REL 110 Paper 4 Primal Myths Creation Myths Around the World PDF

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Primal Myths: Creation Myths Around the World by Barbara Sproul Analysis...

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Life as a Symbol to be Lived and Other Major Points in Primal Myths Barbara Sproul makes a variety of claims throughout her exploration of creation myths in Primal Myths: Creation Myths Around the World. Some of these claims include the assertion that creation myths are fundamental for all later myths, myths are an integral part of all religions, cultures regularly revise their myths, myths express life as a symbol to be lived, and myths must be interpreted symbolically. Sproul cites creation myths as most scared because they are the ground on which all later myths are built on. She claims that they encompass a religion’s entire structure of values and meaning. She compares this to how individuals will speak of themselves when they meet someone new; they will talk about their childhood, where they’re from, how they were raised. They will talk about their past because it is integral to who they are in the present. Also, while all myths assume an absolute reality and proffer values to encompass it, only creation myths have the proclamation of an absolute reality, its structure of values, and its relationship to subjective realities as its primary task. Only creation myths consider the origin and nature of being, the very fact of existence from which all other myths can grow. Myths as an integral part of religion is a central theme in Primal Myths . Around myths, religions build values and reality. Sproul uses the example of making a “religion” out of one’s passions, specifically tennis. One can make all their choices based on the game of tennis; they can inquire about tennis skills when making new friends, talk about their history in terms of tennis, and decline party invitations based on their ability to play tennis the next day. Tennis, in this case, is the placeholder of myth. Tennis has created a specific attitude towards reality around

which one can construct their life. The only difference is that a myth points to a supreme reality that is transcendent and immanent, while a passion such as tennis remains relative. Cultures constantly revise their myths as circumstances and perceptions alter. Since myths shape reality, if reality changes, it would make sense for myths to change too. The words of a myth must not necessarily be altered for a myth to change; attitudes alone are enough to change myths. The same myth looked at with the cultural attitudes of different generations may not engender the same sentiments; if this occurs, the myth has been revised. The example Sproul uses here is the statement “all men are created equal,” a belief that is still held true but now also includes people of color and women. Sometimes the words of myths are altered along with the meaning; however, this approach tends to have more pushback, sometimes causing momentary or even permanent rifts within societies. Barbara Sproul’s idea of myths showing “how life is a symbol to be lived” appears on page 30. Here, Sproul expresses that all religions point to one fundamental truth: while material values or ordinary life (the “worldy”) is meaningless, the world is full of meaning. Human surroundings, people, cultures, nature, etc. can all be “revelations of the Holy” in which the worldly becomes meaningful and spiritual (30). In this way, the idea of myths revealing the meaningfulness of life is very Tillichian. Sproul’s belief that the transcendent absolute can be manifest through daily activities echoes Tillich’s idea of searching for a dimension of depth in everyday life. Life understood in this manner becomes more vibrant and increasingly worthwhile. As opposed to other religious valuations of life, such as the Buddist idea that life is only meant to test whether an individual is ready for Nirvana in the afterlife, this view of life stresses the

importance of the present life itself and not only the quintessential thereafter. If I thought of life religiously this way, I would be more engaged in daily mundane activities because they would contain a transcendent purpose. For example, I would not just be going to school, but I would be learning with a depth of passion that brings me closer to the absolute and the Holy. Sproul’s idea of the symbology of myth is integral to the concept of life as a symbol to be lived. Sproul stresses that myth should not be read literally. This concept goes hand in hand with the idea that myths reveal value in the world because reading myths literally means that, for one, the symbology of the mythical story is lost, and two, it creates a rift between religions, transforming “myths into obstacles” instead of a unifying force that reveals the world’s meaning (4). Taking myths literally freezes them in time, making them inapplicable to today, making myths merely idolatrous. A faithful literalist may fear that by agreeing that their myths are indeed myths, they will become untrue, while an unfaithful literalist sees all myths as false because they are all different. Both literalists miss the point. While the story and language may differ, the meaning expressed by the myth can still be the same. Myths are meant to be rather avantgarde so that they are not taken literally but are sifted through for their meaning and impressions of the physical and spiritual. Myths show that an individual’s life is symbolic of their environment — the ways domestic myths are transmitted show how an individual symbolizes the world around them. As myths are transmitted from generation to generation, people forget that their values, beliefs, ideas, the way they lead their lives, ever originated from myth in the first place. Individuals are reflective of the world they grew up in and the myths that shaped them as they become “prisoners of their own traditions” (3). In a way, human life is symbolic of myth itself. Myths are

“self-fulfilling prophecies” (3). As people believe in myth, they live in accordance with it, in turn, making myths come true. One example is the idea that humans are superior to all other animals; humans will act in accordance with that belief making it seem like a fact, ruthlessly exploiting resources at the expense of other living creatures, making it seem like they are indeed superior to other living creatures. In this way, humans reflect not only their reality but also the myths that shape them. In Primal Myths , Sproul shows the centrality of myth in religion and human lives. She explores the importance of creation myths, myths in general, cultural change, life’s meaningfulness, and myth symbology, highlighting their relevance in human lives.

Works Cited Sproul, Barbara C. Primal Myths: Creation Myths Around the World . San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1979....