Creation Stories around the World - Essay Example

Creation stories Communities around the world have divergent beliefs on how the world was created. Most of these beliefs are in form of stories referred to as creation stories. In definition, creation stories are myths that endeavor to elucidate the never-ending nature of the universe as well as how life came into being. Some stories date back to ancient civilizations and some of the modern theories of creation derive some of their assumptions from the ancient stories. This paper focuses on two creation stories and elucidates them in a comparative approach. Pan-gu creation story Some of the communities with strong beliefs on how the universe was created include the Chinese. One of the Chinese theories of creation is the Pan-gu creation story. It is worth noting that the civilization within the Chinese culture dates back many centuries ago. In fact, there are written manuscript on the Pan-gu creation theory that dates back to the sixth century. According to this story the initial living being that ever existed was Pan-gu. Before Pan-gu was formed in a egg, there existed darkness all over and the world was void. Based on this story, Pan-gu grew within a huge or enormous egg that was formed in the void space. This egg is believed to have enclosed all the constituents of the cosmos. Pan-gu grew and developed at a very speedy rate and in the process he parted the ground and the heavens inside the huge egg. There are also other factors that he separated such as the male and the female, and light and the dark. While inside the egg, Pan-gu is also believed to have created the first man and woman. When the egg finally hatched after eighteen thousand years, Pan-gu died as a result of exhaustion from the work of creation (Giddens and Giddens, 2006). According to Giddens and Giddens (2006): Pan-gu was exhausted from his ordeal. Many thousands of years had passed since he had grown inside the egg and now he was old in both body and spirit. He went to sleep and never woke up again. When he died, his body made up the world and its elements. His breath made up the wind and the clouds. His voice became the thunder. His blood became the rivers, and his veins were the pathways men took when travelling. His body, hair, and skin became the grass and herbs. His bones and teeth precious stones and minerals. Every part of Pan-gus anatomy became a part of nature. Even the parasites on his body turned into animals and fish. (p. 35) Additionally, Giddens and Giddens (2006) posits that Pan-gu eyes were transformed into the sun and the moon after his death, his limbs turned out to be the four directions of the compass, and his decomposed flesh turned out to be the soil. Despite the fact that many people believe that Pan-gu died a long time ago, there are some people who still suppose that he is the force that directs and commands the weather. These people believe that the changes or weather or climatic conditions are consistent with the changes in his disposition. It is imperative to elucidate the fact that Pan-gu story of creation is comparable to other creation stories in many parts of the world today. Many creation stories have a universal premise in that the universe came up from the remains of a primordial life form. Another similarity between the two theories can be derived from the fact that there was continuous expansion or enlargement in both theories. In the periods preceding the big bang or explosion, the universe was in a constant and speedy expansion. In fact, the universe is still expanding today. In the Pan-gu story of creation, he grew and developed at a very speedy rate and the universe was subsequently expanding (Giddens and Giddens, 2006). The Big Bang theory The big bang theory is a creation story that focuses on a scientific perspective. According to this story or theory of creation, the universe originated from a loud bang that led to the spreading out of all matter forming the universe (Krebs, 2006). The bang is considered to have spread out matter in form of hot gas and as it spread, cooling occurred forming a compact substance regarded as the universe. In the course of the spreading out of matter, the earth and the sky was separated, and there was also the formation of the opposites such as the separation of the light and the dark. However, this scientific theory of creation leaves a lot of things unexplained. This story fails to mention the site and position where the big bang took place (Krebs, 2006). Scientists believe that the big bang happened thirteen to fifteen billion years ago with a sudden blast of a minute, intense, and compressed spot made up of a combination of matter and energy. Subsequently, scientists believe that the sudden blast initiated the development of the initial compounds that are the building blocks of hydrogen and helium that make up the highest percent of the universe. All living things and objects are made up of elements that consists of millions of atoms. These atoms are made up of hydrogen and helium. As cooling took place, these gases are believed to have condensed to form the universe and all its constituents (Krebs, 2006). Both the big bang theory and the Pan-gu creation story resonate in that the snapping of the egg to release Pan-gu and the big bang to that formed the universe are similar reactions (Giddens and Giddens, 2006). In other words, both of these reactions can be regarded as explosions that releases matter that formed the constituents of the universe. The state of the universe being void and in the dark before anything was formed is referred to as a state of chaos. Chaos in definition is a state of disarray, disorder, or confusion. According to Giddens and Giddens (2006), both big bang theory and the Pan-gu creation story agree on the fact that there was a state of chaos before the universe was formed. These theories further posit that an organized state of things suddenly arose from a certain phenomena. Energy is considered to have led to the formation of the universe in the big bang theory. The body of Pan-gu formed the universe after he died. This shows that Pan-gu is comparable to the energy that caused the sudden bang in the big bang theory. There are also clear differences that appear in the two theories of creation of the universe. Pan-gu is believed to have created man while still at the enormous egg (Giddens and Giddens, 2006). In the big bang theory, on the other hand, human beings evolved after the condition of the universe stabilized (Krebs, 2006). Conclusion There are many stories from all parts of the world that try to explain how the universe emerged and how life came into being. Some of the examples of these stories include the Chinese myth or story of Pan-gu, and the scientific theory referred to as the big bang theory. According to Pan-gu story, Pan-gu was a giant that grew inside an egg and as he grew he separated the earth and the sky. He is also believed to have created man while inside the egg and also separates other opposites such as the light and the dark, and the male and female. When the egg hatched, Pan-gu later died as a result of exhaustion. This enormous egg is believed to have enclosed all the constituents of the universe. After his death, his body made the earth as well as other constituents of the universe. The second story of creation of the universe is the big bang theory. According to this theory, there was a sudden explosion that activated the formation of hydrogen and helium which are the major constituents of atoms. As matter spread out as a result of the explosion, cooling occurred and everything condensed forming the universe together with its constituents. These theories are similar in that they both posit that there was a state of chaos before creation. The sudden blast or explosion that happened according to the big bang theory is comparable to the hatching of the egg as these occurrences led to the formation of the universe. References Giddens, O., & Giddens, S. (2006). Chinese Mythology. New York, NY: The Rosen Publishing Group. Krebs, R. E. (2006). The History and the Use of Our Earths Chemical Elements: A Reference Guide. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. Read More