Those
expecting more about vampires, well, I’m taking a short break. Most of the
remaining weaknesses are tied directly to Christianity, so I thought we’d take
a foray into the Bible.
Okay, this
is it. The big one. The Biblical creation is one of the most well-known stories
of all time. Or is it? Maybe there are some nuggets of information we can get
out of this previously untapped.
So, in the
beginning, well, you know this part. The first two verses are description, with
some real action happening in verse 3. Finally, this is the most important part
in all creation. “God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light” (your
specific translation might be a bit different, but it’s all the same for my
purposes).
Okay, and
stop there. I said, this was the most important part. I know, you’re thinking
that I’m just nutty. We haven’t gotten anywhere yet. Why is this the most
important part?
I could go
on an extended metaphor about light being the most important thing. It’s
knowledge; it’s love; it’s whatever. Actually, I don’t care about the light so
much. It’s important, don’t get me wrong, but it’s not the most important
thing.
What’s important
is how it was created.
See, every
creation myth details how the world, cosmos, and mankind are created. The key
points are in the method of creation. This method reveals something about the
culture. Whether it is creation via sex (I’m looking at the Greeks, here),
elemental interplay (many of them), thought (Hindu), or a guy with an
overactive pituitary gland who’s dismembered (poor Pangu of the Chinese myth),
the method of creation reveals something important about the culture behind the
myth, and about the world itself.
So, how was the world created? (Hint: not
light).
Give up?
Okay, I’ll
say it: language.
The act of
speaking, of giving voice to thought, is what kick starts everything. Voice and
language are very important to the ancient Hebrews, to whom this myth belongs.
Sorry, Christians, they were there first. Christians appropriated it, but the
originating culture was Hebrew. Of course, language is also important to
Christians, which is why there is an entire New Testament.
So, getting
back to it, speech and writing (aka language) are critically important to these
people. The language represents a deliberate act of mental discipline. First,
deliberate is important. An examination of the Hindu creation myth with Brahma
(to be examined at a later date) reveals thought as the method of creation, but
it’s uncontrolled (all of those random thoughts throughout the day becoming
real. Embarrassing!).
A mental
discipline is important as well. The emphasis is on study, on learning, on
developing the mind over the body. These are not physical acts like many other
mythologies, but a mental act of combining words into a sentence, to give order
from chaos.
Wow. Okay,
that’s good for now. Those were some intense three verses, so we’ll call it a
day and pick this back up. It’ll still be day one.