Christianity vs Mythology

[JMorris]

god & gods all have an equal chance of existing or not existing. what definitive knowledge do we have of god(s)? claiming to have definitive knowledge that god(s) dont exist is just as baseless as asserting definitive knowledge that god(s) do exist. and if no definitive knowledge of god(s) existence is had, what could we say of a being that may or may not exist? nothing. so an egytptian god has an equal chance of existing as a christian god, but so does any god. since nothing is known about god(s), individual gods are only different because the people who believe in them prescribe different attributes to them. but in the end, any aspect attributed to a god is pure conjecture, since no even knows if a god exists.

 

[Humanistheart]

god & gods all have an equal chance of existing or not existing. what definitive knowledge do we have of god(s)? claiming to have definitive knowledge that god(s) dont exist is just as baseless as asserting definitive knowledge that god(s) do exist. and if no definitive knowledge of god(s) existence is had, what could we say of a being that may or may not exist? nothing. so an egytptian god has an equal chance of existing as a christian god, but so does any god. since nothing is known about god(s), individual gods are only different because the people who believe in them prescribe different attributes to them. but in the end, any aspect attributed to a god is pure conjecture, since no even knows if a god exists.

As was already pointed out this is not a thread concerning the existence of gods per say, but in fact there is no chance of the 'known' gods existing. Between our known knowledge and the religions own dogma every theistic religion can be discounted.

Now. back to the OP...

 

[Dirty Penguin]

One man's religion is another's myth......

 

[EverChanging]

I think Christianity is mythology, yes, but mythology has its place, kind of like art. It is those who turn mythology into literal history, fact, and science that do it a disservice.

 

[dogsgod]

I think Christianity is mythology, yes, but mythology has its place, kind of like art. It is those who turn mythology into literal history, fact, and science that do it a disservice.

Mythology is literary art, and on that bases I agree with you, that those insisting it is something other than art are doing a disservice to mythology.

 

[Mr. Hair]

Can someone please explain why Abrahamic religions are or aren't the same as Mythology?

Well, given that mythology is basically just a big ol' bundle of interconnected sacred stories, it seems pretty obvious that are two are not one and the the same. Christianity, or any other religion, is a lot more then the retelling of myths, it also has a very important social and political dimension as well. (I can't think of many rituals or priests of mythology. )

Religion certainly utilises elements of mythology, in a not-too-dissimilar way to how a car uses gas to move. That doesn't mean you can ride a puddle of gas all the way to work though.

(Oh, and it should go without saying, but something being mythical doesn't mean that its false. Just thought that it might be worth saying... )

In layman's terms, Mythology is commonly used to describe the religions based on ancient myths. The most common would be Egyptian and Greek Mythology.

In which case those laymen are incorrect. When we talk about the ancient Egyptian mythology, we're not talking about the same thing as the ancient Egyptian faith. This, as above, drew upon parts of its cultural mythology, but also expanded into and encased many other aspects of life.

Christianity is based on mythology in every way, but it's participants don't agree

That's a very broad brush you're using there. I know of many Christians who positively revel in the mythological aspect of their religion.

Remember, only a sith deals in absolutes, and all that.

One man's religion is another's myth......

Not... Really. To go all the way back to enchanted's post, the ancient Greeks didn't share in the Kemetic faith, and they certainly didn't share in their mythology either.

 

[javajo]

He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing.

That is a Bible verse in Job saying the earth hangs upon, i.e. sits upon nothing. Different than it sitting on four elephants and such. It is interesting that due north there are very few stars...an empty place...much like my mind at times...and my tummy!

 

[tumbleweed41]

He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing

.
That would be Job 26:7

That is a Bible verse in Job saying the earth hangs upon, i.e. sits upon nothing. Different than it sitting on four elephants and such. It is interesting that due north there are very few stars...an empty place...much like my mind at times...and my tummy!

However in Job 38:4-6 we read...
4"Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
Tell Me, if you have understanding,
5Who set its measurements? Since you know.
Or who stretched the line on it?
6"On what were its bases sunk?
Or who laid its cornerstone,

And in Job 26:11 it says....
The pillars of the heavens quake,aghast at his rebuke.

 

[javajo]

Ha! Nice job! Yeah, as I said it was just one verse. I don't interpret the foundation of the earth to be something (especially an animal) the earth sits on, but actually a part of it. Can't really argue the point though. Without writing a research paper, I'll just say that for me I can believe in the God of the Bible and what it says, crazy as it may seem, more than I believe in say, the gods of Greek Mythology.

 

[Dirty Penguin]

Not... Really. To go all the way back to enchanted's post, the ancient Greeks didn't share in the Kemetic faith, and they certainly didn't share in their mythology either.

Possibly....I was trying to show that what one calls their religion or (way of life) another will call Myth. What the Greeks, Romans and Egyptians saw as their religion....Jews, Christians and Muslims view as mythology.

Now I agree with you to a certain extent. But we see how the Romans of the day adopted the gods of Greece as their own (changing it up a little though). Christianity is no different. It has been a "religion" that has fused multiple cultural practices into its own.

Is Christianity Mythology...? Well depends on what you mean. Is it a compilation of tribal rituals and practices that are opposite to Judaism? Yes. Did it continue to adopt various pagan practices over time. I think so. Is it strictly "mythology"..? Well one might have to start at the center of the faith (Jesus).....maybe trying to determine if he existed. If he didn't does that mean the religion is a Myth? I would say so.

 

[Hitchey]

A rabbi for whom I have a great deal of respect once told me that a Jew is a person who lives in Jewish Myth and in whom Jewish Myth lives.

He sounds a bit like Father George Coyne. I'd say I'd have a great deal of respect for him as well.

 

[Hitchey]

There is mythology in Christianity, it is just that it is not accepted, as it would cause Christianity to loose it's uniqueness, and make it more like all other faiths.

When it looses it's uniqueness, they fear, their whole message of salvation becomes moot.

Exactly!

 

[enchanted_one1975]

"in that my Gods and Goddesses are as real to me as anyone else's God is as real to them."


What is the meaning of such a statement, that these Gods are only real to those that believe them to be?

I'm talking about Gods and Goddesses, not Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny...

 

[Hitchey]

I'm talking about Gods and Goddesses, not Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny...

I've met only one person who said she was Wiccan and so have almost no prior knowledge of these things. Do Wiccans worship any gods or goddesses I would recognize from antiquity? What is the source for knowledge of these beings?

Do you know the name Nigela Lawson? She wrote a cookbook, Nigela Christmas (2008), and in the introdcution wrote of her long standing interest in Wicca. Based on her remarks I have a very favourable impression of the movement.

 

[OmarKhayyam]

I'm talking about Gods and Goddesses, not Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny...

DWOD.

If you think not then please explain why not:yes:

 

[enchanted_one1975]

I've met only one person who said she was Wiccan and so have almost no prior knowledge of these things. Do Wiccans worship any gods or goddesses I would recognize from antiquity? What is the source for knowledge of these beings?

I just took on the Wiccan faith this past year so I may not be textbook perfect with all of my views, but here goes:

Many Wiccans worship "The God" and "The Goddess" in general. Others have chosen a God, Goddess, Gods, or Goddesses. Still others have been chosen by a God, Goddess, Gods, or Goddesses. This is a very big honor, IMHO. I, personally, worship the Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egyptian Mythology. Lord Anubis is my main Deity. My future wife, OTOH, worships the Greek Gods and Goddesses. She is Wiccan as well. We both felt a calling from the Gods and Goddesses that we worship.

I have never heard of that Author you mentioned, but there is so much good stuff written about the religion.

 

[dogsgod]

Mythologies are literary works of art and the Christian mythology, originally a Jewish mythology, is a work of art. People can be very passionate about their art.