Genesis 1-4 Vs. The Enuma Elish

In human existence, the religious imagination has seen various stories of creation, most of which are incredibly different on the surface, but have an underlying sense of conflict. However, Genesis 1-4 and the Enuma Elish are completely different in subject and theme. In Genesis, the monotheistic path of creation leads to a world of complete goodness (Genesis 1:4), with absolutely nothing being tainted, due to the complete control of a wise God. However, in the Enuma Elish, it is not clearly stated how the the start of time came into being, but the creation of earth and humans come from the death of a chaos god (Enuma Elish Tablet 6). Already in the world of the Enuma Elish violence and evil has been introduced as an integral part of what and who humans are. When examining the conflicts around the world today, the fundamental question must be asked to determine whether Genesis or the Enuma Elish provide a better understanding of human life. The question is- can the reason for all the occurrences in the world today be better explained as an innate part of humanity, or as a set of choices?
When the totality of all the events taking place in the world today are examined, it becomes clear that Genesis makes more sense as the story of creation.
That may seen contrary to common sense, due to all the violence and evil there is present in the world today. Reading the newspaper can incite sadness and disappointment for humanity. It is a basic notion that there is some kind of terrible suffering happening somewhere in the world. However, most news sources realize that they can gain more viewers or readers by presenting sensational and horrible stories. This creates a false pretense of the world that must be further
examined. Even though these appalling acts are taking place, many people fail to recognize all the good that exists in the world. Humans inherently find these heinous acts sickening, which shows that humans are intrinsically good, like in the story of Genesis (Genesis 1:27). If humans were created like in the Enuma Elish, it would make sense to say that humans would find these terrible acts as acceptable and part of human nature. Since humans find such acts revolting, they were not created with an ingrained evil in them, making them the creation of Genesis, where sin in an individual choice, originating from when Eve eats the fruit from the tree of knowledge (Genesis 3:6-7). The goodness in Genesis does not last forever, which can lead to the explanation of all the turmoil in the world today. Man and woman eat from the tree of knowledge, and curse themselves to a mortal life full of toil (Genesis 3:17-19). Here is where the underlying difference between Genesis and the Enuma Elish is encountered. In Genesis, man brings about evil and suffering into the world by his own accord. The tree of knowledge holds the burden of moral choice, and man chose to accept it. This decision was the original sin, and by default the cause of all the suffering in the world today. In the Enuma Elish, humans are brought into a world already full of chaos and pain (Enuma Elish Tablet 5-6). They are molded from it, and it is an inherent part of their existence from the very start. When observing the average human being, it becomes clear that the Enuma Elish cannot be the story of creation. This is due to the fact that the majority of humans have an inclination towards goodness that would not be possible if evil was a fundamental characteristic in their creation. Random acts of kindness, love, brotherhood, and community are all experiences humans connect with and experience on a daily basis. Humans seek goodness and avoid evil. The only way this is possible is if evil is a choice for individuals to make for themselves like in Genesis.