While I like the Navajo story more than that of Adam and Eve, I don’t think that one story of creation is more likely to be real than the other. There are few things that are completely open to interpretation, but I think the story of creation is one of them. Both versions of the story have elements of fantasy in them that make them unrealistic. The story in Genesis seems realistic because we know you can’t just walk into the sky as the Navajos believe. On the other hand, how can we say that it is realistic that a person ate a fruit and magically got knowledge? It would be like saying that a blind person magically gained sight by eating a carrot, which isn’t possible. The only reason the story of Adam and Eve may seem more realistic is because more people believe in it, and it's older. However, this doesn't make it true, it just shows how religions and beliefs overlap. Both stories require people to believe them to make them real, and a person can say one is more realistic than the other, but the unrealistic elements of both stories make them hard for me to believe. To me, they are simply stories.
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I agree that neither of them are realistic. But you also said that both stories require people to believe them to make them real. I don't agree with that because many people believe that the story of Adam and Eve is true, so wouldn't that make it real?
ReplyDeleteCarly, remember the question was about truth, not realism. Remember the words of the Rabbi in the PBS video? I'm paraphrasing here, but what he said was basically: "Just because something isn't factual, doesn't mean it's not true." He suggested it was immaterial whether Moses led 10,000 or 0 people out of Egypt. The story was true because it accurately depicted challeges all humans face when trying to hold on to their freedom.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of the stories I'm asking you about, consider them this way: one story says evil has been part of our nature since nearly the beginning (and explains how it all started), the other says evil and disorder comes and goes w/ different generations (certain generations literally climb out of the hole they're stuck in, but then evil creeps back into life). Which is more true? Sure the details of the story might seem a little "out there," but they're still trying to get at something fundamental that we can all have an opinion on. Your answer will reveal something about your fundamental beliefs in human nature.