A Conceptual Creation Myth: Weigle’s Inclination Essay

Disposition to Weigle’s Inclination

Creation-myth has to do with the presentation of a distinctive story of the origin, organization, culture, spirituality, and existence of beings in a sensible world – this is otherwise known as cosmogony. It has been argued that a creation-myth can rarely be differentiated from a narrative of origination; this is because a narrative of origination would present the existence of a deity in a period of infinite chaotic potentials (Houtzager, 2003; Penchansky, 2005). By citing stories of origination, there could be a connection with antiquity and fabled times with an expression of a beginning (Campbell, 1964; Miller, 2004).

A lot of studies have been carried out on creation-myth – notably is the works of Weigle, which reflected on mythological cosmogony/parturition or highlighted nuanced creation-myth typology. Weigle development much of his typology from the works of Eliade and Von-Franz. From one such work, Weigle noted that:

Readers from Western cultures tend to rank ‘metaphysical or spiritual’ cosmogonies like the account of Elohim-God speaking the world into existence in Genesis higher than ‘physical, natural, or elemental accounts of creation by accretion, excretion, copulation, division, dismemberment, or parturition (Leonard & McClure, 2004, p. 33).

This notion is acceptable and supported because this creation-myth is significantly marked by a monotheistic figure that is comparable to quite a number of creation-myths of antiquity Mesopotamian; an exception, it has distinguished secrecy inline with Christianity/Judaism or canons of the Bible- faiths where a majority of western readers are inclined to. This particular impression is driven by a clear distinction from several convictions of a deity fashioning form/substances from disparate matter (Bouteneff, 2008).

A Conceptual Creation Myth

As convincing as the creation-myth of genesis appears, and there is an obvious attraction to it by readers of western culture, it either presents unconvincing accounts of the very origin of the monotheistic creator, or it lacks substances of proof of the instrument of creating beings. From laws of matter, it is known that mater can not be called into being if it doesn’t preexist in any form. By this, it implies that the argument of calling beings coming into existence from nothing is vague.

There is only one support to this myth; that the instrument for ‘creating’ being by a possible monotheistic deity existed in a period before that recorded in genesis. This suggests a pre-genesis period where there was an existence of mater, which was later fashioned into beings- a period when the monotheistic deity itself come into form. This conceptual myth, therefore, is based on this period where elements, atoms, the monotheistic deity, energy, forces, and other instruments for forming beings fashioned themselves from continual competitions to attain stability- a period that could be considered the true beginning.

Scientifically, if from the actual beginning (pre-genesis era) there was the absence of formed mater, there was possibly the absence of light, temperature, atoms, elements, or any other instruments that could be used for forming beings- except there was the existence of darkness. Incidentally, the darkness had particles moving randomly in an attempt to attain stability- as it is the nature of all matter which contains energy.

Now as these particles of darkness moved randomly, they collided with one another, and either continually lost their energy to other particles (and become less stable) or they acquired attracted energy (and became more complex), and this began a self-creation of elements from single-energy-level hydrogen to, helium, to oxygen, and so on. All these took place in the complete absence of interfering temperatures, probably for millions of years. With the formations of the element, there was also a loss of energy from the collision of particles of darkness that moved freely without the attached shell (in the form of a spirit) and formed a self-formed deity over a period. Now, the deity had elements that were formed during the complexity of darkness particles, which formed the earth and the beings which are presented in genesis.

Reference List

Bouteneff, P. C. (2008). Beginnings: Ancient Christian Readings of the Biblical Creation Narrative. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic.

Campbell, J. (1964). Occidental Mythology—The Masks of God, Volume III. New York, NY: Penguin Compass.

Houtzager, G. (2003). The Complete Encyclopedia of Greek Mythology. The Netherlands: Rebo Publishers.

Leonard, S., & McClure, M. (2004). Myth & knowing: An introduction to world mythology. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Miller, S. G. (2004). Ancient Greek Athletics. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.

Penchansky, D. (Nov 2005). Twilight of the Gods: Polytheism in the Hebrew Bible (Interpretation Bible Studies). U.S.: Westminster/John Knox Press.