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Mythology as a religion
By Charles Eloriaga (c) 2000
Analytical Writing
Grade: A
Who created the world? How was it created? How was
earth created? Who created man? These questions have
bewildered man for generations, and for generations
to come. There are many ways to go about finding out
these questions. Some turn to religion to answer these
questions. Not a bad place to turn considering that
there are hundreds of viable religions. Each with its
own set of god(s) and commandments. But how about an
alternative that has been around for centuries. An alternative
that has been around longer than some religions. I'm
talking about Mythology.
Constantly evolving from one generation to the next,
the myths we know today have been told and retold to
form a living link to the creation of the earth and
the origins of humanity. Stories of the creation of
the universe and humankind, epic journey's battles of
the gods, and the destruction of the cosmos recur, as
do tales of great floods, trickster gods, and the hero's
quest. "A living part of our entire heritage, myths
are still some of the best stories of all time. Sometimes,
the same stories also formed the basis of religion."
Pg. 7, Wilkinson.
Many mythological stories often tie into philosophical
arguments and religious beliefs of how the world started.
They often tell tales of how the universe first began
and how man was created. From the phases of the moon
to the origin of humans, from the formation of canyons
to the twinkling of the stars, the world's creation
myths describe how the universe was made and why it
took its shape. Many myths include the cosmic egg as
part of it. Also in many mythologies, "the process of
creation is constantly repeated over a long period of
time," Pg. 10, Wilkinson.
Each religion has its own Gods that they worship.
There is usually one for each quality or attribute of
life. Some Gods protect the earth, some cause war, and
even some bring happiness to the lands. Each religion
has its own version of Gods, some depicting other Gods
in other mythologies.
Myths that describe an area's beliefs are commonly
found in many countries today. Some animals today represent
certain countries as a type of "mascot." For example
the US believes the American eagle to be a sign of pride
and prosperity. India worships the cow to be sacred.
China believes that the dragon brings rain and fertility
to their land. Japan believes that a statue of one of
the seven gods of fortune placed in the home will bring
that fortune there.
I'm not trying to be sacrilegious to any religion
which in fact I've been a steadily practicing Catholic
for my whole life. But while currently taking a course
in philosophy, it has opened up my eyes to some aspects
of my religion. One main point being that there is no
actual, factual and scientific proof of the beginning
of the world or creation of man. Only a book that was
written around several thousand years ago keeps our
faith to our religion. And faith is what many religions
are based on. Let's take Christianity as an example
(which I will use for the remainder of the essay because
it is the religion I am mostly associated with). Let's
just say that all the stories in the Bible are all real.
Deception has been around since the creation of many
when Adam and Eve ate the apple and was expelled from
Exodus. It was also around when the Bible was written.
So is it possible that someone could have written fictional
stories, incorrectly wrote them, or even wrote them
in seclusion not knowing how the rest of the world was.
Yes, but it also isn't impossible.
Numerous amounts of practicing Christians don't know
or often deny the fact that most, if not all the stories
in the Bible, are interpretations. The world was not
created in seven years but it was interpreted to be
so. Scientist today can prove that a solar system takes
millions of years to be created. Christianity has a
lot in common with other mythology with the theory of
the ultimate creation. In Greek mythology, the cosmic
egg was said to have created the world. At the crucial
moment the egg cracks apart, on half forms the heavens,
the other half becomes the earth. The creators emerge
from the shell, to begin giving birth to the other gods
or to create humanity. "In Chinese mythology, the Chinese
creator, Pan Ku, dies after the enormous effort of separating
the heavens from the earth, but Rangi and Papa, the
Moari heaven and earth, survive to produce deities and
humans. For Norse mythology, the cosmos was seen as
the great ash tree, Yggdrasil, which connected many
different worlds - from Asgard, realm of the gods, to
Midgard, the home of humans. In many African myths,
the four cardinal directions were important, each one
being associated with an element - water, earth, fire,
and air - and there were often myths to explain the
appearance of the universe.
The Bible says that God created the first man by
the names of Adam and Eve. In Genesis 1:27, "God created
man in his own image, in the image of God he created
him; male and female he created them." There are many
other versions of the creation of man in other mythologies.
The ancient Greeks had a similar myth, describing the
birth of Pelasgus, the first man out of the soil of
Arcadia.
Some of the most popular myths come from Greek mythology,
Norse mythology, and European mythology. In Greek mythology,
Zeus was god of all Gods and ruler of the heavens. He
was the youngest son of the Titans Kronos and Rhea.
The most popular of the classic world mythology. In
Norse mythology, Odin was the ruler and lived in lived
in the heavens in Valhalla Palace. His eight-legged
stallion Sleipnir was faster than any horse and was
a source of Odin's great power. In European mythology,
King Arthur was famed as Britain's brave and virtuous
leader and is perhaps based on an actual person (The
myth has still not been proven.). He may have been a
British leader in the Dark Ages, just after the Romans
left Britain in the fifth century. The Americas don't
have a real form of mythology but have urban legends.
I was opened to the concept of mythology as a religion
in my philosophy class. To me it made perfect sense
and everything seemed to fit.
Bibliography
· Wilkinson, Philip, Illustrated Dictionary of Mythology.
New York: DK, 1998.
· Holy Bible (NIV). Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing
House, 1992.
· Norder, Dan. Mythology Web. 10 April 2000.
http://www.mythology.com
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