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That isn't true at all. The Abrahamic faiths are derived from earlier existing faiths in which humans were low in status.
The Abrahamic god-things are not associated with the Tree of Life, but Ningishiddza is.
I've looked up a couple of creation stories, and many do seem to have their gods purposefully making humans. Though I've yet to see any of them having humans starting off with things like eternity and access to the heavenlies. The Garden of Eden was a place where heaven and earth overlapped. That is where God placed man. Heaven was our starting point, and we were tasked with spreading it all over the earth.
I'll let someone else give me a creation story better than that. That is the challenge I'm issuing.
... Garden of Eden was a place where heaven and earth overlapped. That is where God placed man. Heaven was our starting point, and we were tasked with spreading it all over the earth.
I see where man was tasked with refilling the earth or replenishing its population with no mention of who populated it previously.
But I am not aware of any passage that claims man was tasked with spreading heaven all over earth.
I see where man was tasked with refilling the earth or replenishing its population with no mention of who populated it previously.
But I am not aware of any passage that claims man was tasked with spreading heaven all over earth.
It comes with the territory of subduing the earth. Of course this is revealed to us even more when Jesus came, preaching the good news of the kingdom of heaven on the earth. It was always God's intention to make the entire earth like Eden. Jesus became the second Adam, and accomplished the Father's will. And through Jesus, we accomplish His will as well.
God told Adam he could freely eat of all the trees in the Garden, and that would include the Tree of Life which holds immortality. (I say immortality based on what God said of it's attributes) Now there was a tree that was forbidden. The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
First of all, that would mean that God lied, or at the very least, contradicted himself. If Adam and Eve first ate from the Tree of Life, making them immortal like God, then they wouldn't die if they then decided to eat from the Tree of knowledge of Good and Evil. But that's all irrelevant anyways since God created humans to be mortal, capable of suffering and dying, and ignorant of any sense of morality. Humanity was created to be lower in status compared to God, contradicting what you said.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Heavenese
Besides that, heaven was made available to humanity from the beginning. There was no death. Animals didn't eat each other, nor did we eat the meat of animals. If it weren't for humanity's disobedience, those things would have continued and more.
No, heaven wasn't made available to humanity. Evil/sin, suffering, and death, existed before the fall. Humanity's knowledge, or lack there of, is not equalivolent to the nature of humanity.
Your entire point is about the creation story, specifically focusing on humanity. Therefore, you don't get to hand wave away the things that you don't like and/or the things that don't align with your narrative, especially the nature of humanity that God created.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Heavenese
I want to know if there is another belief that has that well of a start for humanity.
You're getting ahead of yourself. Before you learn the creation story of other cultures/religions, you must know the creation story of your religion, in accordance to its religious texts, not according to what you believe and/or how you want it to be.
In the Abrahamic faiths, the Great Architect of the Universe has created everything and we are among that creation. It is only through our individual relationship with this singular creator that lies our hope for eternity.
There are fraternities wherein belief in an Abrahamic Faith is a prerequisite for membership.
I am a member of such a fraternity.
You know, we sure are lucky that Abraham was able to figure out who God actually was. And what his name was and stuff.. amongst all those other gods around at the time.
And to think...
He was the only guy in the world who figured this out. I mean, there weren't any guys in China that got it figured out. Nobody in India. None of our relatives in Europe. Nobody who had crossed the land bridge into the Americas. Not a one of them figured out that there was only one God. And even if they had... they would have gotten his name wrong. They would have named him "Wakan Tanka" or "Gitche Manitou", or "Waheguru" or some other name that wouldn't have counted.
First of all, that would mean that God lied, or at the very least, contradicted himself. If Adam and Eve first ate from the Tree of Life, making them immortal like God, then they wouldn't die if they then decided to eat from the Tree of knowledge of Good and Evil. But that's all irrelevant anyways since God created humans to be mortal, capable of suffering and dying, and ignorant of any sense of morality. Humanity was created to be lower in status compared to God, contradicting what you said.
No, heaven wasn't made available to humanity. Evil/sin, suffering, and death, existed before the fall. Humanity's knowledge, or lack there of, is not equalivolent to the nature of humanity.
Your entire point is about the creation story, specifically focusing on humanity. Therefore, you don't get to hand wave away the things that you don't like and/or the things that don't align with your narrative, especially the nature of humanity that God created.
You're getting ahead of yourself. Before you learn the creation story of other cultures/religions, you must know the creation story of your religion, in accordance to its religious texts, not according to what you believe and/or how you want it to be.
I'm not sure I understand your arguments. Death and suffering didn't exist prior to the fall. And the Garden of Eden of course, was a paradise. There are a lot deserts and wilderness areas in that part of the world, so to the ancient reader of Genesis, a garden would be heaven. A place where there is no lack. We are also told about the river going out from the garden, and how it flows and breaks into four major rivers, watering the land. All of this is heavenly access, not to mention the daily communion Adam and Eve had with Yahweh. Just the direct communication alone with the Most High, is more than a heavenly atmosphere. This was our starting point!!!
Now when Adam and Eve were created, we could assume they already had immortality in a way. Death entered the world after the fall, but remember Adam himself lived to be 930 years old.
For Hindus the universe was created by Brahma, the creator who made the universe out of himself.
After Brahma created the world, it is the power of Vishnu which preserves the world and human beings.
As part of the cycle of birth, life and death it is Shiva who will ultimately destroy the universe. This is not necessarily as bad as it might sound because it allows Brahma to start the process of creation all over again.
Examples of how the origins of the universe are explained in Hinduism include:
A lotus flower grew from Lord Vishnu’s navel with Brahma sitting on it. Brahma separated the flower into three parts - the heavens, the Earth and the sky.
Out of loneliness, Brahma split himself into two to create a male and a female. From this male and female all beings were created.
Islam is very clear about the belief that Allah was responsible for the creation of the universe.
Allah decided to create the universe. Allah, with unlimited power and authority, commanded things to come into being.
Allah then made all living creatures, the angels, the planets and the rain to allow vegetation to grow.
Allah sent angels to Earth to collect seven handfuls of soil, all of different colours. With that soil Allah made the first man, Adam, breathing life and power into him.
Eve, the first woman, was created from the side of Adam and lived with him in paradise.
Adam and Eve disobeyed Allah. They were forgiven, but were sent from paradise to the Earth which Allah had created.
The Earth was created to allow Adam and Eve and their descendants (the human race) to live and thrive.
According to Cherokee belief, the earth is a floating island on the sea suspended by ropes at each cardinal point (north, south, east, and west) from the sky's vault, an arch made of rock. Before the creation of the earth, all the animals lived above the arch. The Water-Beetle went to see what was below the arch but could see nothing but water. He collected some mud from the seabed which magically grew into a huge island and became the earth.
At first, the ground was too soft to be inhabited. The Buzzard went to survey its progress; when he grew tired, his flapping wings began to hit the soft earth, creating valleys and mountains. When the earth was ready, the animals came down and set the sun under the sky arch to move east to west during the day. However, they placed the sun too close to the earth, and it was so hot that the Crayfish's skin was burnt. They adjusted the sun six more times until it was perfectly placed on the seventh try.
Plants and people came next, but no one remembers how they or the animals were created. The first people who migrated to the earth were a man and his sister. The man hit his sister with a fish and told her to have a child. Every seven days she had a new baby, until there were almost too many for the world to provide for. Thereafter, women only had one child every year.
According to this Native American origin story, the ropes holding the earth will break when the world has grown old. The island will then sink below the water.
That is to say, the starting point. In most other beliefs and religions out there, a god or the gods create humans more or less by accident. The humans are always low in status, and there is a clear difference on what belongs to the gods and what belongs to humanity. Yet in Abrahamic faith, God creates humanity on purpose and in His very image. He makes heaven immediately available in the Garden of Eden, and gives them full access to His presence and immortality. (Tree of Life)
So to recap, the major difference is the starting point. Y'all let me know if there is another belief where humans started out with immediate access to immortality and direct relationship with their creator/creators.
Ok, I'll bite.
In the religion of Freak80ism, the first humans had access to immortality, everything in the Garden of Eden, PLUS access to a never-ending supply of Ben & Jerry's ice cream. So Freak80ism is actually better than Abrahamic Faith.
In the religion of Freak80ism, the first humans had access to immortality, everything in the Garden of Eden, PLUS access to a never-ending supply of Ben & Jerry's ice cream. So Freak80ism is actually better than Abrahamic Faith.
But Mordantism has cookies AND ice cream.
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