Is creation by a divine craftsman the same as creation by decree or creation from nothing? How, if at all, do they differ? How did evil arise? These are question I will be answering in this essay. While creation from divine craftsman and creation
from nothing both use a preexisting divine creator they are actually very different accounts of cosmogony. As for how evil arose some religions deal with this matter when they discuss the creation of the world and humanity, others do not but they each have unique theories.
Creation by divine craftsman is a theory of cosmogony where a preexisting creator has, like a craftsmen, shaped or molded the world into existence. The material by which he creates the world is also preexisting and there is no account from which either originally has come. The creator uses the skill of craftsmanship and logic to create the preexisting material in to our world, because he is molding or shaping this preexisting material it is shown that there is a certain degree of resistance from the material to be changed into this world. Although creation from nothing also starts with a preexisting divine creator it is very different and I will now look at those differences.
Creation by decree, or creation from nothing is a theory of creation where a divine creator simply speaks or wills the world into creation from no preexisting material. Like creation from a divine craftsmen there is no account of where or how this divine creator comes from and the creation is a deliberate and willed action. But unlike creation by divine craftsmen there is no preexisting material and the world is not created from being molded it is simply just spoken or willed from nothing. The creator is complete separate from his creation. One example of creation from nothing is the accounts of creation in the Bible’s Genesis. Which also leads into a theory of how evil was brought about to this world.
The Jewish and Christian view of cosmogony is told in the Bible in Genesis. As holds true with the theory of a creation by nothing the world was created deliberately by a divine God’s will. The world which he created was said to be “good” but in a much broader sense, meaning it was divine, justice and righteous. There was no triadic flaw or any form of evil. When humankind was created they were put in high status above all of creation and given the gift of free will. However they choice to miss use this gift in rebellion and alienation of their divine creator. Through this choice evil is brought into the world. Evil continuous to endure and escalate, which therefore causes perversion to God’s righteous world and in turn suffering.
Another theory about the origin of evil is seen in Buddhism. Buddhism teaches that there is no real start to evil, that it has always been. The theory of karma shows that evil is just a result of past actions. One’s present situation is nothing more than a result of his past action and therefore evil comes from bad action and blessings come from good action, it is a never ending cycle.
In closing, while creation by divine craftsmanship and creation from nothing might have some similarities they are really very different theories. The start of evil is different with each religion and while it can be associated with the start of the world that is not always the case.