Hey Mr. Jeffrey,<\/p>\n
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 let it go. Then he went on to list different myths, to which he included “The Father, the Son, the Spirit. Myth!”<\/p>\n
I know he is wrong, but I was thinking about the impressionable students who probably take his word as fact. What approach or questions could I have asked to have him better explain himself? My thoughts were: So if a myth is just what you said it is, then it is purely subjective to the individual. How can you objectively prove something is a myth if it is “merely a story you<\/strong>\u00a0don’t believe?” I don’t know if that’s a good route or not.<\/p>\n\t It is an excellent route. It would be the one I would pick. What is missing from his definition is whether a story contains facts or not. Facts can be verified, but myths cannot be verified. One aspect of the definition of a myth is: “a person or thing having only an imaginary or unverifiable existence” [Merriam-Webster Dictionary].<\/p>\n By his definition, people going to the moon is a myth, at least to some, because they don’t believe it. Yet, it is never a myth because the facts can be verified.<\/p>\n While he disbelieves Christianity, it too offers facts that be judged and verified. ” “Present your case,” the LORD says. “Bring forward your strong arguments,” The King of Jacob says. Let them bring forth and declare to us what is going to take place; as for the former events, declare what they were, that we may consider them and know their outcome. Or announce to us what is coming; declare the things that are going to come afterward, that we may know that you are gods; indeed, do good or evil, that we may anxiously look about us and fear together. Behold, you are of no account, and your work amounts to nothing; he who chooses you is an abomination<\/em>” (Isaiah 41:21-24). That he personally has a problem with Christianity does not make it a myth.<\/p>\n If you want to have some fun, you could point out that this lecture must be a myth because you don’t believe it.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 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…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[37,642,907,441],"class_list":["post-54034","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-answer","tag-apologetics","tag-christianity","tag-myths","tag-truth"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":16987,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-semiramis-a-myth-or-a-fact\/","url_meta":{"origin":54034,"position":0},"title":"Is Semiramis a myth or a fact?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 8, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Who were Semiramis and her husband Nimrod? Are they responsible for goddesses and religions such as Catholicism along with praying to Mary and so forth? I have read of many \"mother and child\" religion like in China and in India (correct me if I am wrong). I can't identify\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":8623,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/do-you-perpetuate-the-myth-of-santa-claus\/","url_meta":{"origin":54034,"position":1},"title":"Do you perpetuate the myth of Santa Claus?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 17, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"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\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":25573,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-genesis-just-a-myth-based-on-the-epic-of-gilgamesh\/","url_meta":{"origin":54034,"position":2},"title":"Is Genesis just a myth based on the Epic of Gilgamesh?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 14, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I have read your Facebook writings on Adam and Eve with interest.\u00a0 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\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":83666,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/meme-makers-myth-informed\/","url_meta":{"origin":54034,"position":3},"title":"Meme Makers Myth-informed","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 26, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Richard Blackford Meme makers are trying to discredit Jesus again. It's difficult to find more falsehood in such a small space. This was making the rounds on social media during the holidays. One of the first things mentioned is Jesus' \"Birthday is celebrated on December 25th. \"But notice the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Jesus-vs.-Horas.avif","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":58273,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-myth\/","url_meta":{"origin":54034,"position":4},"title":"The Myth","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 21, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"by Shane Williams via The Lilbourn Light, Vol. 9, Nos. 4,5, Aug\/Sept. 2008. Once we decide to obey God completely, it's easy to assume that the rest of our life will run smoothly. If it does, we think this proves that we're doing God's Will. If we run into obstacles,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":48088,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-can-god-die\/","url_meta":{"origin":54034,"position":5},"title":"How can God die?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 9, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: What if a Muslim asks you, can God die? Jesus died and was resurrected, just like the myths of the Greeks, India, Roman, and the dark ages. What will you say? Answer: The ancient myths took their inspiration from the seasons. They saw the cycles of winter and spring\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54034","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54034"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54034\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54034"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54034"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54034"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Answer:<\/h2>\n