A culture 's divine creator serves as a lens through which certain values and traditions can be contextualized. Writing samples from the Popol Vuh, Edward Winslow 's reflections on the first Thanksgiving, and the Puritan poetry of Edward Taylor give the modern reader insights into the characterization, role, and perception of the god(s) their respective societies worshiped. For instance, the animistic religions of the ancient Native Americans arose to interpret familiar environmental and cultural phenomena, using narratives that weave core creation myths with oral legends that explore themes of morality and the role of humankind in the natural world. Centuries later, European settlers would bring with them their own conception of the divine creator in which mankind, bound to a predetermined fate, exists to serve their god through strict adherence to his …show more content…
They came together to create the world.” The Maya told of their creators in colorful detail, and the serpents’ bright feathers and the light-filled water in which they dwelled contrasted with the darkness surrounding them. In Inuit legend, a half human/half raven created the universe and everything in it with just the beats of its wings. Unlike the god Puritans worshiped, neither are omniscient; the Maya gods had to try many different materials before successfully creating man, and the Inuit raven god was even unaware of its creation at first. The creators imagined in ancient Native American myth are living beings that exist as a part of the world they created, consistent with their cultures’ reverence towards nature. Puritans, however, described their creator abstractly rather than concretely. As contrasted with the serpents’ feathers or the raven’s beak, they characterize the Christian god through attributes that reflect its perfection and infinite