What’s the difference between religion and myth?
March 24, 2008
My wife a friend and myself were discussing this weekend all things religion, after going to the easter vigil and stations of the cross and watching way too much history channel. The above question came up, what do you think is the difference between the two. We are all an analytical people so you can see why one would ask.
Moses parted the red sea (or did he?)
Moses warned Pharaoh of the plagues god would unleash (did he or was this natural?)
Sodom and Gamorrah burned by fire from god (or was it?)
The Nile turned red with blood (did it?)
Egypt had the israelities as helpless slaves(were they really slaves? or just workers)
I have more questions then answers really, I don’t want to deny the existence of a higher being nor will I. But the questions are there. I will quit rambling what do you believe and what don’t you believe and why? Please discuss in the comments below.
Posted in 
content rss
March 24th, 2008 at 1:21 pm
There once was a time when people believed Mercury on his chariot pulled the Sun across the skies. I believe stories like this, as well as those in more modern religious texts where simply dramatic ways of explaining situations and philosophies to a population that lacked the capacity to understand the concepts in details.
Once you strip away the “micracles” and other events that seem to go beyond human limits, you’ll find that the various beliefs of the world are in fact very similar.
Though I’m a practicing Buddhist, I believe at the core we really all believe the same things and through the following of a formal religion we really are all trying to keep our moral compas aligned.
March 24th, 2008 at 2:15 pm
IMO, religion incorporates myth. But let me define “myth” here, because I need to be particular about how I’m using it. All myths are stories, but not all stories are myths. A myth is a story whose impact and meaning transcend simple fact. It doesn’t matter if a myth is true or not. What matters is that the story resonates with people on a level deeper than logic and reason. These myths then form a structure that becomes one of the pillars of one’s self-image.
A myth doesn’t have to be supernatural in nature. I submit that the story of Rosa Parks has become a myth in this sense. It’s taken on a meaning larger than one person sitting where she wasn’t permitted to sit. It’s become a metaphor for standing up for what’s right. It’s become a metaphor for peaceful resistance to oppression. It’s taken on meaning beyond the simple facts.
So it doesn’t matter if Moses parted the Red Sea. What matters is the story that resonates with millions and millions of people, thousands of years after it was written.