According to the dictionary (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/myth) a myth can be:
1 - A traditional or legendary story, usually concerning some being or hero or event, with or without a determinable basis of fact or a natural explanation, especially one that is concerned with deities or demigods and explains some practice, rite, or phenomenon of nature.
2 - Stories or matter of this kind: realm of myth.
3 - Any invented story, idea, or concept: His account of the event is pure myth.
4 -An imaginary or fictitious thing or person.
5 - An unproved or false collective belief that is used to justify a social institution.
There are hundreds, if not thousands of recorded religions mankind has practiced and gods we have worshiped throughout history. Any sane person will not have a problem in classifying Greek, Egyptian or Norse gods/religions as mythology. Why not Christianity or Islam? After all, there is no evidence to support any claim regarding any religion/god, just like there wasn't proof for the ancient gods
My question is - Can we legitimately/"scientifically" consider all religions/gods as myth? Is the classification accurate? And if so, why is it a problem to classify the big five religions (Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism) as myths and not the ancient gods/mythology/religions?
1 - A traditional or legendary story, usually concerning some being or hero or event, with or without a determinable basis of fact or a natural explanation, especially one that is concerned with deities or demigods and explains some practice, rite, or phenomenon of nature.
2 - Stories or matter of this kind: realm of myth.
3 - Any invented story, idea, or concept: His account of the event is pure myth.
4 -An imaginary or fictitious thing or person.
5 - An unproved or false collective belief that is used to justify a social institution.
There are hundreds, if not thousands of recorded religions mankind has practiced and gods we have worshiped throughout history. Any sane person will not have a problem in classifying Greek, Egyptian or Norse gods/religions as mythology. Why not Christianity or Islam? After all, there is no evidence to support any claim regarding any religion/god, just like there wasn't proof for the ancient gods
My question is - Can we legitimately/"scientifically" consider all religions/gods as myth? Is the classification accurate? And if so, why is it a problem to classify the big five religions (Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism) as myths and not the ancient gods/mythology/religions?
Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you
