Genesis vs. Iroquois Creation Myth
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 Turtle's 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 humans.
First, the Iroquois culture and the Christian faith view good and evil very differently, but there is one similarity, both the cultures show that the concept of freewill creates the beginnings of a sort good and evil, a differentiation of two people.(Iroquois 28; Genesis 3:1-24) For the differences, the Iroquois myth has the belief that everyone is born with good and evil in them. Whereas, in the Genesis story, man is immaculate and perfect, until the woman is tempted by the serpent and the the man eats also of the forbidden tree, through his wife's consent. One other difference is that the Iroquois didn't necessarily believe in a good and evil, but a left and a right as it is put in the myth, and the Left and Right together ruled the days.(Iroquois 29), While in the Genesis story, God is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent, showing His perfection and that while He is a merciful God, He can also be a God of judgment to show the people the errors of their ways.
Additionally, the two cultures view nature very differently and it impacts each individual culture. The Iroquois culture believes that man and nature are equal as represented in the creation myth. One can find this true as the Native Americans were very
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 Turtle's 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 humans.
First, the Iroquois culture and the Christian faith view good and evil very differently, but there is one similarity, both the cultures show that the concept of freewill creates the beginnings of a sort good and evil, a differentiation of two people.(Iroquois 28; Genesis 3:1-24) For the differences, the Iroquois myth has the belief that everyone is born with good and evil in them. Whereas, in the Genesis story, man is immaculate and perfect, until the woman is tempted by the serpent and the the man eats also of the forbidden tree, through his wife's consent. One other difference is that the Iroquois didn't necessarily believe in a good and evil, but a left and a right as it is put in the myth, and the Left and Right together ruled the days.(Iroquois 29), While in the Genesis story, God is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent, showing His perfection and that while He is a merciful God, He can also be a God of judgment to show the people the errors of their ways.
Additionally, the two cultures view nature very differently and it impacts each individual culture. The Iroquois culture believes that man and nature are equal as represented in the creation myth. One can find this true as the Native Americans were very