The Desire to Reconcile

From the Christian and Jewish Genesis to the Kogi Luna and the Underworld myths of the Navajo Indians, every culture has a story of creation. As I watched the movie about the Kogi tribe, I was struck with the realization that every person on this earth has had some innate need to create a point of origin for him/ her.

I was amazed by the obvious need that is within the human mind to answer the basic questions of our existence. I’m sure we all recognize the following questions: Where do I come from? Why am I here? And where am I going? I decided to focus this entry on the assumed need to conjure a connection between ourselves and a creator—be it a God, science, or an element.

According to a new psychological study conducted by Steven Reiss at Ohio State University, “People are not drawn to religion just because of a fear of death or any other single reason. There are actually 16 basic human psychological needs that motivate people to seek meaning through religion”. Several of the factors discussed in the article included power, independence, curiosity, acceptance, order, idealism, social contact, family, status, vengeance, and romance.

As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I believe that every person on this earth is a son or daughter of our Heavenly Father. My monotheistic belief has come to me through a combination of my country’s strong Christian background, my personal family values, and my own interpretation of and exposure to certain books of scripture. I believe that each person has a need to answer the aforementioned questions, and each individual does so in a completely individualistic way that coincides with his or her upbringing.

The story of the Kogi view of the creation of the earth, along with their religious views was astonishing. Because they were not exposed to a Christian Bible, a Koran or another form of scripture, they developed a slightly different view of religion. However, their close, personal interactions with nature, (and what I will term Heavenly Father’s creations) has still given them a similar view of the nature of God.

While we worship a pious Heavenly Father, they worship the Earth. They view Her as a living, breathing entity. We, too, believe that the earth and all of its constituents contain spirits because they were all created for us by a loving Heavenly Father. I was pleased with the similarities of the creationist attitude and the awesome power that the Kogi recognized was responsible for shaping the world that they lived upon. I was also impressed with their idea of stewardship. They believed themselves to be the older brothers of the human race. Likewise, we have been counseled to be stewards over all the earth.

I believe these similarities are not merely consequences, but rather evidence that all beings on this earth were created by the same loving, powerful God, and that He has instilled in us a yearning to remember and seek Him. Each culture reconciles this engrained need with whatever tools it has, but every culture has the drive to do so.