Myth and Meaning

Hi All,

This is an excerpt from the "about" section on a site I have recently discovered.
I post for both the thought expressed, and to point to a site some here may appreciate. Other links there worth exploring too (imo).
>>>

"Isn't a myth something that is usually considered to be a lie or falsehood?

"A myth came to be considered a falsehood as the result of the transformations of science which proved that the Bible was factually wrong. So the word "myth" came to mean falsehood in common parlance as the result of the fact that that we now know the creation mythology of the Bible to be incorrect.

But a myth is only a falsehood insofar as poetry and metaphor and the imagination generally would be thought of as being "false," i.e. in the sense of being physically untrue. Nobody but a blockhead would say a poem is worthless because it is imaginatively untrue. Now, there is no such thing as a centaur or a minotaur, but the images nevertheless convey a reality that is inwardly true to the psyche. These are images of the human soul given over to its animal impulses, its lower degenerate nature. Thus, the image, while factually untrue is nevertheless inwardly, spiritually or metaphysically true. This is what metaphor is all about. When we say, "that guy's a clown," we don't mean he is literally dressed like a clown; we mean that he behaves with the same level of incompetence as a clown. So this idea of myth being invalid because it is factually false is merely a prosaic understanding of what myth is all about."

- John David Ebert"

http://www.singleeyemovement.com/about-sem

I think myths are very important to convey stories about things that mankind experienced long ago.
Many myths have endured because they do contain some truths.
Some types of info/stories can only be expressed in myth form because our means of interpretting data is not suficciently evolved enough to understand the message directly.

Does anyone have any specific myths that has any significance for them or that they just resonate with?

Myths, in general, are backbones for messages.
We have a lot of supernatural stuff representing inner psyches (gods depicting hubris or anger or some other exaggerated emotion/people doing incredible feats and acts) going along in these things. The setting is necessary to provide a familiar scenario and foundation to get the idea across. This is where we see religious stories bearing strong connotations with the culture is was founded within. Perhaps a simplistic twist on it- allegories to provide a connection for a viable means to express a message.

Then there is another point that was touched on. If we were to ignore a myth having a certain meaning, message or "moral/virtue" (even for sake of argument it doesn't matter if it does have it), the fact remains that people will react to it and form their own perspectives around it. The physical existence of Jesus is an example I'd like to use. Whether or not he did walk the earth, we still have people revolving a lot of thought and action around him. So in this sense, he does exist because people base aspects on his teachings etc. regardless. The same flow of thought applied to any mythology.

Interesting to note the strong representative symbology seamlessly flows across a lot of myths. Archetypes such as gods, sacrifice, nature, demons, destruction (by a greater power), rebellion... I wonder what could be said for this? Do peoples inherently have the same/similar instinctual symbols for conveying whatever the message is supposed to be?

Originally posted by karoly aczel
I think myths are very important to convey stories about things that mankind experienced long ago.
Many myths have endured because they do contain some truths.
Some types of info/stories can only be expressed in myth form because our means of interpretting data is not suficciently evolved enough to understand the message directly.

Does anyone have any specific myths that has any significance for them or that they just resonate with?

Originally posted by ua41
Myths, in general, are backbones for messages.
We have a lot of supernatural stuff representing inner psyches (gods depicting hubris or anger or some other exaggerated emotion/people doing incredible feats and acts) going along in these things. The setting is necessary to provide a familiar scenario and foundation to get the idea across. This is where we see ...[text shortened]... e the same/similar instinctual symbols for conveying whatever the message is supposed to be?

Originally posted by Taoman
Hi All,

This is an excerpt from the "about" section on a site I have recently discovered.
I post for both the thought expressed, and to point to a site some here may appreciate. Other links there worth exploring too (imo).
>>>

"Isn't a myth something that is usually considered to be a lie or falsehood?

"A myth came to be considered a falsehood as t ...[text shortened]... all about."

- John David Ebert"

http://www.singleeyemovement.com/about-sem

Originally posted by josephw
[b]"A myth came to be considered a falsehood as the result of the transformations of science which proved that the Bible was factually wrong..."

The myth IS the myth that science has proven the Bible factually wrong. In fact, science, archeology, has proven the Bible is in fact, factually accurate.

Yours is an anal post. And that's a fact.[/b]

Originally posted by josephw
[b]"A myth came to be considered a falsehood as the result of the transformations of science which proved that the Bible was factually wrong..."

The myth IS the myth that science has proven the Bible factually wrong. In fact, science, archeology, has proven the Bible is in fact, factually accurate.

Yours is an anal post. And that's a fact.[/b]

Joseph, dont take the bible literarily, it will lead you into a world of confusion, animals and man have been around for millions of years.

Originally posted by Proper Knob
Joseph what are you wittering on about now?

Evolution proves animals weren't created according to their kinds. There is substantial fossil evidence to indicate we have been around a lot longer than 6,000yrs. mtDNA and Y-Chromosone doesn't show we came from two people 6,000yrs ago, it doesn't show a bottle neck in the human popualtion around 4,000yrs a ...[text shortened]... geological evidence for a global flood anywhere.

Now what science are you talking about?

Originally posted by josephw
[b]"Now what science are you talking about?"

Real science. Not the twittering kind you listen to.


"There is substantial fossil evidence to indicate we have been around a lot longer than 6,000yrs."

What does fossil evidence have to do with time?


"mtDNA and Y-Chromosone doesn't show we came from two people 6,000yrs ago, it doesn' ...[text shortened]... h them. You haven't done anything but believe them without really looking into it.

Originally posted by josephw
"Now what science are you talking about?"

Real science. Not the twittering kind you listen to.


"There is substantial fossil evidence to indicate we have been around a lot longer than 6,000yrs."

What does fossil evidence have to do with time?


"mtDNA and Y-Chromosone doesn't show we came from two people 6,000yrs ago, it doesn't s ...[text shortened]... h them. You haven't done anything but believe them without really looking into it.

"Yours is an anal post. And that's a fact."

Oh good! I've saved thousands of dollars in Freudian psychoanalysis! Never could work out why my office is always so messy.

Seems like you are doing a Custer, mate, along with all your "Bible is Science" platoon. Very courageous if nothing else.

Update is respectfully suggested.

Cheers.

Originally posted by vishvahetu
... man [has] been around for millions of years.

Originally posted by josephw
"Now what science are you talking about?"

Real science. Not the twittering kind you listen to.


"There is substantial fossil evidence to indicate we have been around a lot longer than 6,000yrs."

What does fossil evidence have to do with time?


"mtDNA and Y-Chromosone doesn't show we came from two people 6,000yrs ago, it doesn' h them. You haven't done anything but believe them without really looking into it.