One Man's Myth Is Another Man's Religion

"Myth" is defined, in part, by the American Heritage Dictionary as "A traditional story presenting supernatural beings . . ." But let's really get down to it. When we're speaking of Roman or Greek mythology what are we really talking about? Their religions. And what defines them now as mythology? Simply the fact that no one believes in these religions any more.

So I'm reading Bulfinch's Mythology: The Age of Fable . Thomas Bulfinch was a 19th Century American writer who felt that many literary references were beyond the general public because many readers were not conversant with the historical subjects they referenced. So he wrote a book intended to be very accessible to the general populace that would help them understand these references when they encountered them. And he seems to have been pretty successful in his intent.

The bulk of the book is devoted to discussions of the Greek and Roman mythologies, that is, religions, and it closes with a discussion of the Norse mythologies, or religions. It's what comes in between that I find pretty dang interesting.

Chapter XXXVII is titled "Eastern Mythology - Zoroaster - Hindu Mythology - Castes - Buddha - The Grand Lama - Prester John." You get the picture. As a good Christian, Bulfinch didn't really care that these religions were still alive--he didn't believe in them so that made them myths.

Now, that's not to dump on Christians. I would have to assume that at some point some Buddhist or Muslim or someone of some other religion has written a book discussing popular myths such as Christianity, Judaism, whatever.

I ran into something very similar to this many years ago when I went in on a job interview. This was pre-internet so all I had to go on was a very short ad printed in the newspaper. There was little way for me to know that the organization where I was going was a conservative Christian organization. But I found out when I got there.

Sitting in the waiting room for about half an hour I had time to peruse their materials. There was a lot about cults. Cults such as those Jim Jones people who commited mass suicide with poisoned Kool-Aid. Cults such as the Mormons. Cults such as Unitarians and Catholics.

Hey, if you have the TRUTH and everyone else is wrong, facts are just facts, right? You bet. But what happens when you and your minister don't quite see eye to eye 100 percent of the way? Is he just a cultist, too? Or are you?