This morning I read a news article about how satellite images have allowed archaeologists to discover Mayan ruins which have been lost for centuries deep in the Guatemalan jungles. A mention was made of the Mayan "creation myth," and when I googled it I found their creation story in its entirety. It amazed me!
Among other things, their story (called the Popul Vuh) speaks of the very beginning of the earth, when there was
Among other things, their story (called the Popul Vuh) speaks of the very beginning of the earth, when there was
Only Heart-of-Sky, alone.
And these are his names:
Maker and Modeler,
Kukulkan,
and Hurricane.
But there is no one to speak his names.
There is no one to praise his glory.
There is no one to nurture his greatness.
and how He creates the world when
Heart-of-Sky only says the word,
"Earth,"
and the earth rises,
like a mist from the sea.
He only thinks of it,
and there it is.
Isn't it amazing how their story does not mirror evolution or any of its theories, but reflects (albeit not perfectly) the true story of Creation found in God's Word? And confirms what is written in Romans 1:19,20
19Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.20For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
This just made an impression on me this morning, so I thought I would share!
1 comment:
That's really cool. I've studied ancient Near Eastern creation myths from Babylon, Assyria, Egypt, etc. as a part of my doctoral work in Old Testament, and I am struck by the parallels, as well. Some of the ancient Egyptian myths (and there is a lot of variety here, so they don't all say this - but some do) talk about their highest god thinking verbally creation into existence.
I'm struck by the differences between their myths and ours, as well. Like, they are polytheistic, the gods are not ethical, and humanity is created somewhat cruelly so that the gods don't have to do as much work. What you wrote makes me think about this in the context of Romans. Just like you said, and as it says in Romans 1, God has revealed himself to the world even in the creation itself. But the differences reveal the truth in the verses and chapters that follow - that even still, despite this revelation, all still have turned away from these truths and fall short of the glory of God.
Hmm, I also just remembered that some of the Egyptian myths are a little similar to the evolution concept - in these, the high god (typically the high god in these particular myths is named Amun) was all that existed, and then everything evolved out of him - the sun is his eye that evolved out of him and became its own divine entity, the moon evolved out of some part of him and became its own divine entity, humanity is his tears that then evolved out of the sun (formerly his eye), etc. It has been awhile since I've read these myths, but I remember when I was reading them being struck by the similarities between these myths and evolution. But I don't think they prove evolution is true or anything. On the contrary, that it all started with the highest god, not a big bang or something, and that there is something greater than us which is to be respected, is a given.
I could talk about creation myths forever - It was a big part of my comprehensive exam in ancient Near Eastern literature, but I'll put on the breaks!
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