The Study of Myth



For centuries, humans have studied and debated mythologies. In general, I suppose, the most common conclusion has been that "My god is real, your god is a myth." Interest in this is so intense there is an International Association of Comparative Mythology. There is a wonderful article attempting to plot the various theories of mythology in the Oct. 20, 2025 issue of The New Yorker. For at least 100 years there have been scholars who think they discovered the original myths that later became Greek Gods and the Bible. So far, no theory about where or why myths appear has held up over time.

I've written my own ideas about where various stories from the Bible came from. There are many stories and gods recorded from seemingly reliable sources that then later appear in the Bible. Three days comes up in older stories and then appears in various Bible stories. The dead hero who comes back to life is also a common one. That they were in earlier stories is not absolute proof that was the source for the Bible. It's logical they could be the source but the actual thread has been broken.

Those who make a living studying mythology have, for a century, searched for one source for the most common myths. All efforts have been unsuccessful. We're left with the view that certain kinds of stories are more pleasant to retell. They are the ones in the Bible.


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