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What is meant by "myth"

SimonthepilgrimSimonthepilgrim Veteran
edited December 2006 in Faith & Religion
For a number of years, I have been using the words "myth" or "legend" to describe story-based aspects of Christian as well as other belief systems. Neither word has been fully satisfactory.

Pope Alexander VI (Rodrigo Borgia) is said to have exclaimed, on being shown the Papal Treasury, "All this for the Christ myth!"

It does not seem terrible repectful and the use of the word has become more and more problematic.

Listening to a podcast of Lord Bragg's In Our Time on the subject of Hell, I heard a more useful phrase, three words instead of one and less disrespectful. It could, I think, be used without inherently denying the possibility of a factual origin, which is the main objection that literalists have against "myth" as a descriptive of their beliefs:

spiritual morality tale

Comments

  • fofoofofoo
    edited December 2006
    The allegoric tales of which myths are made up have been understood always by some.

    When Aquinas was asked if there are real worms in Hell by one of his students, he responded "No, there is only bad conscience". Oh, and that was in 13th century already.
  • SimonthepilgrimSimonthepilgrim Veteran
    edited December 2006
    fofoo wrote:
    The allegoric tales of which myths are made up have been understood always by some.

    When Aquinas was asked if there are real worms in Hell by one of his students, he responded "No, there is only bad conscience". Oh, and that was in 13th century already.

    The development of the idea of a "Hell" with punishments was a very late development in Christianity. It is my opinion that it was a 'marketing' tool which was used to generate fear in one's enemies and gather revenue from one's followers.
  • fofoofofoo
    edited December 2006
    I am not sure how the idea came into play, it could have been well intended like the hell realms in buddhism, to show the consequences of acts on oneself, Aquinas comment points to that. However I agree that it was used the way you describe it. What i am shocked at is that it is still taken literally today. A catholic priest who would be threatening people with Hell over here would likely lose his community soon, i never saw that at all. That is usually the domain of the jehova`s witnesses here. American Christianity seems to be very different at least in some Regions from what I know from Europe.

    As for themarketing tools, the church has always been flexible :) In India, the biggest tool seems to be "Escape the Caste System".
  • CelebrinCelebrin
    edited December 2006
    back in ye olde medieval days, there was a priest who plumped about.. preaching about how the devil would sprout out the ground to get the treachorous wifes who cheated on their hubbys, and torture them in eternal hellfire.

    under what i've read from school.. it was a fear factor.. PPL would seek refuge and go to confession simply out of fear of the 'monsters'.

    If you can't reason or have a clear mind, then it seems that fear comes easily. Its like when you were a kid, and scared of the closet monster.. or spiders or who knows what. If these are never confronted, or taken out of your head by reasoning.. they will plague you.

    from what i know the church was very rich in england.. And it was always thanks to scaring the jeebles out of ppl. Purgatory is a classic example. Rich nobles paying huge amounts of cash for prayers of the monks, which 'could' get them to heaven even if they had sinned.
  • PalzangPalzang Veteran
    edited December 2006
    I think Lama Norbu summed it up really well in the movie Little Buddha (I know Lama Norbu was an actor, not a real lama, but truth is truth after all). When Jesse's father told Lama Norbu that Jesse had really enjoyed reading the book about the life of the Buddha that Lama Norbu had given him, Lama Norbu's response was, "It is one way of presenting the truth." He didn't claim that the story was the gospel truth. That's what a myth is, imho, a way of presenting truth clad in a guise that is understandable and enjoyable to hear.

    Palzang
  • SimonthepilgrimSimonthepilgrim Veteran
    edited December 2006
    Palzang wrote:
    I think Lama Norbu summed it up really well in the movie Little Buddha (I know Lama Norbu was an actor, not a real lama, but truth is truth after all). When Jesse's father told Lama Norbu that Jesse had really enjoyed reading the book about the life of the Buddha that Lama Norbu had given him, Lama Norbu's response was, "It is one way of presenting the truth." He didn't claim that the story was the gospel truth. That's what a myth is, imho, a way of presenting truth clad in a guise that is understandable and enjoyable to hear.

    Palzang


    .............and has a lesson to teach for those who will hear it.
  • PalzangPalzang Veteran
    edited December 2006
    Yes!

    Palzang
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