As I was reading the first few chapters of Popol Vuh, I had to stop often and go back to reread, checking to make sure that I had just read correctly, and indeed I had. Once I made it through all five chapters, I went back and reread the whole thing a few times. I had a hard time taking it seriously. It all seemed soooo... so preposterous. So, illogical. The gods decided to make humans out of animals? Then mud? Next wood? And the failed wooden people who managed to escape the gods death punishments are now monkeys? Then there is the seeming shock the gods experienced over the fact that none of their attempts worked. Two questions came to mind... Why would these people be so proud of their gods, when everything they did was a complete failure? And if their gods messed up all the time, what makes them any different than you or me?
I have no answers to either of my questions, but to explain where my train of thought is coming from... Growing up I have always been that person who thought everything all the way through. I like good, solid facts. I like logic and logical reasoning. And when something didn't fall in any of those categories I either pushed it away and wouldn't think about it or just totally rejected it. My brothers always tell me that not everyone thinks the way I do, and what to me, may appear to be ridiculous, does not always appear that way to everyone. Not to say that having an imagination is bad, but I like my line between what is real and what is not. Imagination has its place. Things that don't fit into my idea of reality get filed under "fake."
No matter how many times I read the chapters, it still seems very odd and a bit ridiculous to me. I found myself thinking very critically, that it was just stupid. However, I stopped for a minute and thought about what I believe. Not all of it is totally logical and to some people it may seem very illogical and ridiculous, having very little solid, factual basis. Someone could very easily look at me and say what I believe is ridiculous and stupid.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading these few chapters. And find it very interesting that no matter where you go or what people group you learn about they all seem to share similar ideas. Ideas such as greed, pride, and lying being wrong. As well as, a belief system being important, whether it be a specific religion or not.
Great graphics! I love the banner. I like the questions you pose. It would certainly seem odd and ridiculous with the whole process of animals, mud, and wood. But then you come to the real people. Maybe they were making a point about how very special humans are in all the creations of gods because they were so hard to make? Actually, many creation stories have this kind of series of how many things were created, and last came the real humans. We believe we are quite special.
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