Chinese
'Let it be told of a time when there was nothing but chaos, and that chaos was like a mist and full of emptiness. Suddenly, into the midst of this mist came a great colourful light and from this light all things that exist came to be. The mist shook and separated, that which was light rose up to form heaven and that which was heavy sank. Became solid and formed the earth.
Now from heaven and earth came forth strong forces and these two forces combined to produce yin and yang. Picture this yang like a dragon - hot, fiery, male, full of energy. Imagine this yin as a cloud - moist, cool, female, drifting slowly. Each of these forces is full of great power. Left alone they would destroy the world with their might and chaos would return. Together they balance each other and keep the world in harmony.
This then is yin and yang and from them came forth everything. The sun is of yang and the moon, yin. The four seasons - winter, spring, summer and autumn - and the five elements - water, earth, metal, fire and wood - sprang from them, So did all kinds of living creatures.
So there was the earth, floating like a jellyfish on water. But the earth was just a ball without features. Then the forces of yin and yang created the giant figure P'an Ku, the Ancient One. P'an Ku, who never stopped growing every year of his great long life, set to work to put the earth in order. He dug the river valleys and piled up the mountains. Over many thousands of years he shaped and created the flow and folds of our earth.
But such work tool its toll. Even mighty P'an Ku could not escape death and, worn out by his struggle, he collapsed and died. His body was so vast that when he fell to the ground his body became the five sacred mountains, his hair the plants and his blood the rivers. From his sweat came the rain and from the parasites living on his body came forth human beings.
The people at first lived in caves but soon Heavenly Emperors came to teach them how to make tools and houses. The people also learnt how to build boats, to fish, to plough and plant, and to prepare food. This is how it all began.'
Now from heaven and earth came forth strong forces and these two forces combined to produce yin and yang. Picture this yang like a dragon - hot, fiery, male, full of energy. Imagine this yin as a cloud - moist, cool, female, drifting slowly. Each of these forces is full of great power. Left alone they would destroy the world with their might and chaos would return. Together they balance each other and keep the world in harmony.
This then is yin and yang and from them came forth everything. The sun is of yang and the moon, yin. The four seasons - winter, spring, summer and autumn - and the five elements - water, earth, metal, fire and wood - sprang from them, So did all kinds of living creatures.
So there was the earth, floating like a jellyfish on water. But the earth was just a ball without features. Then the forces of yin and yang created the giant figure P'an Ku, the Ancient One. P'an Ku, who never stopped growing every year of his great long life, set to work to put the earth in order. He dug the river valleys and piled up the mountains. Over many thousands of years he shaped and created the flow and folds of our earth.
But such work tool its toll. Even mighty P'an Ku could not escape death and, worn out by his struggle, he collapsed and died. His body was so vast that when he fell to the ground his body became the five sacred mountains, his hair the plants and his blood the rivers. From his sweat came the rain and from the parasites living on his body came forth human beings.
The people at first lived in caves but soon Heavenly Emperors came to teach them how to make tools and houses. The people also learnt how to build boats, to fish, to plough and plant, and to prepare food. This is how it all began.'
Humanist Creation
This earth, our home, is a small blue-green planet, orbiting a minor star on one arm of a galaxy called the Milky Way. A galaxy is composed of gas, dust and many millions of stars and there are some hundred thousand galaxies in the known Universe. Recent observations show that clusters of galaxies are moving apart from one another as the space between them expands and this must mean that long ago they were closer together, It is now believed that, at a certain time in the past, which can be calculated as roughly 15000 million years ago, all the matter and energy in the Universe was concentrated in a mathematical point with zero volume from which it burst out in one 'Big Bang' to create the Universe.
After the Big Bang the Universe began to cool and clouds of gas collapsed under the pull of their own gravity to form starts. About 4500 million years ago the Earth condensed out of the gas and dust swirling around our star, the sun. Fossil records show that the first signs of life appeared soon after - about 4000 million years ago. Lightning and ultra-violet light from the sun began to break apart the simple molecules of the primitive atmosphere and these fragments recombined to produce complex molecules, which could eventually reproduce themselves.
So, over millions of years, different forms of life have evolved; some species existed briefly then died out, others became extinct after millions of years. If life on Earth appeared only, then all living things must be descended from a common ancestor. Now, for the first time, one species, Homo sapiens. Has the power to destroy the world; the future of life on Earth is in out hands.
After the Big Bang the Universe began to cool and clouds of gas collapsed under the pull of their own gravity to form starts. About 4500 million years ago the Earth condensed out of the gas and dust swirling around our star, the sun. Fossil records show that the first signs of life appeared soon after - about 4000 million years ago. Lightning and ultra-violet light from the sun began to break apart the simple molecules of the primitive atmosphere and these fragments recombined to produce complex molecules, which could eventually reproduce themselves.
So, over millions of years, different forms of life have evolved; some species existed briefly then died out, others became extinct after millions of years. If life on Earth appeared only, then all living things must be descended from a common ancestor. Now, for the first time, one species, Homo sapiens. Has the power to destroy the world; the future of life on Earth is in out hands.
Jewish Creation
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Some say that God also created the Torah at this time, and a mighty voice crying, "Return, you children of men". God said, "Let there be light". And there was light. And God saw that it was good, God divided the light from the darkness, naming them ' day' and 'night'. Evening and morning came - the first day. God said, "Let the waters be divided". And God made the arch of the sky to hold back the waters from the earth. He placed some above the arch and some below. Some tell of the waters arguing about this division, and thus disagreement entered the universe. Of this day God did not say, "It is good". Evening and morning came- the second day. God said, "Let the waters under heaven come together, and dry land appear". Thus the earth arose, and [plants and trees grew, and God saw that is was good. Evening came and morning came - the third day. God said, "Let the great light and the small light appear in heaven to govern day and night. God saw that it was good. Evening came and morning came - the fourth day. God said. "Let the waters fill with creatures and the sky with birds". God saw that it was good, and blessed them. Evening came and morning came - the fifth day.
God said "Let the earth bring forth every kind of living creature". God saw that it was good. Then, last of all when the earth was ready God said. "Let us take dust and create man, Adam, to be master over all creatures". So Adam was created in God's own image.
God saw that Adam needed a friend - woman. Some say that the earth was worried and asked. "How shall I feed all her children?" God replied, "Fear not, together we shall find food". So Lilith was made from the dust, also in God's image. But Lilith would not live with Adam and went her own way. So God made a woman before Adam's eyes, but Adam turned from her. Finally, putting Adam in a deep sleep, God took one of Adam's ribs and made Eve, and placed the couple in Paradise.
On the seventh day, God finished his work and rested. And Paradise was blissful, until Adam and Eve ate fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, which God had forbidden them to do. God punished them, and cast our parents out of Paradise to struggle in this earthly life.
God said "Let the earth bring forth every kind of living creature". God saw that it was good. Then, last of all when the earth was ready God said. "Let us take dust and create man, Adam, to be master over all creatures". So Adam was created in God's own image.
God saw that Adam needed a friend - woman. Some say that the earth was worried and asked. "How shall I feed all her children?" God replied, "Fear not, together we shall find food". So Lilith was made from the dust, also in God's image. But Lilith would not live with Adam and went her own way. So God made a woman before Adam's eyes, but Adam turned from her. Finally, putting Adam in a deep sleep, God took one of Adam's ribs and made Eve, and placed the couple in Paradise.
On the seventh day, God finished his work and rested. And Paradise was blissful, until Adam and Eve ate fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, which God had forbidden them to do. God punished them, and cast our parents out of Paradise to struggle in this earthly life.
Muslim
In the time before time, God was. And when God wants to create something, all he needs to say is "Be", and it becomes. So it was that God created the world and the heavens. He made all the creatures, which walk, swim. Crawl and fly on the face of the earth. He made the angels, and the sun, moon and the stars to dwell in the universe. And consider, as the Qur'an says, how God poured down the rain in torrents, and broke up the soil to bring forth the corm, the grapes and other vegetation; the olive and the palm, the fruit trees and the grass.
Then it was that God ordered the angels to go to the earth, and to bring seven handfuls of soil, all of different colours, from which he could model man. God took the seven kinds of earth and moulded them into a model of a man. He breathed life and power into it, and it immediately sprang to life. And this first man was called Adam. God took Adam to live in Paradise. In Paradise, God created Eve, the first woman, from out of Adam's side. God taught Adam the names of all the creatures, and then commanded the angel to bow down before Adam. But Iblis, one amongst the angels, refused to do this, and thus began to disobey God's will.
God place the couple in a beautiful garden in Paradise, telling them that they could eat whatever they wanted except the fruit of on forbidden tree, But the evil one tempted them to disobey God, and eat the fruit. When God knew that Adam and Eve had disobeyed him, he cast them out of Paradise and sent them to earth. But God is merciful. The earth was created to give food, drink and shelter to the human race. The sun, moon and stars give light. It is a good world, where everything has been created to serve people. And people, the Qur'an teaches, should serve God and obey his will. For those who submit to the will of God will be saved, and taken to live for ever in Paradise.
Then it was that God ordered the angels to go to the earth, and to bring seven handfuls of soil, all of different colours, from which he could model man. God took the seven kinds of earth and moulded them into a model of a man. He breathed life and power into it, and it immediately sprang to life. And this first man was called Adam. God took Adam to live in Paradise. In Paradise, God created Eve, the first woman, from out of Adam's side. God taught Adam the names of all the creatures, and then commanded the angel to bow down before Adam. But Iblis, one amongst the angels, refused to do this, and thus began to disobey God's will.
God place the couple in a beautiful garden in Paradise, telling them that they could eat whatever they wanted except the fruit of on forbidden tree, But the evil one tempted them to disobey God, and eat the fruit. When God knew that Adam and Eve had disobeyed him, he cast them out of Paradise and sent them to earth. But God is merciful. The earth was created to give food, drink and shelter to the human race. The sun, moon and stars give light. It is a good world, where everything has been created to serve people. And people, the Qur'an teaches, should serve God and obey his will. For those who submit to the will of God will be saved, and taken to live for ever in Paradise.
