Religion and mythology differ, but have overlapping aspects. Both concern assumptions concerning the supernatural or sacred, and the values and institutions associated with such understandings. An assumption is a proposition that is assumed, i. ... The supernatural (Latin: super- exceeding + nature) comprises forces and phenomena which are beyond the realm of current scientific understanding, and which may actually directly contradict conventional scientific understandings. ... In various religions, sacred (from Latin, sacrum, sacrifice; or simply in English, holy) objects, places or concepts are believed by followers to be intimately connected with the supernatural, or divinity, and are thus greatly revered. ...

Religion and mythology

Religion is commonly defined as belief concerning the supernatural, sacred, or divine, and the moral codes, practices, values, and institutions associated with such belief. It is a structure of beliefs that involves the existence or nonexistence of at least one of: The concept of the divine or of The Divine, meaning matters relating to a god, forms an important ingredient in many religious faiths (but compare Buddhism, for example, or Scientology). ... Moral codes (see Morality) are often complex statements of right and wrong. ...

• a human soul or spirit,
• a deity or higher being, or
• self after the death of one's body.

It generally involves how people worship and can include any system of beliefs (eg., like those that do not involve the existence of one or more deities like Buddhism). The soul according to many religious and philosophical traditions, is the ethereal substance — spirit (Hebrew:rooah or nefesh) — particular to a unique living being. ... The English word spirit comes from the Latin spiritus, meaning breath. ... The afterlife (or life after death) is a generic term referring to a continuation of existence, typically spiritual and experiential, beyond this world, or after death. ... Worship usually refers to specific acts of religious praise, honour, or devotion, typically directed to a supernatural being such as a god or goddess. ... A replica of an ancient statue found among the ruins of a temple at Sarnath Buddhism is a religion and philosophy based on the teachings of the Buddha, Siddhārtha Gautama, who lived between approximately 566 and 486 BCE in India. ...

Mythology, most abstractly, refers to a collection of stories about a people, usually concerning their origin, history, deities, ancestors, and heroes behind the belief structure and faith. The stories discussed express the viewpoints and beliefs of the country, time period, culture, and/or religion which gave birth to them. It can also be a body of myths concerning an event, person, or institution. One can speak of a Jewish mythology, a Christian mythology, or an Islamic mythology, in which one describes the mythic elements within these faiths without speaking to the veracity of the faith's tenets or claims about its history. Mythology is used to refer to stories that, whether or not believers accept them as strictly factual, are believed to reveal fundamental truths and insights about human nature, often through the use of archetypes. From this perspective, Story (Myth), figures prominently in most religions and belief systems, and specific mythologies are tied to at least one religion. The word mythology (from the Greek μυϑολογία mythología, from μυϑολογειν mythologein to relate myths, from μυϑος mythos, meaning a narrative, and λογος logos, meaning speech or argument) literally means the (oral) retelling of myths – stories that a particular culture believes to be true and that use the supernatural to interpret natural events and... Story has several different meaning as outlined below. ... ... A deity or a god, is a postulated preternatural being, usually, but not always, of significant power, worshipped, thought holy, divine, or sacred, held in high regard, or respected by human beings. ... Sir Galahad, a hero of Arthurian legend In mythology and folklore, a hero (male) or heroine (female) is an eminent character who quintessentially embodies key traits valued by its originating culture. ... This article discusses faith in a religious context. ... Jewish mythology is a body of stories that explains or symbolizes Jewish beliefs. ... Christian mythology is a body of stories that explains or symbolizes Christian beliefs. ... Islamic tradition and culture includes a number of stories and legends that are mythological but do not have their origin in sacred texts such as the Quran and Hadith. ... This article is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... This article is currently under construction. ...

The word mythology itself is ambiguous (and sometimes controversial) and can convey negative connotations of a belief being imaginary or false (eg., fictitious narrative). This is usually applied to discarded or archaic notions of religions that are no longer widely practiced. The term used in the sense of fable commonly describes religions founded by ancient societies, such as Roman mythology, Greek mythology, and Norse mythology, in which the existance is nearly extinct. However, particularly in the academic world, myth and mythology can denote beliefs without necessarily implying falsehood. A controversy is a contentious dispute, a disagreement over which parties are actively arguing. ... In logic and in some branches of semantics, connotation is more or less synonymous with intension. ... The Three Graces, here in a painting by Sandro Botticelli, were the goddesses of charm, beauty, nature, human creativity and fertility in Greek mythology. ... Roman mythology can be considered as two parts. ... Greek mythology comprises the collected narratives of Greek gods, goddesses, heroes, and heroines, originally created and spread within an oral-poetic tradition. ... Norse or Scandinavian mythology refers to the pre-Christian religion, beliefs and legends of the Scandinavian people, including those who settled on Iceland, where the written sources for Norse mythology were assembled. ...

While some view ancient mythologies (such as the the Nordic and Celtic pantheons) as mere fable, a very few even today may seriously hold them as a religion -- although the work of some modern scholars (including Ronald Hutton) suggests that the modern versions of these beliefs usually have little to no resemblance to the originals (see Neopaganism). Similarly, many people do not regard the tales surrounding the origin and development of religions like Christianity, Judaism and Islam as literal accounts of events, but instead regard them as figurative representations of their belief systems; and they may, reflecting such disbelief, use the word, myth. However, this is not what academics mean by the word or idea; and, besides the academic setting where this meaning is mostly recognized, this more classical notion is gaining acceptance in the popular culture (diminishing it's negative connotations). In its strict sense a fable is a short story or folk tale embodying a moral, which may be expressed explicitly at the end as a maxim. ... Ronald Hutton is Professor of History at the University of Bristol and is an occasional commentator on British television and radio on his areas of expertise. ... Neopaganism (sometimes Neo-Paganism) describes a heterogeneous group of new religious movements which attempt to revive ancient, mainly pre-Christian and often pre-Judaic Indo-European religions. ... Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as presented in the New Testament writings of his early followers. ... Judaism is the religious culture of the Jewish people. ...   Islam? (Arabic: الإسلام al-islām) the submission to God is a monotheistic faith, one of the Abrahamic religions, and the worlds second largest religion. ...

Similarities

"Mythology" can be used to refer to stories that, whether or not they are strictly thought factual, are received for their deeper truths and insights about human nature, often through the use of archetypes (eg., viewpoints and beliefs of the country, time period, culture, and/or religion which gave birth to them). Therefore, some mythologists would define any element of a religious narrative as belonging to the realm of religious mythos, including also any formal religious doctrinal tradition, including the Trinity^[1], Allah^[2], the Son of God. From the perspective of comparative mythology and comparative religion, these elements represent the symbolic values within these faiths. The Trinity is God, according to the teaching of the churches which represent the majority of Christians. ... The word Allah is the Arabic term for God. It is ultimately derived (according to most etymologists) from Proto-Semitic ʾil-, as is Hebrew El. ... Son of God is a biblical phrase from the Hebrew Bible, and the New Testament. ...

The similarities between cultures and time periods can be useful, but it is usually not easy to combine beliefs and histories from different groups. Simplification of cultures and time periods by eliminating detailed data remain vulnerably delicate or flimsy in this area of research. Abrahamic religions and Pagan religions share, though, some rituals and practices. Duplication being done by Christians and Pagan bidirectionally, coincidentially or directly outright.

Some similarities between cultures and time periods include:

• Thuvayal Thavasu was a spiritual as well as physical purification as per Ayyavazhi.
• Baptism was a principal ritual.
• The sacrament of a ritual meal of bread and wine (which symbolize the diety's body and blood) have been held by both.
• Some celebrate the birthday of their god incarnate.
• Some celebrate the resurrection of their god (such as the Resurrection of Jesus and the Egyptian worship of Osiris).

To do - list more similarities This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Ayyavazhi அய்யாவழி (Tamil: path of the father), officially a Tamil Hindu sect, is a monistic religion that originated in South India in the mid-19th century. ... Baptism is a water purification ritual practiced in certain religions such as Christianity, Mandaeanism, Sikhism, and some historic sects of Judaism. ... A sacrament is a Christian rite that mediates divine grace. ... Resurrection of the Flesh (1499-1502) Fresco by Luca Signorelli Chapel of San Brizio, Duomo, Orvieto Resurrection is most commonly associated with the consisting of the reuniting of the spirit and the body of an individual, or the raising of a person from death back to life. ... According to the New Testament, especially the Gospels, Jesus, also called Christ, had the power to lay his life down and to take it up again, being both human and God as well as the Promised Messiah. ... Osiris (Greek language, also Usiris; the Egyptian language name is variously spelled Asar, Aser, Ausar, or Ausare) is the Egyptian god of death and the underworld. ... One of Wikipedias rules to consider: Please make omissions explicit when creating or editing an article. ...

Contrasts

Though there are similarities that exist between Abrahamic religions and Pagan religions, there are contrasts. Mythologies typically are explanations of the universe, natural phenomena, or other themes of human existence, often ascribing agency to one or more deities or other supernatural forces. Some religions have very few of this kind of story of cosmic explanation. Abrahamic religions and Pagan religions similarities does not specifically denote dependence of the one upon the the. The particular meaning of the rituals and celebration may not have synonymous meanings. Parallels drawn between Abrahamic religious text and Pagan religious texts cover a wide range of literary forms with few in exact concordance. Similarity of literary style between Abrahamic religious text and Pagan religious texts can be attributed to common cultural milieu. Look up Agency in Wiktionary, the free dictionary In philosophy, law, and other fields, agency is the status of an agent. ... This list of deities aims at giving information about deities in the different religions, cultures and mythologies of the world. ... The supernatural (Latin: super- exceeding + nature) comprises forces and phenomena which are beyond the realm of current scientific understanding, and which may actually directly contradict conventional scientific understandings. ...

To do - list more contrasts One of Wikipedias rules to consider: Please make omissions explicit when creating or editing an article. ...

Range of views

Academic views

The academic meaning of the word mythology is not meant to suggest a negation or denial of the beliefs concerning the codes or values associated with such belief, or to mark these views as similar to unreal or imaginary stories. Such description of certian religious doctrines, traditions, literature, and scriptures is to understand a religion in general. Mythology is used in this sense to understand the body of stories, addressing issues of core belief, that explains or symbolizes a religon. Plato is credited with the inception of academia: the body of knowledge, its development and transmission across generations. ...

Sociologists and historians of religion are not primarily interested in these stories for their historical value. They analyze religions in terms of the role which their stories and histories play, within the religious system. Histories and imaginative stories alike are treated as a body of myths, when they are regarded by a people as expressing profound truths. Describing the essential and traditional stories accepted as mysteries and historical narratives considered true is consequently just a tool for theological studies and study of the systems of common experience in general. Without necessarily speaking to the veracity of the faith's tenets or claims about its history, these mythological elements are studied for their mythic value.

Religious views

Some churches as well as individuals, especially within revealed religions that are justified in terms of an authenticated scripture, take offense when historical aspects their faith, or what they consider to be the Word of God, are characterized as an expression of myth. Those who hold such views differentiate religious myths, fables and symbolic stories, in contrast to those narratives of Scripture which Scripture itself, or their tradition, describe as history or revelation. Some use the description fundamentalism for this view; and they suppose fallaciously that this view rejects discernment of various literary types, hyperbole, allegory, or other non-literal kinds of meaning in Scripture (although some individuals holding the view require that every incidental element be accepted as literally true). A revealed religion is one which perceive a symbolic center in a set of revelations given by a diety. ... Many religions and spiritual movements hold certain written texts (or series of spoken legends not traditionally written down) to be sacred. ... The term The Word of God is a common English translation of the Greek New Testament term ho Logos tou Theou. (see Logos for more information). ... In comparative religion, fundamentalism refers to anti-modernist movements in various religions. ...

But there are often reasons internal to the religion that account for this objection to the terminology. For example, the etymology of the word myth as it is used in the Greek New Testament means a fable. Thus, if essential mysteries and teachings are described as myth, to the religious individual the word implies that it is a fable and false invention. This description would be taken as a direct attack on the religious belief, quite contrary to the meaning intended by the academic use of the term. In historical linguistics, etymology is the study of the origins of words. ... In its strict sense a fable is a short story or folk tale embodying a moral, which may be expressed explicitly at the end as a maxim. ... The term Sacred Mysteries is used in the Eastern Churches to refer to what the Western Church calls Sacraments and Sacramentals. ... Religion, sometimes used interchangeably with faith, is commonly defined as belief concerning the supernatural, sacred, or divine, and the practices and institutions associated with such belief. ...

There are also historical reasons for religious people to be sensitive to the term. During the dechristianisation of France during the French Revolution, alongside the adoption and enforcement of a policy of religious toleration, for a time speaking of the Bible as anything except a myth came to be viewed by authorities as treasonable. Public expressions of Christian belief were also discouraged. Similar policies have also been forced upon people at various other stages and places in history. For example, Enver Hoxha's Albania denied its citizens freedom of religion although the constitution of 1976 ostensibly guaranteed this right. Some communist regimes, such as Maoist China and Stalinist Russia, instituted policies denying religion. The Dechristianisation of France during the French Revolution is a conventional description of the results of half-a-dozen separate policies, conducted by various governments of France during the dozen years between 1789 and 1801: The traditional Gallican policy that the Church of France should be subject to the French... Freedom of religion is the individuals right or freedom to hold whatever religious beliefs he or she wishes, or none at all. ... The Bible (sometimes The Book or Good Book), from Greek (τα) βιβλια, (ta) biblia, (the) books, plural of βιβλιον, biblion, book, originally a diminutive of βιβλος, biblos, which in turn is derived from βυβλος—byblos, meaning papyrus, from the ancient Phoenician city of Byblos which exported this writing material), is the classical name for the... In law, treason is the crime of disloyalty to ones nation. ... Enver Hoxha (1908-1985) Enver Hoxha, (IPA , October 16, 1908–April 11, 1985) was the president of Albania from the end of World War II until his death in 1985, as the First Secretary of the Communist Albanian Party of Labour. ... Communism - Wikipedia /**/ @import /w/skins-1. ... Maoism or Mao Tse-tung Thought (Chinese: 毛泽东思想, pinyin: Máo Zédōng Sīxiǎng), is a variant of Marxism-Leninism derived from the teachings of Mao Zedong (1893–1976). ... Stalinism is a brand of political theory, and the political and economic system implemented by Joseph Stalin in the Soviet Union. ...

Some apologists for religious belief sometimes argue that when their scriptures, or the codes or values associated with their beliefs, are described as a "mythology", it introduces an analysis of religion that ignores, and sometimes denies, the transcendent and historical aspects supposed by adherents. Some religious individuals believe that these academics mean to dogmatically insist that their religion is merely the creation of human religious imagination and a development of culture, when the religious see this as the reverse of the case: that their scriptures and codes are a correction of otherwise errant religious imaginations, of which their culture is the product Apologetics is the field of study concerned with the systematic defense of a position. ...

Using the terms of myth and mythology to describe a developed doctrine may also be taken by some religious individuals, such as evangelists, priests, rabbis, or shamans, as an attack on the religion in general (eg., that some do not truly desire to describe thier beliefs, but only desecrate devout concepts). Some religious groups may hold the same belief in this use of terminology. Even when such groups or individuals recognize elements of mythology especially in their literature and folk religion, this is sharply distinguished from the Tradition and Scripture of their formal religious doctrines. Their philosophy would not include elements of their respective religions, such as God, the Trinity, or Allah, as in any sense "myths" or "mythical", but rather as unalterable realities. Evangelism is the proclaiming of the Christian Gospel. ... Roman Catholic priest LCDR Allen R. Kuss (USN) aboard USS Enterprise A priest or priestess is a holy man or woman who takes an officiating role in worship of any religion, with the distinguishing characteristic of offering sacrifices. ... Rabbi (Classical Hebrew רִבִּי ribbī;; modern Ashkenazi and Israeli רַבִּי rabbī) in Judaism, means teacher, or more literally great one. The word Rabbi is derived from the Hebrew root-word RaV, which in biblical Hebrew means great or distinguished,. In the ancient Judean schools the sages were addressed as רִבִּי (Ribbi or Rebbi... The shaman is an intellectual and spiritual figure who is regarded as possessing power and influence on other peoples in the tribe and performs several functions, primarily that of a healer ( medicine man). The shaman provides medical care, and serves other community needs during crisis times, via supernatural means (means... A tradition is a story or a custom that is memorized and passed down from generation to generation, originally without the need for a writing system. ...

In contrast, many religious people view every religion as containing a body of myths that express deeper truths, that are ineffable on the surface level. Modern day rabbis and priests within the more liberal Jewish and Christian movements, as well as most Neopagans, have no problem viewing their religious texts as containing myth. They see their sacred texts as indeed containing religious truths, divinely inspired but delivered in the language of mankind.

Miscellaneous

The Dewey decimal system covers religion and mythology (or religious mythology) together in the 200 range. The books under 201 are for "Religious mythology & social theology". ^[3] The Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC, also called the Dewey Decimal System) is a system of library classification developed by Melvil Dewey (1851–1931) in 1876, and since greatly modified and expanded in the course of the twenty-two major revisions which have occurred up until 2004. ...

See also

General

• Cult : relatively small and cohesive group of people (often a new religious movement) devoted to beliefs or practices that the surrounding culture or society considers to be far outside the mainstream.
• Mythography : the rendering of myths in the arts.
• Paganism and Heathenry : Catch-all term which has come to connote a broad set of spiritual/religious beliefs and practices of a natural religion, as opposed to the Abrahamic religions.
• Ritual : formalised, predetermined set of symbolic actions generally performed in a particular environment at a regular, recurring interval.

Modern religious mythologies In religion and sociology, a cult is a relatively small and cohesive group of people (often a new religious movement) devoted to beliefs or practices that the surrounding culture or society considers to be far outside the mainstream. ... A mythographer, according to a strict dictionary definition, is a compiler of myths. ... Within a Christian context, Paganism (from Latin paganus) and Heathenry are a catch-all terms which has come to connote a broad set of spiritual/religious beliefs and practices of a natural religion, as opposed to the Abrahamic religions. ... A ritual is a formalised, predetermined set of symbolic actions generally performed in a particular environment at a regular, recurring interval. ...

• Ayyavazhi mythology
• Buddhist mythology
• Christian mythology
• Hindu mythology
• Islamic mythology
• Jewish mythology
• Native American mythology

Other Ayyavazhi mythology is the mythology of the growing South Indian religious faith and offshoot of Hinduism known as Ayyavazhi. ... Categories: Buddhism | Mythology ... Christian mythology is a body of stories that explains or symbolizes Christian beliefs. ... The term Hindu mythology refers collectively to a large body of Indian literature (essentially, the mythology of Hinduism) that detail the lives and times of legendary personalities, deities and divine incarnations on earth interspersed with often large sections of philosophical and ethical discourse. ... Islamic tradition and culture includes a number of stories and legends that are mythological but do not have their origin in sacred texts such as the Quran and Hadith. ... Jewish mythology is a body of stories that explains or symbolizes Jewish beliefs. ... Native American mythology includes a number of stories and legends that are mythological. ...

• Similarities between Roman, Greek, and Etruscan mythologies

Books Roman mythology was strongly influenced by Greek mythology and Etruscan mythology. ...

• Joseph Campbell, The Hero with a Thousand Faces : Book by the American professor of comparative mythology and comparative religion which traces the stages of a hero archetype's journey and transformation through many traditional mythologies of the world.

Wiktionary Joseph Campbell (New York City, March 26, 1904 - Honolulu, October 30, 1987) was an American professor, writer, and orator best known for his work in the fields of comparative mythology and comparative religion. ... The Hero with a Thousand Faces is a book by mythologist Joseph Campbell. ...

• Religion
• Mythology

External articles and references

Citations

• ^  "Trinity". Encyclopedia Mythica Online, 2005. Accessed September 01, 2005.
• ^  "Allah". Encyclopedia Mythica Online, 2005. Accessed September 01, 2005.
• ^  "Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) system". Online Computer Library Center, 2005. (PDF)

General PDF is an abbreviation with several meanings: Portable Document Format Post-doctoral fellowship Probability density function There also is an electronic design automation company named PDF Solutions. ...

• Brantley, Garry K., "Pagan Mythology and the Bible". Apologetics Press, 1993. (Originally published in Reason & Revelation, July 1993, 13[7]:49-53.)
• Robinson, B. A.,"Parallels between Christianity and ancient Pagan religions". Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance, 2004.
• Crystal, Ellie,"Mythology". Crystalinks, 2005.
• Baskin-Jones, Michele, "Death, Dying and the Afterlife in Religion and Mythology". dying.about.com.
• "Religion and mythology : Selected resources". University of Wisconsin Library, 2004.
• "Mythology". The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition, 2005.

Encyclopedia and text repositories

• "Encyclopedia Mythica". Encyclopedia Mythica Online, 2005. (ed., An encyclopedia of religious mythology, folklore and legends.)
• Occultopedia: The Occult and Unexplained Encyclopedia.
• Internet Sacred Text Archive

Further reading

• Freke, Timothy, and Peter Gandy, "The Jesus Mysteries: Was the 'Original Jesus' a Pagan God?". Acacia Press, 1999.
• Girard, René, Jean-Michel Oughourlian, and Guy Lefort, "Things Hidden since the Foundation of the World". Stanford University Press, 1987
• Goodwin, J., "Mystery Religions of the Ancient World". Thames & Hudson, 1981.
• Heidel, Alexander, "The Epic of Gilgamesh and Old Testament parallels". University of Chicago Press, 1963.
• Redford, Donald, "Similarity Between Egyptian and Biblical Texts—Indirect Influence?" Biblical Archaeology Review, 1987. (13[3]:18-32, May/June)