myth & metaphor

[gnostic]

*edit*

So this topics about myths and metaphors.

So here are some questions.

How do you define myth?

Do you think myth = lie? Or is myth more than this?
​

How do you define metaphor?

Is metaphor the same thing as myth?
​

If not, how or why they are different? How are they related?
​

 

[dgirl1986]

So this topics about myths and metaphors.

So here are some questions.

How do you define myth?

Do you think myth = lie? Or is myth more than this?
​

How do you define metaphor?

Is metaphor the same thing as myth?
​

If not, how or why they are different? How are they related?
​

Metaphor is not the same as myth and myth is not the same as lie. Myth refers to traditional story. Based on actual beliefs or used to teach people life lessons etc. In my opinion anyway.

 

[danieldemol]

On an off topic note, what is the religion "Pi"?

 

[gnostic]

On an off topic note, what is the religion "Pi"?

Pi?

No one had ever ask me that question here.

Pi or π is a mathematical constant => 3.1415926535897932384626433832795

 

[sojourner]

*edit*

So this topics about myths and metaphors.

So here are some questions.

How do you define myth?

Do you think myth = lie? Or is myth more than this?
​

How do you define metaphor?

Is metaphor the same thing as myth?
​

If not, how or why they are different? How are they related?
​

Myth is the collection of stories/traditions that inform us spiritually or culturally.

"Myth" =/= "lie." "Myth" = "truth expressed through metaphor and allegory."
"Metaphor" is descriptive language where one picture replaces another. a "flowing river" is a metaphor for "life."
"Metaphor" and "myth" are not synonymous. But they are related, because metaphor is a tool of myth. Myth is the "system" or collection. Metaphor is the descriptor used in the myth.

 

[InvestigateTruth]

Myth is the collection of stories/traditions that inform us spiritually or culturally.

"Myth" =/= "lie." "Myth" = "truth expressed through metaphor and allegory."
"Metaphor" is descriptive language where one picture replaces another. a "flowing river" is a metaphor for "life."
"Metaphor" and "myth" are not synonymous. But they are related, because metaphor is a tool of myth. Myth is the "system" or collection. Metaphor is the descriptor used in the myth.

This ^

 

[fantome profane]

Myth is the collection of stories/traditions that inform us spiritually or culturally.

"Myth" =/= "lie." "Myth" = "truth expressed through metaphor and allegory."
"Metaphor" is descriptive language where one picture replaces another. a "flowing river" is a metaphor for "life."
"Metaphor" and "myth" are not synonymous. But they are related, because metaphor is a tool of myth. Myth is the "system" or collection. Metaphor is the descriptor used in the myth.

Sorry but I am going to have to disagree with this. I agree that myth does not equal lie. Just because something is a myth does not mean that it does not mean that the ideas that the myth was intended to convey are false.

But, the fact that something is a myth does not automatically mean that the ideas that it conveys are true.

A myth is just another way of expressing ideas. And like any other form of communication you need to know how to decode it. And like any other form of communication it can convey truth, falsehoods, or a mix of both.

 

[LegionOnomaMoi]

How do you define myth?

Do you think myth = lie? Or is myth more than this?

​

As a concept having almost no real connection to the religions they are supposed to belong to. It is mainly a conception of the 18th and 19th centuries where scholars whose understanding of religion was so utterly shaped by Christianity they imposed upon religions of antiquity a scriptural-like nature, where myths were somehow important characteristics of these religions despite the fact that the mythology collections then and now come form comical poetry, comic plays, epic, and bear virtually no resemblance to anything believed or understood by the cultures the myths are attributed to.

How do you define metaphor?

As a mechanism fundamental for language and cognition that consists of mappings between generally the more concrete to the more abstract.

Is metaphor the same thing as myth?

No.

If not, how or why they are different? How are they related?

There's nothing that connects them other than misconceptions.

 

[sojourner]

Sorry but I am going to have to disagree with this. I agree that myth does not equal lie. Just because something is a myth does not mean that it does not mean that the ideas that the myth was intended to convey are false.

But, the fact that something is a myth does not automatically mean that the ideas that it conveys are true.

A myth is just another way of expressing ideas. And like any other form of communication you need to know how to decode it. And like any other form of communication it can convey truth, falsehoods, or a mix of both.

I understand what you're saying and, of course, you're right. But within the context of the OP, my statement makes sense. For purposes of religious expression, that's the way myth works.

 

[Sha'irullah]

I have discussed this very topic before many times in previous posts, it is a personal fascination of mine truly.

Myths are not lies unless the creator of the myth views it as such. Myth are nothing but explicative folklore with great importance to the natural world.

Myths are ideal stories that give primitive explinations to the unknown, there is nothing false about them because to those that believe they are truth.
In this era they are myths and still hold merit in today's society with proper contextualization of their subject matter.

Metaphors are bound within myth once the truth of the myth fades. Metaphor is often used as an excuse to retain the content of the myth but this is of course a major fallacy.

metaphors are simply the realizationof the untruth of a myth, it is essentially taking a myth for what it is.

 

[gnostic]

Metaphor is using words or phrase that have figurative or symbolic meaning or interpretation.

But the problem with using metaphors, is that the meaning may not be clear, due to the ambiguous nature of using metaphor. Meaning that metaphor may have more than one interpretation.

Myth is a lot more complex.

Unlike metaphor, myth deals with more than just metaphor. Metaphor is just dealing with one or more phrases, while myth is more of traditional story that may have some metaphors, but that's not the purpose of a myth.

I agreed with dgirl1986 that myth is a traditional story and with sojourner as it been collection of traditions or stories, but a story that tried to explain what don't necessarily and fully understand, but what they believe it to be.

I believe that sincerly misunderstood what I was asking about or talking about, when I was asking if the verse John 1:1 should be understood literally or metaphorically (or figuratively) to what he thought I was asking, which is Jesus a mythic or historical figure?

He (sincerly) was make assumption myth = lies, and thought I was questioning Jesus' historical status.

I was only trying to make sense of one or more verses in John 1, not the entire gospel.

I believe that John 1:1 and following verses about Jesus could be interpret in several different ways, so they are more metaphoric than literal.

Where it say logos or the "Word", I would take it as Jesus being a teacher or preacher, using words to spread his message (gospel).

Where John say "In the beginning..." (1:1) and "He was with God in the beginning." (1:2), I understand that most Christians would believe the Genesis' beginning or creation, but I think that it mean the beginning of Jesus's ministry.

And where it say "Light" (1:4-5) and "Life" (1:4), i don't think it was a literal light John was referring to Jesus, but a symbolic light, like light as in "hope" in Jesus' messages of possible in the afterlife in heaven.

In any case, John 1:1-5 is only a tiny fraction of Jesus' story.

I don't think Jesus is literal god or creator. Although some would think so, there are number of occasions where he clearly state that he is separate person from god. If Jesus was god then why would Jesus pray to himself in the garden (after the Last Supper and before his arrest)?

 

[outhouse]

*edit*

So this topics about myths and metaphors.

So here are some questions.

How do you define myth?

Do you think myth = lie? Or is myth more than this?
​

How do you define metaphor?

Is metaphor the same thing as myth?
​

If not, how or why they are different? How are they related?
​

Its not as much allegory, metaphor or myth. Here context is key.

I can guarantee what we call myth and allegory were not how they viewed it.


Im not sure we even know what context they were really using. Scholars like Crossan state they were not taken as literal and not viewed as real history, nor to be hung up on words. Instead it was a way to convey the importance of the teachings they found valuable within the pages.

Did some communities view it literalm or some people or just the authors statement? we may never know.

Just like now, even in one faith, how many different views emerge.

 

[methylatedghosts]

As I understand it, myth is a story that tells you something about the world. Some of them attempt to answer questions like "why are we here?" "who am I?", and "how did all this get here?"

A metaphor is just something that colours the myth. It can help to clarify an idea, and to make it relatable