Posts Tagged ‘myths’
Are we bound by our culture’s traditions?
Question: In this region of my country, there is a traditional belief that the spirit of your ancestors will kill you and your children if your wife has an affair. If you present a cow to your in-laws during your father-in-law’s funeral and you did not do the same during your father’s burial, your ancestors…
Read MoreAre these points about Easter true?
Question: Is this true? Origin of Easter: Origin of word, “Easter”: Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring: “Eostre” In her honor sacrifices were offered at the vernal equinox or spring By 8th century church leaders applied “Eostre” to Christ’s resurrection In Acts 12:4, “Passover” in mistranslated “Easter” is in some Bibles Origin of symbols of Easter: Easter…
Read MoreIs Christianity a myth?
Question: Hey Mr. Jeffrey, I’m taking a philosophy class, and we are studying how the Greeks used mythology in the past to make sense of their world. I asked the professor to explain what a myth is and he said “a story you don’t believe.” I knew I could’ve picked that answer apart, but I…
Read MoreDid the priests have a rope tied to their ankles when entering the tabernacle?
Question: I have heard all my life that priests in the Old Testament when entering the tabernacle had a rope tied to their leg in case they were killed because of some sin in their life, they could be pulled out since no one else could enter the Tabernacle. Thank you. Answer: This is a…
Read MoreThe Myth of the Flat Earth
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton I ran across an article, from Newsweek of all places, that pointed out that humanity as a whole never really believed in the concept of a flat earth. [Douglas Main, “Even in the Middle Ages, People Didn’t Think the Earth Was Flat,” Newsweek, 16 January 2016]. “A round Earth appears at…
Read MoreDoesn’t the Bible say “It is better for you to plant your seed in the belly of a whore than to cast it upon the ground”?
Question: I was reading Does “sexual immorality” (porneia) include masturbation? and something I read in the Bible constantly came to mind. I don’t remember the exact book, chapter, or verse, but the Bible does say that it is better for you to plant your seed in the belly of a whore than to cast (or spill) it…
Read MoreMyth or History?
by Forrest D. Moyer The Bible is either the product of God or the product of men. Christians believe that the Bible is from the hand of God and that it is to be believed and obeyed in order to have a good life now and in Heaven in eternity. There have always been those…
Read MoreCan you read about mythology if you don’t believe in it?
Question: Hi, Is reading Greek mythology allowed? For example, the Percy Jackson series? I think there are some verses of the Bible that talk about mythology (I Timothy 1:3-4;4:1-8; and II Timothy 4:2) But can you read about mythology if you don’t believe in it? I’m confused. Thanks! Answer: The myths condemned in the Bible…
Read MoreWas John ever put in a boiling pot of oil and came out still preaching?
Question: Was John ever put in a boiling pot of oil and came out still preaching? Answer: Tertullian in A.D. 200 wrote, “at Rome, the Apostle John, having been immersed in hot oil, suffered no harm at all from it” (The Prescription against Heretics, chapter 36). The claim is that because John wasn’t killed that…
Read MoreAre the stories in the Bible just “true myths?”
Question: I recently read that C.S. Lewis, who is one of my favorite authors ever, believed that some chapters in Genesis were “true myths” as he called them. “True myths” being stories of both fact and fiction. Chapters concerning the history of Adam and Eve or Noah and the Ark or Jonah and the Whale…
Read MoreIs Genesis just a myth based on the Epic of Gilgamesh?
Question: I have read your Facebook writings on Adam and Eve with interest. However, as a Unitarian I was presented with the beautiful Genesis story, not as a biblical illustration of the origin of sin, but as an important myth long misinterpreted in the Judaic/Christian tradition. Almost all the constituents of the garden paradise myth…
Read MoreDo you perpetuate the myth of Santa Claus?
Question: Do you, or the flock, there perpetuate the deceit that is the myth of Santa Claus? Thank you for your time. I apologize for repeatedly bugging you about things. I hope I am not a burden, I just don’t have very many people I can trust to ask difficult questions. Answer: I don’t mind…
Read MoreNotes on Mythology, False Gods and Their Worship
General References Judges 2:12 1 Kings 9:9 2 Chronicles 7:22 Ammonite Gods Molech Leviticus 18:21 2 Kings 23:10 Jeremiah 32:35 Amos 5:26 Zephaniah 1:5 Acts 7:43 Assyrian Gods General References 2 Chronicles 32:21 Land Based Gods 2 Kings 17:26-27 2 Kings 18:33 Isaiah 36:18 Babylonian Gods General References Isaiah 21:9 Marduk Jeremiah 50:2 Bel Isaiah…
Read More