For this first session, I’ve chosen the articles posted by words. You can find them here:
http://www.hkbu.edu.hk/~ppp/top/top02
http://www.scils.rutgers.edu/~mjoseph/eliade.html
You can add comments and discuss the topic as you read it.
for future, if you have any interesting articles, either post them in this thread or you can PM me.
ahem - so when do the games begin?
well, it's already started :p
I will be posting my view soon.
After you, your Highness.
here's my first reaction to the two articles:
Both are well written and mostly agree on the various aspects of myths. A 'myth' is a true story that focuses on the origins of the world and human behavious and what flows from there. From this point of view, I want some input on two statements:
In the Western world, a lot of 'myths' still exist now. Things like the yearly commemoration, the official ceremonies, the black gown for graduates etcetc
Giving it a religious turn, are there 'myths' in Islam as it is being practiced now?
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by NeSCio: *
since there r many many versions of Islam being practiced today, i dont really know how to respond to this....
^wudn't it be so that CUZ there are so many different versions of Islam it means they differ in the 'myths' they believe in?
^
in my version of Islam, I dont see any myths....
I see it all as truth....
but other versions of Islam (those untrue versions) have a lot of myths in them....
that is how myths are in Islam, and u'll get the same answer from the followers of any sect within Islam....
and the same goes for other religions....
i think its better to look at myths that r cultural, cuz anything associated to religion always causes controversies....
of course there are myths in any religion..
armughal porbably considers a white winged hourse that flies faster than a speed of a light a reality more than a myth..
I want to quote two passages from these texts and I am startled to find that these ‘arguments’ are very often used in our very own religion forum 
:
and
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by PakistaniAbroad: *
of course there are myths in any religion..
armughal porbably considers a white winged hourse that flies faster than a speed of a light a reality more than a myth..
[/QUOTE]
exactly the point i mentioned above....
a hindu might laugh at us for thinking that Isa (as) was born of a virgin mother....
for him its no better than a myth, for me, as a muslim, its more real than me....
^as a consequence you agree that an 'absolute' truth doesn't exist? Because clearly, what we accept as truth depends on our point of view...
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by NeSCio: *
^as a consequence you agree that an 'absolute' truth doesn't exist? Because clearly, what we accept as truth depends on our point of view...
[/QUOTE]
are [any] people born of virgin mothers?
do trees talk to people? do rocks speak?
do birds drop stones from their beaks and destory armies? though frogs do rain...?
do people walk over water?
can a staff be turned into a snake under any circumstances?
can a man part water in a sea?
lots of interesting questions to ponder... myth or truth?
a few hypothetical, though interesting answers to some of these questions:
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by EkSamosa: *
do trees talk to people? do rocks speak?
[/quote]
these could be seen as metaphors at the places where such instances are mentioned. It's a artistical feature called personification.
[quote]
do birds drop stones from their beaks and destory armies?
[/quote]
why take the literal meaning of birds? Perhaps with birds is meant the F-16 (look at their shapes) and how they drop bombs on their enemies. It could be a lesson to the 'Muslim' countries and an answer to why they are always under attack.....they might be doing something wrong.
[quote]
do people walk over water?
[/quote]
An interesting observation is that on a hot sunny day a person approaching you from far will seem to be engulfed by a 'damp' which encroaches him from beneath. It gives the illusion as if he's walking over water. The day that Jesus walked over water he was approaching ppl from far during a hot sunny day. And those ppl later said he was walking over 'water'.
there is no such thing as absolution, just a series of greys
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by NeSCio: *
^as a consequence you agree that an 'absolute' truth doesn't exist? Because clearly, what we accept as truth depends on our point of view...
[/QUOTE]
no, what i am saying is that ABSOLUTE truth does exist, only some ppl dont wish to believe in it....
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by NeSCio: *
a few hypothetical, though interesting answers to some of these questions:
these could be seen as metaphors at the places where such instances are mentioned. It's a artistical feature called personification.
why take the literal meaning of birds? Perhaps with birds is meant the F-16 (look at their shapes) and how they drop bombs on their enemies. It could be a lesson to the 'Muslim' countries and an answer to why they are always under attack.....they might be doing something wrong.
An interesting observation is that on a hot sunny day a person approaching you from far will seem to be engulfed by a 'damp' which encroaches him from beneath. It gives the illusion as if he's walking over water. The day that Jesus walked over water he was approaching ppl from far during a hot sunny day. And those ppl later said he was walking over 'water'.
[/QUOTE]
i like them all, but the last one is very intelligent, nice!