Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Myths versus Lies

In contemporary culture, we often use the term "myth" and "lie" as if they were interchangeable (especially in politics).  But they are not, and we need to remember the difference when we look at the Bible.

When a story is presented as being composed of literal, actual facts, something which could have been recorded on video and which would have been exactly as the narrator describes it, but that information is not literally and factually true, that may be a lie, or at least an error.  But a myth is larger than either a lie or a mistake.  A myth is a story which has value AS a story, independent of its actual, literal truth.  A myth tells a story to convey meaning.  It is a symbol, an arrow pointing to something larger and deeper than its words.

If we have a God who teaches us in parables, that does not mean "God is a liar."  There is truth in poetry.  There is truth in metaphor.  And yes, there is truth hidden in myth.

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