A myth is essentially a guide; it tells us what we must do to live more richly.

~ Karen Armstrong ~

As soon as people were able to communicate, they developed stories to explain their relationship to the world and the cosmos beyond what they could see. They marveled at the divine mysteries around them, worshiping them in their daily life. From the beginning, people seemed to appreciate that there was something beyond their everyday life experience.

With the development of communication, cultures developed stories that gave life and meaning to the mysteries that surrounded them. These are myths that go back in one way or another to early civilizations. These days, we tend to think of myths as stories that are not true. The original meaning were stories that put into words the larger context of human, animal, and plant life, indeed, life on earth and the universe. They were not intended to be literal facts, but rather a reverent way of talking about our home and beyond.

The Qur’an and the Bible were initially transmitted through oral tradition and eventually published. This makes it difficult to know what was revealed as the editions have changed over the years. Just a short example. In current versions of the Bible, the angel Gabriel is said to have greeted Mary with the words “Hail Mary”, or in English, “Hail Mary.” The pre-Latin Greek version features the angel’s greeting as “Kaire, kekaritomene” or “Rejoice, you have found favor.” Before that it was the oral tradition in Aramaic.

Versions of religious stories appear to have changed over the centuries to reflect the civilization in which the great religions were practiced. We now take for granted, at least in the United States, the separation of church and state that until several centuries ago was not even a consideration.

Since the industrial revolution, we have moved toward the scientific explanation of everything in our world and away from a mythical explanation that took into account our values, emotions, and personal experience of the world. Many religions have also taken the position that they are the only true religion and the others do not matter. God has not ruled on this debate, at least not yet.

The main religions have also suffered distortions of their teachings to justify the inhumane treatment of each other. The Crusades and the Inquisition are historical examples. The jihad that aims to randomly kill civilians is a more recent example.

When we return to the central teaching of all religions as it was originally intended to follow, we find that the common denominator is to treat others as we would like to be treated. The challenge now is to get back to the basics of our various religions or common sense beliefs among people of no particular religion. We can treat each other with compassion, although this requires that we unleash our hatreds, rivalries, and competition with each other on a human level.

Life Lab Lessons

• Decide how you would like others to treat you.

• Try to treat others that way.

• Be open to how others want you to treat them.

• Try to act the way they would like you to act.

• Be aware of the brotherhood and brotherhood of your fellow men.

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