Back
in the days when I was a boy and having to endure the
dreaded Saturday morning catechism classes at St. Mary's School
in Brockville, Ontario, the nuns attempted to explain eternity as being
the length of time it would take for a bird to remove all the
sand from all the beaches in the world if it came only once every
million years and left with only a single grain of sand in its beak.
So, that being the case, how long is an eternity? Is it a
trillion-trillion years multiplied by a trillion-trillion more?
Mark Bonokoski Toronto Sun. June 11/95
Well, QBaal says, if my understanding of mathematics is correct
eternity is all that plus a lot, lot more. In fact, look at it this
way - take the colossal number arrived at above, multiply it by itself
(square it) and subtract the result from infinity. You have not reduced
infinity by the least amount!!! Yes, infinity is some BIG
amount.
I'm not really trying to upstage Bonokoski or the nuns on eternity.
In fact, their bird of infinity is much more interesting than my math,
and makes infinity more meaningful to children. However,
both the math and bird indicate we really have to stretch our minds and
the meaning of words to communicate spiritual realities.
So you can talk about God - the Infinite. Or describe God creating. Or
God acts in Judgment or God
raising Jesus to eternity. Then you must
move beyond mere words to use symbols, poetry, parables and myth. There is
no other way. At least no other way invented yet!
Unfortunately, science (empirical description of reality) has been
so successful and such a god in the 20th century that very few
theologians now days have the guts even to mention the word (myth) since
it is widely associated with the archaic, the childish and the unrealistic .
Actually it probably would be wiser to say without myth no truth
communicated in a society/community.
At least no truth worth the name.
This is not a calvalier treatment of the myth problem. For it is a
big problem. Some folks are trying to disassociate myth from its
negative connotations by talking about "sacred story"
or "historicizing" scripture's acts of God. However, in
the final analysis "myth" may be with us to stay and
eventually we may have to start talking about good myth and
bad myth, relevant myth and spent myth (such as the Virgin Birth of
Jesus). In other words, modern folk may find that myth like the idea of
up and down (relative and not absolute) is still basic/central to human
culture. Just part of a realistic view of life. Or, just the way God
made the world.
On Sun, 12 Sep 1999 01:40:26 GMT, elo@cyberramp.net (Elroy Willis) wrote:
>Joshua D. Little <"jdlittle"@(no_spam)bigfoot.com>
wrote:
>
>>David Byrden wrote:
>>> Joshua D. Little <"jdlittle"@(no_spam)bigfoot.com>
wrote in article
>>> <7rcage$rr0$1@nntp9.atl.mindspring.net>...
>
>>>
DON'T PUT WORDS IN MY MOUTH.
>>> It is dishonest, unchristian, and sinful.
>
>>Okay, WHY don't you believe in God, Christian
or otherwise?
>
>Because god myths are stupid, that's why.
Sheesh!! A man dying
>on a stick is the son of the creator of the
universe? How gullible
>can you be? Can't you realize a myth
when you see one? What
>led you to realize that Zeus and Santa Claus
are just myths and
>stories? Well, step back and examine
your god myth, and you'll
>find that it's no different to anyone who
hasn't be coerced or
>brainwashed into believing it.
QBaal responds:
In common parlance myth means "fairy tale,"
"primitive religious
deception" or just another "opiate of
the masses dosage." As
in "the stupid fundamentalist took
the creation myth in Genesis 1
literally." I personally would
not call a fundie "stupid" but many
folk in the modern world certainly would.
>I think you (not QBaal) need to do some
studying up on religious
>mythology in general,
and maybe you'll learn the truth about your belief.
>Elroy Willis
BAAWA (Undercover News Division)
http://www.cyberramp.net/~elo/news
QBaal adds:
Of course, many books would give myth the credit due despite its
poor press. Even ancient Greek myths involving Hera, Zeus
etc.
are pointers to deep truths re human life, culture and the
subconscious, both individually and collectively. In the final
analysis, humans in the future, after further study re what myth
is really all about, may conclude that only myth conveys the real
truth about life. Certainly in terms of Ultimate Reality,
our
origins and final destiny.
I love myth for it is inately humble. As with the real historical
Jesus, myth is an obvious pointer, if not taken literally
or as
historical reporting, to God himself.
Also, in my opinion, myth give a future to Christianity. For
myth
can always be modified, discarded and/or, in view of
the modern
scientific worldview (including psychology, archaeology) updated
so as the experience, for example, of God as creator and
sustainer
of the universe, is meaningful to modern folk.
Even if, for the sake of argument, there is no God, myth would
still be one of mankind's highest achievements. For, despite
its
many negatives, it points folk to something outside their own
skin,
promotes social cohesion (like the fear of hell in days of
yore)
and, most importantly frees folk from the fear of death and
the
cruel imprisonment ego imposes on all homo sapiens.
Praise the Lord.