The academic definition of the word according to Leonard & McClure “myths are ancient narratives that attempt to answer the enduring and fundamental human questions: How did the universe and the world come to be? How did we come to be here? Who are we? What are our proper, necessary, or inescapable roles as we relate to one another and to the world at large?” (Leonard & McClure, ) My own personal definition to the word myth is human attempts to answer everyday questions that have a basis of truth that but has had its story changed over time. • Why do myths from different cultures around the world address such similar or universal themes?
Many theories have been made attempting to verify the existence of a deity or spiritual being, and this debate continues to spark controversy amongst some of the brightest thinkers. It is one of mankind’s oldest questions and one that we may never be able to fully understand, but with the use of logic we can evaluate these theories and choose what is most reasonable. The teleological argument uses deductive reasoning to verify the existence of God with some very basic premises; however these premises contain gaps, fallacies, and unreasonable assumptions. The teleological argument was the brainchild of Saint Thomas Aquinas, a prominent 13th century religious philosopher who presented a number of logical arguments for the existence of God. In building his argument he first observed that the universe is highly ordered and compared it to a human artifact because of its purposive properties.
Creation myths of any culture, arise out of curiousity to experience and understand the world. They are not intended to explain how the universe came into being, but offer symbolic insight and meaning of a realm that lies outside intellectual understanding. [1] By examining the Greek, Near Eastern and Biblical ‘creation myths’ and associated ancient sources, I will seek to explain common elements between them, accounting for their differences, in order to reveal the significance of these narratives, for the people and culture at the time they were created. Fundamental to all types of myths, is the importance of the oral tradition, as they were often intitially performed and have been told and retold over the centuries, each time being reinterpreted and recreated to suit the culture of the time, which reveal details about a particular people, society, politics, societal structure and religion. In the Greek creation myth, The Theogony “is a mythical account of how the Greek gods came into existence and of the relationships and conflicts bewtween them, which led to a divine monarch under the ruler Zeus.”[2] Features include, a polytheistic worldview, with gods being part of the natural environment and personified, to the extent of having male and female sex characteristics.
However I do not believe the Genesis story 2 and 3 to be historically true because if evolution happened (in which I believe it did) then how could the humans made by God have existed in the “Garden of Eden” (which I believe is heaven)? Evil in the world to me was just via pure knowledge and the evolution of mankind. But also like me, there are others who interpret the bible story in another way, maybe even like me who mixes science and religion to form a belief. But although we could all share the same world view, depending on how we interpret it. I could say God’s 6 days of creation in the Genesis story is representing 6
“The Parallel Similarities of Greek Mythology and Christianity There are many comparisons and parallel similarities that can be said about Greek Mythology and Religion. Most people that are Christians or follow the principles of the Bible believe the stories told in the Bible itself. The same can be said about the stories of Greek and Roman mythology as well. The idea that many different gods and goddesses controlled the universe can be looked at as stories that are no more than fiction or fantasy. The same could be said about Christianity for non-believers.
The need for a such a deity is seen as a messenger. A trickster can also be either a creator or a destroyer, also a repulsive liar, and selfish. The need for this spirit is really for the enjoyment of the stories told because they are entertaining. Believing in a certain type of religion or faith will bring a variety of all kinds of stories and testaments you read. Polytheistic and monotheistic is just a few examples of a belief and it brings along many stories like the
God has a very broad meaning and the meaning varies from person to person. Therefore, shutting down the theories of God’s existence outright would not be fair to people who look for God as a purpose to live for. One of the most prominent theologians in history is Thomas Aquinas, who developed the “five proofs” theory to prove that God exists. Most of his proofs consist of the main idea that everything that exists in the universe has some sort of origin. This origin, in Aquinas’ eyes, is God.
Commonly, critics argue that any implied designer need not have the qualities commonly attributed to the God of classical theism. Moreover, there is a great diversity of spiritual and religious beliefs concerning the identity and attributes of such a Creator, which change from one society to another and from one period of human
Yet, Different cultures had different gods. And even in a single culture gods sometimes conflicted with each other. As a result of this conflict, humans questioned the old ways and sought to formulate a new theology. Innovatively, and breaking with tradition, the early Jews were the ones to first develop monotheism. Out of a need for unity and empowerment, they fashioned the idea of a single God, the sole creator of the world, and most importantly, their protector.
He argued that if people speak equivocally about God, then it cannot profess to know anything about him as it is saying that the language we use to describe humans or the experienced world around us, doesn’t apply to God. Aquinas believed that there