REVIEW ARTICLE

Mother Earth and the Beautifully Integrated Creation

Michael Y. Henein^* and Nagy Iskander

The European Academy of Coptic Heritage – TEACH, London, UK

Keywords: Mother Earth, Holy Bible, Creation, Book of Genesis

 

 

Abstract

The earliest known use of the term ‘Mother Earth’ goes back to the mid-1500s. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the term ‘Mother Earth’ is derived from a poem translated by George Turberville in 1568. The term reflects the unique position of the Earth as the source of the elements of life on it. The biblical account of the earth and life goes back to 1400 BC, i.e. approximately 3,500 years ago, as stated in detail in the first two chapters of the book of Genesis. Such biblical accounts and their details are confirmed by the recent scientific investigations which used sophisticated devices, powerful telescopes, and electron microscopes … etc. The findings of those investigations support the biblical account of creation, although the Bible is not a scientific book. This article analyses the relationship between the Earth and different creations that live on it, as well as some of the interrelations between those species.

Arabic

تُعودُ أقدَمُ ٱسْتخِْداماتِ مُصْطَلحَِ ”ٱلْمُِّ ٱلْرَْضِ“ إلِى مُنْتَصَفِ ٱلْقَرْنِ ٱلسَّادِسِ عَشَرَ. وَفْقًا لقَِامُوسِ أوُكْسْفوُرْدِ ٱلْنِْجْليِزِيِّ، فَإنَِّ هٰذَا ٱلْمُصْطَلَحَ مُشْتَقٌّ مِنْ قَصِيدَةٍ تُرْجِمَتْ عَلَى يَدِ جُورْجْ تُورْبَرْفِيلْ فِي عَامِ ١٥٦٨ م. وَيُعَبِّرُ ٱلْمُصْطَلَحُ عَنْ تَصَوُّرٍ رَمْزِيٍّ يُشِيرُ إلِىَ ٱلدَّوْرِ ٱلْحَيَوِيِّ ٱلذَِّي تُؤَدِّيهِ ٱلْرَْضُ بوَِصْفهَِا مَصْدَرًا للِْعَنَاصِرِ ٱلْسََاسِيَّةِ ٱللَّزِمَةِ لنُِشُوءِ ٱلْحَيَاةِ وَٱسْتمِْرَارِهَا.

وَيَعُودُ ٱلْوَصْفُ ٱلْكِتَابيُِّ لتَِكَوُّنِ ٱلْرَْضِ وَٱلْحَيَاةِ عَليَْهَا إلِىَ نَحْوِ عَامِ ١٤٠٠ قَبْلَ ٱلْمِيلَدِ، كَمَا وَرَدَ فيِ ٱلْصِْحَاحَيْنِ ٱلْوََّليَْنِ مِ نْ سِفْرِ ٱلتَّكْوِينِ. وَقَدْ أظَْهَرَتْ بَعْضُ ٱلدِّرَاسَاتِ ٱلْعِلْمِيَّةِ ٱلْحَدِيثَةِ، ٱلتَّيِ ٱعْتَمَدَتْ عَلىَ تقِْنيَِّاتٍ مُتَقَدِّمَةٍ تَشْمَلُ ٱلتِّلسِْكُوبَاتِ عَاليَِةَ ٱلدِّقةَِّ، وَٱلْمَجَاهِرَ ٱلْلِكِْتْرُونيَِّةَ، وَأجَْهِزَةَ ٱلتَّحْليِلِ ٱلطَّيْفيِِّ، وَغَيْرَهَا، تَوَافقًُا جُزْئيًِّا بَيْنَ بَعْضِ تَفَاصِيلِ هٰذَا ٱلْوَصْفِ ٱلْقَدِيمِ وَبَعْضِ مَا توََصَّلتَْ إلِيَْه ٱلبْحُُوثُ ٱلمْعَُاصِرَة،ِ رَغْم أنََّ ٱلكْتِاَبَ ٱلمْقُدََّسَ لَ يعَُدُّ مَرْجعًِا عِلمِْياًّ بٱِلمَْعْنىَ ٱلدَّقيِقِ.

تَهْدِفُ هٰذِهِ ٱلْمَقَالَةُ إِلَى تَحْلِيلِ ٱلْعَلَقَةِ بَيْنَ ٱلَْرْضِ وَٱلْكَائِنَاتِ ٱلْحَيَّةِ ٱلَّتِي تَعِيشُ عَلَيْهَا، إِضَافَةً إِلَى بَعْضِ أَوْجُهِ ٱلتَّفَاعُلِ وَٱلِعْتِمَادِ ٱلْمُتَبَادَلِ بَيْنَ تِلْكَ ٱلَْنْوَاعِ، ٱنْطِلَقًا مِنْ مَنْظُورٍ عِلْمِيٍّ مُتَعَدِّدِ ٱلتَّخَصُّصَاتِ.

Dutch

Het eerste bekende gebruik van de term ‘Moeder Aarde’ gaat terug tot midden 1500. Volgens de Oxford English Dictionary vindt de term ‘Moeder Aarde’ haar oorsprong in een gedicht vertaald door George Tuberville in 1568. De term reflecteert de unieke positie van de aarde als bron van de elementen van leven. Het Bijbels verhaal van de aarde en leven gaat terug tot 1400 v. Chr.—oftewel ongeveer 3500 jaar geleden—zoals in detail vermeld in de eerste twee hoofdstukken van het boek van Genesis. Dergelijke Bijbelse verhalen en details hiervan zijn gevalideerd door recente wetenschappelijke onderzoeken middels verfijnde apparatuur, krachtige telescopen, elektronenmicroscopen, etc. De bevindingen van deze onderzoeken ondersteunen het Bijbels verhaal van de schepping alhoewel de Bijbel geen wetenschappelijk boek is. Dit artikel analyseert de relatie tussen de aarde en verschillende scheppingen die op de aarde leven alsmede de onderlinge relatie tussen deze soorten.

French

La première utilisation connue du terme « Terre mère » remonte au milieu du XVIe siècle. Selon ‘l’Oxford English Dictionary’, ce terme est dérivé d’un poème traduit par George Turberville en 1568. Il reflète la position unique de la Terre comme source des éléments de la vie. Le récit Biblique de la Terre et de la vie remonte à 1400 av. J.-C., soit environ 3500 ans, comme le précisent en détail les deux premiers chapitres de la Genèse. Ce récit Biblique et ses détails sont confirmés par des recherches scientifiques récentes, qui ont utilisé des instruments et appareils sophistiqués, de puissants télescopes, des microscopes électroniques, etc. Les résultats de ces recherches corroborent le récit Biblique de la création, bien que la Bible ne soit pas un livre scientifique. Cet article analyse la relation entre la Terre et les différentes créatures qui y vivent, ainsi que certaines des interrelations entre ces espèces.

German

Der früheste bekannte Gebrauch des Begriffs ‘Mutter Erde’ geht auf die Mitte des 16. Jahrhunderts zurück. Laut dem Oxford English Dictionary stammt der Begriff ‘Mutter Erde’ aus einem Gedicht, das 1568 von George Turberville übersetzt wurde. Der Begriff spiegelt die besondere Stellung der Erde als Quelle der Lebensbestandteile wider. Der biblische Bericht über die Erde und das Leben reicht bis ins Jahr 1400 v. Chr. zurück, also über 3500 Jahre, wie in den ersten beiden Kapiteln des Buches Genesis ausführlich beschrieben. Dieser biblische Bericht und seine Einzelheiten werden durch aktuelle wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen bestätigt, bei denen hochentwickelte Geräte, leistungsstarke Teleskope und elektronische Mikroskope usw. verwendet wurden. Die Ergebnisse dieser Untersuchungen stützen den biblischen Schöpfungsbericht, obwohl die Bibel kein wissenschaftliches Buch ist. Dieser Artikel analysiert die Beziehung zwischen der Erde und den verschiedenen Lebewesen, die auf ihr leben, sowie einige der Wechselwirkungen zwischen diesen Arten.

Greek

Η παρούσα μελέτη ανιχνεύει την προέλευση και την παγκόσμια εξάπλωση του Κοπτικού μοναχισμού, από τη γένεσή του στην Αίγυπτο έως την εδραίωσή του στη διασπορά των Κοπτών.

Παρουσιάζει τα μοναστικά συστήματα που θεμελιώθηκαν από τους πρώτους Πατέρες της Ερήμου, όπως ο Άγιος Αντώνιος και ο Άγιος Παχώμιος, εξετάζει τα κίνητρα που οδήγησαν στην επέκταση των μοναστικών ιδρυμάτων εκτός Αιγύπτου κατά τον εικοστό αιώνα, και αναλύει τον σημερινό τους ρόλο ως πνευματικά, πολιτιστικά και εκπαιδευτικά κέντρα.

Η βιβλική αφήγηση περί γης και ζωής χρονολογείται γύρω στο 1400 π.Χ., περίπου 3500 χρόνια πριν, όπως παρουσιάζεται λεπτομερώς στα δύο πρώτα κεφάλαια της Γένεσης.

Αυτή η βιβλική καταγραφή και οι λεπτομέρειές της επιβεβαιώνονται από σύγχρονες επιστημονικές έρευνες, οι οποίες βασίστηκαν σε εξελιγμένες τεχνολογικές μεθόδους, ισχυρά τηλεσκόπια, ηλεκτρονικά μικροσκόπια και άλλες διαγνωστικές συσκευές.

Τα πορίσματα αυτών των ερευνών υποστηρίζουν την βιβλική περιγραφή της δημιουργίας, παρόλο που η Αγία Γραφή δεν αποτελεί επιστημονικό σύγγραμμα.

Το παρόν άρθρο αναλύει τη σχέση μεταξύ της γης και των διαφόρων δημιουργημάτων που κατοικούν σε αυτήν, καθώς και ορισμένες από τις αλληλεπιδράσεις μεταξύ αυτών των ειδών.

Italian

Il primo uso noto del termine ‘madre terra’ risale alla metà del 1500. Secondo l’Oxford English Dictionary, il termine ‘madre terra’ deriva da una poesia tradotta da George Turberville nel 1568. Il termine riflette la posizione unica della terra come fonte degli elementi della vita su di essa. Il racconto biblico della terra e della vita risale al 1400 a.C., cioè a più di 3500 anni fa, come descritto nei primi due capitoli del libro della Genesi. Questo racconto biblico e i suoi dettagli sono confermati dalle recenti indagini scientifiche che hanno utilizzato strumenti sofisticati, potenti telescopi, microscopi elettrici ecc. Le scoperte di queste indagini supportano il racconto biblico della creazione, anche se la Bibbia non è un libro scientifico. Questo articolo analizza il rapporto tra la terra e le diverse creature che vi abitano, così come alcune delle interrelazioni tra queste specie.

Swedish

Det tidigaste kända användandet av termen Moder Jord går tillbaka till mitten av 1500-talet. Enligt Oxford English Dictionary härstammar termen från en dikt som översattes av George Turberville år 1568. Uttrycket återspeglar en symbolisk föreställning om jordens avgörande roll som källa till de grundläggande element som krävs för livets uppkomst och fortlevnad.

 

Den bibliska beskrivningen av jordens och livets tillblivelse dateras till omkring år 1400 f.Kr., såsom den framställs i de två första kapitlen i Första Moseboken. Vissa moderna vetenskapliga studier, baserade på avancerad teknik som högupplösta teleskop, elektronmikroskop och spektroskopiska analysverktyg, har påvisat en viss överensstämmelse mellan delar av denna tidiga beskrivning och några av de fynd som den samtida forskningen har nått fram till – trots att Bibeln i sig inte är en vetenskaplig källa i strikt mening.

Denna artikel syftar till att analysera relationen mellan jorden och de levande organismer som bebor den, samt vissa former av växelverkan och ömsesidigt beroende mellan dessa arter, utifrån ett tvärvetenskapligt vetenskapligt perspektiv.

The creation of the animal kingdom: The book of Genesis states ‘Then God said ”Let the earth bring forth the living creatures according to its kind: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth, each according to its kind”; and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind…’. Then God said ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth’, Genesis 1:24–27. The Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. Genesis 2:7. The reader can clearly see the difference in the way God created man compared to the rest of the animal kingdom, although all their bodies came from the earth.

Shared features of the animal kingdom: It is amazing how precise is the above description which determines the unique species of various creatures, their different sex, male and female and their order of creation too. The book of Genesis states clearly that animals and humans were created from the earth, suggesting shared body elements taken from the earth. Scientific discoveries support the close relationship between these two components of the animal kingdom, in terms of their morphology, body systems’ function, the order of their offspring, the life span of each with respect to the body size,…etc. Science also states that a significant percentage of the human DNA (amino acids) is shared with other members of the animal kingdom, thus confirming a common designer (God) who used the elements of the earth to create different animal species. Furthermore, even on atomic level, the existing scientific evidence supports the importrance of the carbon atom as a shared essential unit between man, animals and the earth they live on.

Habitat of the animal kingdom and the earth: Most people love to spend time looking at the water of the sea, sitting on the beach, and spending time swimming and playing in the sea water. Despite such attraction, at the end of the day, man longs to go back to the land where he feels secure and in control. Irrespective of the beauty of the scenery with the different coloured beaches and water, man never feels secure inside the water. Also, despite the excitement of enjoying a flight or a cruise, we long to settle on our home land. Likewise animals, such as dogs, enjoy playing on the sea shore, but eventually rest on land where they feel secure and at home. Some animals and also some humans cannot tolerate being in water, again confirming the common need for a feeling of security which is only on the dry land. Thus, based on the special design of the human and animal bodies, they cannot live anywhere except on the surface of the earth.

Creation of sea kingdom and birds: According to the book of Genesis, the two families, sea creatures and birds, were created in the same day of creation. Then God said, ’Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens’. So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God blessed them, saying, ’Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth’ Genesis 1:20–22. The Bible does not specify how the sea kingdom and the birds were created and where they come from, when compared with the animals which were made from the earth. It only mentions their place of living, sea and air, respectively and touches on the relationship between birds and the earth in verse 22 ‘let birds multiply on earth’. The sea kingdom and the birds share common body features including tails and respiratory system designed specifically to allow them to extract the oxygen, necessary for their body energy, from the sea water or the air, respectively, in a very specific way. The sea animals have specially designed limbs that allow them to swim and move around the waters and find food to live on. On the other hand, birds have, to some extent, a similar design with tails and wings that allow them to fly high and descend down on earth, to find food and rest. The two kingdoms multiply on earth, or in water which covers about 70% of the surface of the earth.

The recent scientific findings answer the question of the origin of the sea- and air-living creatures. Comparative investigations showed that fish and birds’ bones are made of the same minerals like animals ‘calcium phosphate’, as are their muscles and their blood components. Scientists have also found that humans share approximatley two-thirds of their DNA with fish and with birds, thus confirming a common source of body elements which God used to create them.

Habitat of the sea species and the birds: The two kingdoms, again, share the same law of nature with sea creatures unable to live outside the water and birds unable to live in the water.

Even the reptiles and worms live in direct contact with the earth, irrespective of their habitat, whether it is the dry land or the sea. Their body is designed with strong muscles that allow them to creep on the ground because of the lack of free limbs and tails. The respiratory systems of the two families of worms and reptiles differ in order to allow them get the oxygen required by their bodies to be able to live and function comfortably.

Creation and habitat of the botanic kingdom: Plants too share the same origin as all of the above creatures, although they are quite distinct in their life and features. The book of Genesis says ‘Then God said ’Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth’; and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind, Genesis 1:11–12. The creation of plants and vegetation from the earth, applies to all species, irrespective of whether they are on the dry land or in the seabed, each to produce the necessary food and nutrients for the animals to live on. While humans and mammals living on the dry land require vegetables and fruits for nourishment, fish live only on the green leaves and algae in the water. Another important function of all green plants on the dry land and in the seabed is their responsibility for producing most of the oxygen required by other living creations. Furthermore, recent scientific findings show that almost half of the human DNA is shared with plants, again confirming a common designer (God) who used the elements in mother earth that He had created.

Biochemical and genetic evidence for a common Designer (God) using elements from ‘mother earth’. Scientific evidence confirms that the sea kingdom, the air kingdom and the animal kingdom, all share the same elements, particularly the carbon, which is the atom characterised by its unique affinity to bind with various other elements in order to complete and perfect different biochemical processes in different species, in particular the Kreb’s cycle which produces the energy, necessary for life. Scientific findings confirm that earth is the richest source of carbon, which then explains the shared biochemistry of all above mentioned creations, irrespective of their shape or form. Moreover, when any member of the three kingdoms dies they become a rich food for bacteria, worms and other earth based species, supporting the rich biochemical commonality between them. Many other earthly laws are shared between different species. Apart from plants, all living families need oxygen to breath for their life, water to maintain body functions and various minerals and vitamins to live on. This supports the Great Designer’s wisdom in using the earth elements to create such wonderful and versatile living world around us.

How did it all come into being? Can nothing produce a thing?

The early man, before human history was written on stone, tried to discover how stones can be cut and how to produce fire with stone friction. At that time, creation was already complete with its different species, all functioning perfectly as it was designed in the beginning and as we have recently learned it, so man has no contribution to creation. As man started to develop various skills and learned from other animal kingdom members in order to satisfy his body needs, his life style also progressed. An example of these changes includes replacing life in caves to tents then huts…etc. Looking around, man could see clearly the rest of creation only following the law of nature, precisely as it came into being in the beginning. A good example of the theory of human intellectual development is the discovery of the earth’s gravity by Isaac Newton, as stated in his book in 1687 (book Principia Mathematica), which became a law. Gravity was there well before all the above creation came into being. For the very early man to walk on earth, and for the sea to have an even surface and for birds to fly and land on the earth, there must have been a full gravity as we experience it now. We never heard of a man flying by himself or spending a night breathing in the sea, confirming the designated human habitat, like the other creation habitats.

Could life have started on another planet or moon as human enthusiasm and curiosity are motivating him to search for an answer?

The answer is very likely to be NO, particularly on Mars and the Moon, for the following reasons. The planet Mars has extreme temperatures, as low as −125°C at night. It has also a thin atmosphere, about 1% of Earth’s, this is not enough for breathing and sustaining life. It has low air pressure and no liquid water. Mars has oxidizing chemicals; its soil contains perchlorates, which can be toxic to life. In addition, Mars has a significantly higher percentage of carbon dioxide, about 95.3% in its atmosphere compared to only 0.04% in atmosphere around the Earth. This difference in carbon dioxide concentration is due to various factors, including Mars’ smaller size and weaker gravity, which caused it to lose more of its atmosphere over time. The above significant differences between Mars and the Earth make the former unfeasible habitat for any of the creatures discussed above.

Likewise, the moon is a pretty inhospitable place for life as we know it because of the following reasons. The Moon has no atmosphere suitable to sustain life. It has extreme temperatures ranging from −173°C to 127°C, making it difficult for life to exist. The moon lacks liquid water. The moon’s surface is exposed to harmful solar and cosmic radiation because of the lack of magnetic field. The Moon’s gravity is only about one-sixth of the Earth’s, which could affect the function of all biological systems. This was clearly documented when Neil Armstrong touched and attempted to walk on the surface of the moon in 1969 during the Apollo 11 space mission. Furthermore, the moon has a trace amount of carbon dioxide, compared to the earth, according to NASA. While the total amount of carbon on Earth remains constant, it’s primarily stored in rocks and sediments, with smaller amounts in the atmosphere, oceans, and living organisms. The Moon, in contrast, is considered carbon-poor, though it does have some carbon. For the above reasons the moon is not fit for the above life and its requirements.

In conclusion: The account of creation in the book of Genesis, written 3,500 years ago, despite being brief, is very accurate, informative and of utmost precision. It satisfies what recent scientific discoveries that used sophisticated technologies, electron microscopes and very powerful telescopes. It confirms that the earth is created with all the elements necessary for life of all living creatures. God in His great wisdom used elements of the earth to fulfill His creation plan. Because of such importance, earth is the only named planet in the bible in the events of creation. We should remember that the Bible is not a scientific book, but aims at establishing the presence of God and His relationship with His human creation, who He immensely loves. As modern life continues producing more theories, the wise man should focus on the ones that are confirmed and become established facts. These facts may shed more light on further complementary details about the secrets of the creation of the beautiful world we live in. Finally, for the spiritual thinker, it is worth highlighting the fact that, when God created animals and plants, He talked to the mother earth. When he created the sea kingdom, He talked to the water and when he created man, He talked to Himself ‘Let us create man in Our own image’. This highlights the unique feature of man’s being of having a spirit from God.