So it is very likely that there was an original story or event that came from one group of people. As this group of people split up and spread all across the world their story of creation was carried with them. Over time this story changed into the many different variations that there are today.
There are over hundreds of creation stories from many various cultures, religions, or areas. Though we may never know if any are true, creation stories are the basis of every culture and religion. One of the most popular and well-known stories about the foundation of the world is the Catholic creation story about God constructing the Earth in six days and resting on the seventh. Two other recognized legends are the Hawaiian creation myth and the Iroquois creation myth, also known as “The World on the Turtle’s Back.” Each account of creation is diverse in several aspects, but the most interesting thing is they are similar in many points also.
The Genesis Creation Story is from a Hebrew creation myth (Judaism/Christianity). The first story goes like this, Elohim “god” creates a heaven and an earth is 6 days. The second story is Yahwen “god” creates Adam from dust and puts him in the Garden of Eden, where he watches out for the animals. Then Adam creates Eve.
You interpret that the first day recorded in the Book of Genesis could be of indeterminate length… it could have been thirty hours! Or a month! Or a year! Or a hundred years! Or ten million years”
In John 14:25 Jesus tells his disciples of the Holy Spirit and that he is a part of God in them. God gives us the Holy Spirit to help tell us the truth of God and the world. Without the Holy Spirit we would not be able to have the truth of life on our sides. In this I believe that Genesis 1-11 is historically accurate because of the genealogy, places, how the New Testament points to the Old Testament and how God can reveal to us. Genealogy is something that is really important in a historical sense.
However, these six days are viewed as long periods of geological time. This has been determined through viewing the logical time that needs to take place between days three through six during creation as found in Genesis 1. A gestation period of at least one year would allow the vegetation ample time to grow and thrive. Old earth creationists also claim mankind is continuing to live in the seventh day of creation as recorded in Genesis 1.
On the fifth day God created the birds, fish and other sea creatures. The beginning of chapter two of Genesis wraps up chapter one, explaining that on the sixth day God created the rest of the land, animals, and made humans in his own image. And on the seventh day, God ceased from work and rested, and blessed that day. Later in chapter two it begins to explain creation in the garden. It is explained that before any living thing had touched the earth, God created a stream that watered the land and from the soil of the land he created the first human.
24-hour: According to to the 24-Hour viewpoint, the 7 days referred to in Genesis 1 are normal days on the calendar. They argue that it’s clear/obvious that God meant normal, 24 hour, days because the days written in the first chapter are numbered. Also, using the fourth commandment, people who are for the 24-hour viewpoint would argue that since Moses refers to the 7th day, also known as the Sabbath, as a normal day must mean that in Genesis 1, Moses is referring the days as normal. Although these beliefs may seem simple and straightforward, I don’t believe that the specific time spent on each stage of creation is important to know. In my opinion, this viewpoint is taking God’s passage in a scientific way.
When we ask people about their thoughts on how the world was created, the first idea that comes to mind is the story of Genesis. Most people generally assume that there is only one account of creation, the account that portrays God as the sole creator since in the Genesis account he creates heaven, earth, man/woman, and other living things. However, Genesis is not the only face of creation because religious texts from different cultures tell us otherwise. In ancient near east religions, there are two creation myths that give their own different accounts. While some details of the Genesis account are similar to the Enuma Elish of Babylon and the Memphite Theology of Egypt, each account individually brings their own nationalistic pride and personal touch.
For the most part, evolutionists seem very certain that the Earth is billions of years old; however, they rarely provide any actual evidence for this claim. When they do, most of their evidence is just bombast meant to sway the hoi polloi to their side. Despite this, when one carefully examines the facts, it becomes clear that the Earth is relatively quite young. Scripture, the most reliable source known to man, asserts that God created the Earth in six literal days (Ham, 1987, pg. 158-159).
The “gap” or reconstruction theory states that there is a narrative “gap” between “Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2. The Geological era theory, which became popular in the nineteenth century, argues that the six “days” of Genesis 1 are actually six “eras” of undefined length. The literal or “twenty-four-hour-day” theory is the most long-lived theory and has the idea that the world was created in six twenty-four hour days, with each day representing one linear phase in the chronology of the creation. The framework theory argues that the seven-day structure of Genesis 1 was a literal week being used as a literary device. I think the literal “twenty-four-hour-day” theory is the best interpretation of Genesis 1-3 because this is what the Bible says.
The study of history, in part, seeks to understand origins. There is perhaps no better example of a primary source origin story than the Book of Genesis. This work, whose title literally means “the beginning” is the start of the bible. Arguably the most influential book in human history and certainly a fundamental text for both Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, the book of Genesis explains the fundamentals of the universe in terms of religion. For the ancient Hebrews who recorded this text, there is no single work more salient to the discussion of where they (and everyone else for that matter) started.
Your Word or Mine? Out of all the stories in the bible it is no question which one is most widely debated. In the beginning of the Bible, the book of Genesis is where the story of creation begins. But, that is not necessarily the only account of this creation story.
