8. Religious Language: Myths
- Created by: Alasdair
- Created on: 17-06-17 16:30
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- 8. Religious Language: Myths
- Understood to be a story that is not true but has other value, e.g. inspirational and motivational
- A literary device that enables us to talk about ineffable things
- A method of interpreting reality, so haves symbolic meaning
- Bultmann
- Kerygma and Myth
- Modern Christians have to put aside reason, logic and scientific evidence when reading the Bible
- "it is impossible to use electric light and the wireless...and at the same time to believe in the New Testament world of spirits and miracles"
- Biblical stories/myths seem unbelievable and like fairy-tales otherwise
- This means there is a need to demythologise myths in the Bible and the New Testament to gain insight into historical Christ and make it relatable
- The NT contains truths (the kerygma message) but require demythologising to understnad and interpret them
- Miracles do not exist as they make God unrelatable and therefore distant
- Criticisms
- Bultmann denies any historicity of the Bible
- This challenges Christian beliefs and undermines the basis of Christianity (miracles)
- Or relieves the Bible of issues of historical accuracy
- To some, events such as the Resurrection are an important part of Christianity and link to the End of the World where the dead rise and claim their reward
- To some Christians God should not be relatable due to his greatness
- Many mythical parts of the Bible also perpetuate negative attitudes to women
- For example, Eve ate the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil
- Negatively portrays women as evil
- Women were only created after God had looked through all the other animals for a suitable companion for Adam
- Women are portrayed as less than men
- For example, Eve ate the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil
- Bultmann denies any historicity of the Bible
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