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Religion/Mythology
- Thread starter player55
- Start date
Terrywoodenpic
Oldest Heretic
A religion or Mythology is categorized by the individual, So can be one, both or none of those things, depending on the opinion of the viewer.
Terry_____________________
Blessed are the gentle, they shall inherit the land
Terry_____________________
Blessed are the gentle, they shall inherit the land
robtex
Veteran Member
By that token all religions would be myths. There are no substanciated gods which is central to most religions existance. The afterlife would be a myth as both a blissful post-life existance and reincarnation are unsubstanciated, the soul would be a myth and places like heaven, hell, nirvana, purgatory all myths until substanciated.Halcyon said:
Darkdale
World Leader Pretend
robtex said:
That's not what religion is at all. Mythologies are stories which are supposed to carry spiritual and cultural wisdom. There is no difference between myths about Jesus rising from the dead, Mohammed being illiterate and writing the Koran and Odin gaining wisdom at Mimers Well. Timeline has nothing to do with it. Myths are stories passed along to cary the wisdom of a religion. So much of religion is the creation of myths, of stories, of ideas concerning what the divine is really like. There is no knowledge, no proof, no certainty. So saying that "myths" only belong to religions you think are dead is incorrect. Almost all the religions still practiced today have myths and stories. Some people place different levels of faith, or belief in the myths. Some people really believe that Jesus Christ died, was buried and rose from the dead, then rose up through the clouds into the sky. Some people may really believe that Loki's pain causes Earthquakes; but I think most people recognize that their religion is based on myths.
Feathers in Hair
World's Tallest Hobbit
I'd say belief. If you believe in something or that something happened, it's religion. If you don't, it's mythology. Then again, I don't believe the Greek myths, but I believe in the idea of the gods- or, more appropriately- what they represent.
It's not either/or; the comparison is not apt at all. All religions have mythologies attached to them, even if they don't have stories of gods, prophets, and heroes, they still have some kind of mythic narrative.
Religion is belief and practice, mythology is narrative. Religion informs mythology, and mythology informs religion.
Religion is belief and practice, mythology is narrative. Religion informs mythology, and mythology informs religion.
There is no point at which one turns into the other. Most religions have mythology to portray the ineffable, intangible, immaterial, and spiritual.
Ben Dhyan
Veteran Member
True, but when the mythological portrayal of the ineffable, intangible, immaterial, and spiritual, by the use of allegory, metaphor, parable, and simile, is interpreted by the contemporary custodians of the religion as historical reality and in turn that understanding foistered upon the followers, then superstition prevails and it will soon become a dead religion like all the others in whom true understanding was lost.
hindupridemn
Defender of the Truth
A myth is a story meant to explain something we don't know based on what is already known. Therefor, scientific theories are technically myths. Myths, religious or scientific, are not necessarily wrong.
syo
Well-Known Member
Believers of dominant religions trying to "downgrade" other religions.
vaguelyhumanoid
Active Member
Mythology is one aspect of religion. A myth is an allegorical/fantastical story used to illustrate a religious idea or truth. The term has just been stigmatized because of a monotheistic mindset in which one religion is objectively and exclusively correct and all others are fictional. I try to avoid using the word "myth" as a synonym for "falsehood" or "misconception" in my day-to-day life.
Please do not come into the DIR of a pagan religion and say that pagan religions are "dead" and not being actively practiced.
Please do not come into the DIR of a pagan religion and say that pagan religions are "dead" and not being actively practiced.
(I guess you didn't notice that most recent posts in this thread, prior to today, were in 2009...It is a Thread Back From the Dead!
)
vaguelyhumanoid
Active Member
Didn't notice whatsoever!