At the creation: myth, reality, and the origin of the Harley-Davidson Motorcycle, 1901-1909

Beginnings are usually regarded as either hard or energizing times that set our inner world in motion. However, there is a beginning that is more important for humanity than any other: the origin of human life and of the world. The knowledge of our origin and the mystery concerning the beginning of the world have been the most intriguing and most engaging issues since man became aware of their own physical and spiritual existence. For many centuries, it was the duty of religion to provide humanity with a teaching about their origin and the foundation of human dignity. However, the 18th and 19th centuries were critical in the treatment of the biblical creation stories in Europe. The debate between misinterpreted creation myth accounts and scientific theories led to a sharpening confrontation between religion and science, but it also divided the believers and resulted in the birth of new theories. Emanuel Swedenborg, an influential theologist of the period, wrote detailed commentaries and genuine tractates related to the topic that influenced the ideology and art of William Blake, a versatile and ingenious artist and thinker of the era, whose influence is still significant today. The aim of this study is to highlight the parallels and contrasts between Blake’s Genesis myth and Swedenborg’s teachings, mainly through the unusual pairing of The [First] Book of Urizen and The Last Judgment, to show the connection between Swedenborg’s unorthodox views and Blake’s ideas about the creation of man and the world.

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Eastern Cherokee Creation and Subsistence Narratives: A Cherokee and Religious Interpretation

American Indian Culture and Research Journal ◽

10.17953/aicrj.43.1.loftin-frey ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 43 (1) ◽

pp. 83-98

Author(s):

John D. Loftin ◽

Benjamin E. Frey

Keyword(s):

Religious Experience ◽

The Other ◽

Social Psychological ◽

Creation Myth ◽

Living Tradition ◽

Eastern Band ◽

The Creation ◽

Political Structures ◽

Sacred Stories

Eastern Cherokees' mythic and legendary worldview, as refracted through sacred myth narratives, forms a living tradition which grounds their identity. In particular, the central sacred stories of their world—the Creation Myth, Kanati the Hunter, Selu the Corn Goddess, and Stone Coat—embody spiritual meanings, purposes, and values which actually orient the Eastern Cherokee lifeway. These spiritual peoples' traditional religious experience and expressions cannot be reduced to economic, social, psychological, or political structures. This essay explores this Eastern Cherokee mythic epistemology. One author is a historian of religions and attorney for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians; the other author is a linguist and an enrolled member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians who reads, writes, and speaks the Cherokee language.

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Manusia Pertama Itu Namanya Ina

Indonesian Journal of Theology ◽

10.46567/ijt.v5i2.27 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 5 (2) ◽

pp. 211-226

Author(s):

Weldemina Yudit Tiwery

Keyword(s):

Central Figure ◽

Creation Myth ◽

The People ◽

The Creation ◽

Brothers And Sisters

This article elucidates the concept of creation, which is examined through the narrative of the creation of the Moluccas and the first Moluccans. As with Hebrew, Babylonian or Greek mythological tradition, the Moluccans also maintain a historical narration of the creation myth. This myth within the Moluccan tradition begs to be interpreted. The Moluccas (Nusaina) are considered by Moluccans to be a home shared as fellow brothers (and sisters), emerging from one womb of Ina (mother) who inhabits the realm of Nusaina. This creation narrative focuses on the role of Ina or mother as the central figure. Ina is she who is pregnant, breastfeeding, nurturing and raising. Beyond myth, this narrative also contains theological value, which needs to be constructed to offer theological meaning for the people of the Moluccas.

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