Critical Thinking Assignment 2: Myth

Critical Thinking Assignment #2: Myth Myth is often falsely misunderstood as fake; however, when using myth in a religious studies atmosphere, it takes on a new meaning. Myths are stories created by a group of people which believe the stories are true. These stories are understood to be “narratives concerning sacred reality and its relationship to humanity” (Cunningham and Kelsay 59). There are numerous types of myths which people have created; for example, how humans, religious figures, and Earth came to be. Not a great deal is known about Earth’s origination to humanity since people were not around when the universe began. Countless myths focus on creation of someone or something, since humans have an abundance of questions about how life

An ideal myth, as mentioned previously, describes extraordinary experiences. The Big Bang Theory does meet this criterion because it is an overwhelmingly complex idea of how the universe began. “The universe as we know it starting with a small singularity, then inflating over the next 13.8 billion years to create the current cosmos” (Howell). The idea the universe is continuously expanding is a difficult concept to grasp because people cannot witness it with their own eyes. It is backed up with mathematical theories and models as a natural phenomenon; however, it is an extremely abstract and extraordinary idea (Howell). Since it is well supported in this manner, it is not regarded as a sacred story, but instead a scientific idea. Being a sacred story is the definition of a myth, so if it is not a sacred story, it is not a myth. Astrophysicists do not come together for “religious gatherings” to tell “sacred stories” about the Big Bang Theory and how they “worship” the “all powerful” cosmic microwave background and rapid inflation. This statement is awkward since these terms and ideas do not coincide with the meaning of myth because the Big Bang Theory is not a sacred narrative and therefore not a good example of a

Genesis (1-3) is a great example of a myth, meeting all the important criteria discussed. It tells a story about extraordinary experiences which are held to be true about crucial human questions. It also affects how people view the world and how they relate themselves to the sacred. Genesis also functions remarkably as a myth in uniting communities and influencing their view of reality. However, the Big Bang Theory may be a “creation story”, but it is not a great example of a myth because it does not meet the criteria and it contradicts with crucial ideas which define a myth and how it functions in a