Essay Example on Genesis & Iroquois Creation: Differences & Similarities in Adam & Eve

Genesis and Iroquois creation story have many differences and similarities in the context of Adam and Eve, all of the creatures in both stories contain their origin and the culture concerning the fundamentals of a higher power. The stories explain differently how the gods created the world, human beings, and other creatures as well. The Christians believe in the story of Genesis, which has the critical elements on creation, and so does the Iroquois entails the same story (Provan 2016). Iroquois story refers to how the sky gods created the life and the earth while Genesis is a Christian story that explains the origin of man and another creature, the story of Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden dominates the book of genesis.

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One of the significant differences between the two stories regarding the creation of the world is that Christians believe that God created the earth while in the story of Iroquois, it is believed that a woman created the earth. On the other hand, a common similarity is on the use of evil and good, and both understand that there are negative consequences associated with evil deeds. In the story of Iroquois, a woman (Enigorio) has the same power as God.

Enigorio is the creator of the moon and the sun from the body of his mother, but for the case of other creatures like people, plants animals, and rivers, Enigonhahetgea creates dangerous objects for a man, for instance, in Iroquois story, dangerous landmarks and animals were created (Perrotto, 2015). On the other hand, Christians believe that in the story of Genesis, a human being was created in order to be in charge of the other creatures, and there is no point in dangerous creatures.

The two stories, therefore, are not identical, and each has its way of explaining the process of creation and the relationship between humans and the rest of the creatures. This paper compares the creation story of Genesis and Iroquois based on the relationship between humans and the natural world.

In comparison to the story of Genesis, God gave human power over other creatures; the man dominates the rest of the creation on the earth (Genesis 1:28); up to date, the man controls all of the creation (Testament, 2015). Feed on some creatures such as plants and animals, and he hunts different kinds of creatures. In the story of Iroquois, many gods become the main elements for humans to submit to, and Sky woman is the chief god who is seen as the mighty being.

In both stories, it is believed that God or gods dwell in a separate place, a special place above the rest of the creatures and the world, heaven in Genesis, and the Sky World on the other hand. Based on Iroquois, the relationship between man and the other creatures equal; this is represented in the activity of creation myth.

Native Americans believe that other creatures can be used by their gods to determine their life experience, and for this reason, they respect other creatures. The human dealings with the animals and other creatures are closely related, with either one having more power than the other. Iroquois believes that the adult male and the natural world are equal in the eyes of the powerful gods.

The story of Genesis view God as the sole creator of heaven and earth; all creatures depend on Him, God loves His creatures, and when a man disobeys nature, God will punish accordingly. On the other hand, Iroquois's story of creation does not detail any penalty as a result of disobedience or missus of other creatures. Instead, gods created these creatures to determined man's destiny.

Genesis and the Iroquois myths share different cultures on how man relates to the natural world, Iroquois different cultures determine man's behavior and their accountability on the rest of the creation. Genesis states that God existed anything while Iroquois is believed to have existed when other creations were already in place. Several cultural differences determine the relationship between man and the rest of the creation.

In Genesis, God is seen as more paternal and concern about other creations other than humans. Despite giving a man responsible for other creatures, the human is accountable for all the evil activities affecting the rest of the creations (Testament, 2015). On the other hand, Iroquois, creatures li

Human beings in both stories depend on the natural world in order to live, God and gods, how the two stories view the natural world is that it provides home and habitat for a man to dwell. In both stories, human has a central role to play; for instance, in Genesis, man is given a responsibility to protect the creation. God and the gods dwelling in sacred place gives man a responsibility to take of the natural world. The two stories value the independence of humans and the natural world in the eyes of God or the gods. In Iroquois, water and the animals saved the Sky Woman from falling into the sea that covers the earth, and on saving the Woman, animals began to build an island, a place where Sky Woman stayed. For this reason, Iroquois respects animals and acknowledge their contribution to life; they rely on animals for the various purpose to support their life.

The stories share the same perspective on the nature of creation, powerful gods and God serves controls nature; this seems to have been derived from a common source. However, as a result of differences in cultures, storytellers, personalities, and forgetfulness, the two stories have changed from generation to generation. The similarities between the two accounts outweigh the differences. The two stories share the same concept of creation.

References

Perrotto, D. (2015). The agency of Iroquois women through corn production. Journal of Student Research, 4(2), 44-48.

Provan, I. (2016). Discovering Genesis: Content, Interpretation, Reception. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing.

Testament, O. (2015). Holy Bible. Chicago