What are the major differences or similarities between the ethos of the creation story or stories you are familiar with and the story King tells in The Truth About Stories?

Disclaimer: I am by no means an expert on the topic being discussed.  I have a very basic understanding (I think) of how the Christian religion presents it’s creationism tale(s).  I have chosen to write on this topic as I find it rather fascinating and not necessarily because I have excess knowledge to share.

Until today (the day in which I read King’s story) I had not heard this version of how humans came to be.  There were a few aspects of this story which stuck out in contrast to what little I know about the Bible.  In both stories we see both male and female actors, however the roles each have differ from tale to tale.  The Bible seems to me to be very fairy-tale-like in the way it is composed.  There are clear moral implications and consequences whereas King’s telling is less serious.  The actors in King’s telling do have consequences as well but they seem less harsh in my opinion.  Whereas Adam and Eve suffer severe consequences for their curiosity, the woman in King’s story sees her challenge as a new adventure, not really punishment at all.

Another major difference in King’s telling is the existence of more than one world.  King speaks of a water world and a sky world in his telling whereas I am quite sure the Bible has but one world.

I find it very interesting to read about the various creationism stories from cultures around the world.  Again, I do not have the full story from these cultures, but many of them seem to share many attributes.  They all focus on how humans came to be and they all seem to have moral implications. They are used as teaching methods, a way to show appreciation for being as well as to discourage bad behavior.

For those interested, take a look at this link.  It tells the stories of creationism taken from a variety of different cultures and peoples from around the world.  It also interests me to to see how many people still believe in the tales told in the Bible for example.  Whereas in many countries or religions, these traditional stories are accepted as being fictional.

References:

King, Thomas. “Green Grass, Running Water.” Canada: Harper-Collins Canada, 2012. Web.