: Re: How do I tackle religion and mythology correctly? Without offending religious people Update -- notes on April's Edits -- I added [[square brackets]] when I wasn't sure if my rephrasing clarified/changed

@Pierce369

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It depends on whether you are talking about myths or Myths. Myth Busters dealt with myths (elephants fearing mice, bulls in china shops, can a speed boat be sliced in half by hitting an object at speed) and never Myths.

Myths hold an essential truth, often in parable or metaphor, but some will become livid if you refer to any story from their scripture as a Myth. Scripture (I do not just mean the bible) is considered true.

If you start testing Myths for truth, be prepared to examine doctrine as well. The Myth of woman being created from Adam’s rib springs to mind. By labelling that a Myth, I will probably get downvoted because people are passionate about religion.

Myths answer the profound questions in a way that is easily understood. Why are there seasons? How did the world come to be? How did we come to be?

They are teachings and the lessons are valid, whether it is a god walking the earth disguised as a beggar, seeking food and shelter and being denied by all who are capable of assistance, but helped by those with very little means ‘we have little, but what we have is yours to share’ or a tale of a man going to the underworld to seek his lost love, these speak to human nature. Often those who can help most easily do not help and generosity is found among those who have suffered want and know the depth of the need. Grief can make people more than who they were or destroy them - sometimes both.

If you mean literal truth, your task has been accomplished by science, but if you mean figurative, allegorical, or metaphorical truth you will have quite a task and be ready for hate mail.

I spent a year at a Lutheran College and there were Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, agnostics and atheists there as well as Christians. The most vehement arguments I observed were between Christians of differing types. Roman Catholics argued with Anglicans, who fought with Protestants and villified Lutherans.

People of different religions would discuss their religion, comment on similarities and never tell the other that they were wrong.

Be careful. People of many faiths will hate you should you relegate their religion to nothing more than mythology. I doubt that you intend to be divisive, but this is a dangerous path you seek to travel.

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