green and blue feathers, and were therefore called Gucumatz. By nature they were great sages and great thinkers. In this manner the sky existed and also the Heart of Heaven, which is the name of God and thus He is called.

Then came the word. Tepeu and Gucumatz came together in the darkness, in the night, and Tepeu and Gucumatz talked together. They talked then, discussing and deliberating; they agreed, they united their words and their thoughts.

Then while they meditated, it became clear to them that when dawn would break, man must appear. Then they planned the creation, and the growth of the trees and the thickets and the birth of life and the creation of man. Thus it was arranged in the darkness and in the night by the Heart of Heaven who is called Huracán.

The first is called Caculhá Huracán. The second is Chipi-Caculhá. The third is Raxa-Caculhá. And these three are the Heart of Heaven.

Then Tepeu and Gucumatz came together; then they conferred about life and light, what they would do so that there would be light and dawn, who it would be who would provide food and sustenance.

Thus let it be done! Let the emptiness be filled! Let the water recede and make a void, let the earth appear and become solid; let it be done. Thus they spoke. Let there be light, let there be dawn in the sky and on the earth! There shall be neither glory nor grandeur in our creation and formation until the human being is made, man is formed. So they spoke...

[edit] Resources

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ Tarnas, (1993), "The Passion of the Western Mind: Understanding the Ideas that Have Shaped Our World View" (Balantine)
  2. ^ Swimme, Brian and Berry, Thomas (1994), "The Universe Story : From the Primordial Flaring Forth to the Ecozoic Era--A Celebration of the Unfolding of the Cosmos" (Harper, San Francisco)
  3. ^ s:Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District/2:Context#Page 19 of 139
  4. ^ Understanding the Intelligent Design Creationist Movement: Its True Nature and Goals. (pdf) A Position Paper from the Center for Inquiry, Office of Public Policy Barbara Forrest. May, 2007.
  5. ^ TalkOrigins Archive: Post of the Month: March 2006, The History of Creationism by Lenny Flank.
  6. ^ a b Creationism/ID, A Short Legal History, Lenny Flank, Talk Reason
  7. ^ Forster, Roger & Marston, Dr Paul (2001), "Chapter 7 - Genesis Through History", Reason Science and Faith, Chester, England: Monarch Books, ISBN 1854244418, <http://www.ivycottage.org/group/group.aspx?id=6826>. Retrieved on 2007-06-30 .
  8. ^ a b McLean v. Arkansas Board of Education, Decision January 5, 1982.
  9. ^ Edwards v. Aguillard
  10. ^ Scientific Creationism and Error, Robert SchadewaldCreation/Evolution, v. 6, n. 1, pp. 1-9, 1986.
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