Okay, in my English class we are currently studying Mythology. Now I believe in god sometimes but then at other times I just don't know. But what I don't get is why my English teacher said that the events that happened in mythology never happened . But what makes it any different from a human being born from dust or by ones rib? But what really makes the bible more realistic or more believable than mythology?
I hope this topic is debatable lol.

Yeah, it doesn't make a lot of sense. But people have gotton used to the idea of God, insert-preferred-religion-here, and all that goes with that - as opposed to how we've accepted that the Greeks and Romans (or whoever) fantasized about their silly, imaginary gods and goddesses. Did I manage to say that without offending anyone?

Absolutely nothing.

There is as much evidence for Jesus as there is for Hercules.

However, there is a problem in this statement: 'events that happened in mythology never happened.'

It is pretty likely that stories of miracles, demi-gods and spirits didn't happen, but that doesn't always mean that the other parts of the story didn't happen. For example, some people think that Jesus did exist, but didn't do all those miracles (those were added later). Personally, I think it's just wishful thinking, but I have no evidence to prove them wrong either.

You are completely correct. There is no proof that that any of it happened. Mythology or the bible. But if it makes some people feel better to believe in one or the other, im all for that. I do know people who still believe in the Greek Gods/Goddesses, and I don't find it harder to believe at all.

Really there is nothing to separate the stories and parables in the Bible and other cultural mythology, it's just that one is more socially accepted because a majority of people are brought up with the Bible (Or the Torah, Qu'ran etc.).

What's interesting about the Bible and the Christian religion in particular is that it borrows from the myths of many other cultures, and combines them into one book.

For example, in the Mesopotamian region, where the Old Testament originates from, myths such as a great flood were common amongst many of the different peoples there. The writers of the Old Testament incorporated these myths into the story of Noah and the Great Flood.

When it comes to Jesus, as a historical and mythological figure, we can see directly how local mythology bled into stories about Jesus. The article on Wikipedia in this case is actually very good, you should check it out if you're interested. Jesus Christ and comparative mythology

Another interesting part of the Christian religion are the religious practices that are based on mythology, but are not part of the Bible, i.e. Christian traditions copied from local traditions celebrated because of other mythological stories. For example, many of the Saints can be traced back to local mythology from the their respective areas (e.g. St. Brigit and St. Patrick here in Ireland.) Many Christian holidays fall on days originally celebrated by pagan religions, such as Hallowe'en (originating from the Irish celebration of the end of summer, Samhain) becomes All Saints Day, and Christmas has it's origins in many pagan and Roman winter festivals (Probably because of the Winter Solstice.). Many of the most important gods in the religions of Ishtar and Mithra had their birthdays on December 25!

I think it's really interesting to see how religions evolved from more simple loose mythologies.

To me, there's not much of a difference in believability, merely in how socially acceptable the belief would be. It's common knowledge that someone who follows Christian doctrine rather than ancient Greek doctrine is probably thought of as more sane simply because Christianity is currently the more popular, more widespread religion than Greek mythology is.

Christianity and Greek mythology do bear some similarities, however. You'll notice that in both religions a superior deity (God in Christianity, Chaos in Greek Mythology) creates the world and then populates it; in both religions, there are also stories about it. In both religions, the superior deity has a son who is born on earth, helps a lot of humans, dies, and is reborn/made immortal at the end (Jesus, Heracles/Hercules). And, as GothPunk said, much of the philosophies in Christianity originate from earlier pagan religions.

I don't think there's anything that makes the Bible more believable than ancient mythology (seeing as I believe neither), but I do enjoy ancient mythological stories far more than I do reading the Bible. The polytheistic aspect of mythology makes it so much more entertaining to me because of the numerous gods' interactions with one another and their interactions with mortals.

In mythology, it's obvious that the gods are imperfect and do have flaws, which makes the story much more enjoyable and realistic to me. Once I get past what the Bible is preaching, the fact that many of the characters are flawless and nigh upon perfect really annoys me. I enjoy literature very much, and I like characters that are realistic rather than idealistic. The Bible cannot give that to me; I get sick of everything being so perfect. In mythology, even the gods have flaws, and I like that. So no, neither is more believable, but I do enjoy some of the lore more than I do the other.

Absolutely nothing. There is just as much proof of true events in the bible as there are in mythology, so both come down to being based on faith. I personally find the bible to hold no more truth then Aesops fables. To me, the bible seems to be based more on morals then on actually events. Did a man named Jesus exist? Maybe. Was he a good hearted person like Ghandi or Mother Theresa? Maybe. Did he really walk on water and magically heal the sick? Probably unlikely. Of course, everyone will have their own opinions, but that's my personally thoughts. :shrug:

Well i guess it depends if you believe or not. I do believe in god but theres just so much out there that claims god isn't real and the bible is just fiction. But what if you have had experiences you cant explain.

My dad for example he said that god told him to call me Justin when i was born. My dad was also a priest and went to India to preach Christianity. He said that there were demons in the people bodies. When he prayed for them and stuff the person just screamed and did weird stuff.

They didn't be like they were before when he prayed for them. They were normal again. Another event was that god told him that the price of gold would increase heavily. He told me about it and the next day the price of gold increased heavily. So it all comes down to whether you believe or not.

Before you say that such an experience is due to something out of this world (i.e. a supernatural explanation), you must first check thoroughly to be sure the explanation is not in this world (i.e. a natural explanation).


That's not an experience you had. That's something your dad had. So you don't know whether that even really happened. Or, if it did happen, you don't know whether your father was having a delusion or a spiritual experience.


I'd also scream if someone told me I was possessed and started an exorcism.


A month ago, the newspaper told me that oil prices would rise from $80 to $100/barrel. They hit $98. Are the reporters divinely inspired?

For me the bible IS mythology.

Alot of people have come to believe that Jesus did exist, the only thing they debate is wether the miricles are true and if Jesus is the son of god.
Most stories in the bible are ways people back then tried to descibe things that happened that they didn't understand.

The bible IS mythology. What we refer to casually as Mythology were once serious religions to people. And so it will be with Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Wicca, Satanism, and so on. Well, granted that the human race exists long enough for us to progress past these religions.

Actually, as a Christian, i strongly believe God exists.
If you look at Roman history-related books,
there are stories about Jesus dying on the cross and becoming again alive.

Mytholgy vs. God's existence?
Well, Myths are.. Myths. Nobody was around to prove them, they are merely stories and sayings from generation to generation.

As for God, people who witnessed God were still alive and well when the Bible was written. Therefore, those people can, and did, prove the points about God/Jesus.
The Qu'ran, for example, was written about 100 years after the witnesses died.
I find it hard to believe that someone would still be alive after 100 years and prove the points.

Coming from a family where my father is a Pastor,
i know that what i believe is true.

So, there IS evidence, there IS proof,
just that not a lot of people try to accept it.
Not in a offensive way, though.

Also, there is no strict way that God speaks to you,
it isn't just a deep voice out of nowhere.
It could be a thought you keep thinking,
a clear vision you see in your mind,
anything.

I hope i have helped in this discussion, and i really didn't mean to offend anyone if i did.
It's just that i get a little hyped up about these kind of views.
Thanks, and i'll be checking back to this page, so feel free to comment about my statements!

Happy Simming, and Debating.

Your evidence of gods existence is highly flawed and circumstantial. You can not prove its existence, you can not even prove your own existence.

I am an athiest who believes in science simply because it is very adaptable. It can change as new evidence and theories are discovered. Religion, on the other hand, stays more or less the same. It stifles growth of societies and of individuals.

How do you know that those Roman history books aren't fiction? What is the truth to you is fiction to me; just because someone says it or because you think it doesn't make it true. I agree with spiderviveka- you cannot prove a god's existence just as I cannot prove to you that a god doesn't exist. We can't be sure that Jesus even existed, much less be certain of his divinity- what if the Bible was all fiction? You can say that the people who wrote it were Disciples who had met Jesus and knew that he was something special, but the Bible was written so long ago that no one can prove anything in it. The Bible could very well be fiction written by a group of ambitious people who wanted to start a revolution. Until we can prove that they even exist, much less that they're divine, I'll never believe in any deity of any sort.

If that is true, RabidAngel77,
how do we believe anything?

I, for one, wouldn't trust anyone who keeps changing their beliefs and thoughts.
Yes, Science always changes, but if it is so uncertain, how can we believe and trust it? Also, so many things are still a mystery.
Wouldn't you rather believe something truly, than to have your opinions change direction every time some scientist decides to report to the world THEIR thoughts?

If so many people are influenced by God, Jesus, and the bible,
then can't people try to accept the happiness that it brings to people?

I would say faith. People put their faith into different things, whether that be religion, science, or whatever.


Scientists publish their findings, but with that, others go out and try to reproduce the same thing. With this comes a certain truth to things. I don't see what's so wrong with that.

Although this debate is quite serious,
it amuses me. Not in a bad way, though.

Just taking a break from the whole debate,
I'd like to say that i'm a little disappointed that there aren't many Christians out there.
Well, at least not many that come comment on this thread..
Wow, it's quite interesting to see what people say here.

Growing up in a Christian family,
i never really thought that people viewed these kind of thoughts so.. strongly? scarily? defensively? Something like that.

The Gospels do not fare much better. In fact, the earliest Gospel, the Gospel of Mark, is estimated to have been written in 70 CE. Jesus is said to have died in 36 CE. Matthew and Mark are estimated to have been written between 80 and 90CE, and John between 90-100CE.

Given the average life expectancy was around 40-50, it's unlikely that any of the Gospels were written by any eyewitnesses.

Likewise, it is also very likely that the first five books of the Bible (the Torah) were not written by Moses but by other Hebrews at least 300-400 years (and at max 800 years) later, when they were imprissoned in Babylon.

I have seen answered prayer. My son was not quite ready to be potty trained one day when we were running out of diapers. I asked my husband to pick up some new ones on his way home from work, but about an hour before he got home it became rather obvious that that final diaper needed to come off. Now. I put my son's potty chair in the living room in front of the tv and parked him on it watching Bill Nye the Science Guy and Teletubbies while I waited for my husband to come home and prayed that we would be able to hold out until he got here with the new diapers. When my husband got home, he had forgotten to pick up diapers. But he did bring in the mail, which included a free sample diaper that was just the right size for my son. This let us hold out until he got to the store to pick up the diapers he had forgotten.

off course people are happy when happiness is abundant and filled the world, however, in my humble opinion, i do not see the world filled with happiness, i see it has a lot of hate, greed, sufferings, and a lot of the cause came from religion, any religion, In my humble opinion, religion has brought more hate and suffering then happiness.

Do you believe your physician/doctor/family doctor? In my opinion medicines are prescribe base not on fact, but on speculations, trial and errors. Chemist research and comes up with new drugs everyday. can you trust them? these people "chemist" would be in my humble opinion scientist who research medicine.

Religion changes "its mind" more rapidly than you think, try explaining wetaher "God" is female or male? Try asking someone religious if a woman have equal standing in "God" eyes, then ask them if you can become a priest, preacher or pope. Get your timer ready and time how fast they tell you no.

That depends on the denomination. There are several denominations where there are high ranking women in the hierarchy.The Methodist bishop in Virginia is a woman, for one.

And your opinion of medicines is shared by my own doctor, who tells me what the medicine should and should not do, and instructs me to call if it isn't acting as it should.

God also gives similar instructions in the bible for what religion should and should not be doing. Religion should be inspiring people to reach out to those who are in need, let go of things like hatred and selfishness, forgive simply because forgiveness is part of the healing process rather than because the wrongdoer has somehow "earned" it, and to stop and pay attention to the wonders of the world around us and give thanks to God for them. It doesn't always do that because it is having to compete with human nature and we are too willing to let human nature win. But blaming God for the failings of religion is like blaming my doctor because I turned out to have an antibiotic resistant infection and the medication needs to be stronger.

Absolutely. However, it's when one person's/group's happiness starts to interfere with someone else's that the problems and conflicts start to arise.



There are a few that participate on this forum, but from what I have observed they generally avoid the religious debates. Why that is, I'm not certain. However, I suspect that it has to do with the very subjective nature of religion to begin with, and that as soon as anyone says that X is so, or you must do Y or else, others are immediately going to jump in and say "prove it".

Some very good points here..


Actually, God isn't male OR female.
I am a woman, and i believ i have exactly the same position in God as a man would. If not more.
I can become a Pastor, preiest, missionary.
My mother is, and i know at least three female pastors.

And our family/church supports us woman to become these things, so they don't say no.


Thank you, sidneydoj, i have also seen many prayers answered,
a few of mine also.
The most simple but successful one is to ask God to make it stop raining.
Sometimes the rain on your screen can affect driving,
and i feel quite proud when it has been answered.




Yes, that may be true.
But Christianity tries harder to bring peace and at least some order to this world. it differs from person to person, of course,
but i am against Halloween, Goths, Ghosts, etc.
The world, in fact, is trying to make us get used to the idea of Death/the devil. We are merely trying to stop this in one way or another.



And how would you know this?
If you can put your faith in these scientific statistics, but not into ones that support Christianity, then i think it doesn't make sense.


There is a story i know that supports the Bible.

A shepard lost a lamb, so went looking for it.
He came across a cave, and since he thought he heard the bleat of the lamb from inside, he went in to find it.
There, he came across huge pots/vases, and when he opened it, he found hundreds of copies of the Bible.
These, in fact, were buried in the cave centuries ago.
But the important thing is, that the words of the scriptures inside the cave fitted exactly to the more 'modern' Bible.
I find this quite astonishing, and believ it to be true.

Of course, you may say it was made up, or whatever.
But since there are so many reports and evidence to back it up, i believe it is true.



Of course, i'm not trying to say that what i say is copletely right in any way,
but merely change your views about God.
I have faith in Him, and know that He is not a myth.

This statement honestly amazes me. If I seem like I'm generalizing, I apologize, but if Christianity is trying so hard to bring peace and order, why are Christians bombing abortion clinics? Why are they picketing against gay rights at the funerals of soldiers (heterosexual and homosexual)? I find such a statement very flawed.



What is so wrong with getting used to the idea of death? I think it's actually a beneficial thing. I'd rather be resigned and accepting of the fact that I will someday die than worry about it all my life. People die every day, every minute, every second- what's so wrong with getting used to it? You'll have to accept now or sometime in the future, and I think it's better to become resigned to it early on.



As an atheist, I put far more faith in science and common, everyday sense than I do in Christian philosophies. Does it not make sense to you because you're a Christian? I'm honestly curious. What doesn't make sense about other people having different belief systems than you do?



How do you know? The modern English Bible is a translation of the age-old Hebrew version- were they exactly the same down to the very punctuation marks? Language has evolved as time passes and the person/people who translated the newly discovered Bibles and the original Hebrew one could very well have been incorrect, seeing as humans are flawed. I just don't understand how people can have faith in the Bible if it was written by humans- what do humans know? Humans are flawed- how do you know that they weren't just making things up? I suppose it all boils down to faith, but I just don't have any of it.

All I can say to your posts are, "How? Why? How do you know?" I suppose, at some point, theists and atheists will just have to agree to disagree.