Religion Essay 4- Sproul PDF

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Eastern Religion / Religion of the World ...

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“Life is a symbol to be lived” Primal Myths, Barbara Sproul REWRITE Barbara Sproul explains religious myths and their connection to our lives today in her text, “Primal Myths”. In her introduction, she opens the minds of readers to the way myths are used in our daily lives, even to those who are non-believers or non-religious. For instance, she provides the example that we all live according to a seven-day week. This seven-day custom was first introduced to us in the bible. Sproul concludes her introduction with saying, “…life is a symbol to be lived” (p.30). Understanding of this deals heavily with an individual’s perception of themselves and the way they view themselves in relation to others and the world/ Myths exhibit several aspects that an individual’s life is symbolic of. Sproul explains that, “There is no escaping our dependence on myth”, because of how many parts in our life can be connected back to them. For instance, in regards to the manner in which myths develop “…structures of value… they consider the nature of reality so profoundly that they pierce the limits” (p. 674). In other words, myths push the limits of life to an extent that goes beyond our comprehension and reasoning. But, despite how complicated they may seem, they still are relatable. Creation myths offer us insight into how life itself has come to be. “They encourage people to understand themselves, physically, mentally, and spiritually, in the context of the cyclic flow of being and not-being and ultimately in the absolute union of these two” (p. 896). We are now viewing ourselves in a much larger dimension. Myths “…describe a cosmic dance between being and not being…”, as Sproul so nicely describes it. Myths in genuine religion claim an absolute reality, while false religions would offer a finite reward. A very simple example of this could be found in wealth and money. Many would

agree that when an individual is rich or wealthy, they are able to live a good life. Many would even use the phrase ‘they are really living life’. Why? Well, it all connects back to the fact that life is lived relatively. People consider possessions and being able to travel as having been ‘living life’. Our thinking is working as a block to the truth. Frithjof Schnon argues in his text, “The Symbolist Mind”, that, “Primordial man sees the greater in the lesser, the world of nature in fact, reflects heaven, and conveys, in an essential language, a divine message that is at once multiple and unique” (p. 4). Myths teach that life goes beyond the ‘beginning’ and past death. In relation to Schnon, Sproul says that “…if you just understand how the world is grounded in the absolute, how the eternal flow of being and not-being reflects the internal dynamic of the Holy itself, then you would be able to see the absolute dimension of all relative realities” (p. 699). For us to live our lives according to this, would mean that many of the things we see as having such great importance to life, such as wealth, would lose its value. It seems as if even education may lose a sense of value as it ultimately leads us to an absolute outcome of a successful future. There is so much depth to gain when such commonalities are devalued. It would allow a person to let go of the stresses and false happiness found in relative thinking and finite reward. Symbols relate to an idea that something is now a representing something it is inherently not. In relation to the idea of how difficult it may be to comprehend myths, life itself also portrays a sense of great complexity. Life can truly be a symbol to be lived, because life is so much more than we comprehend because we think particularly, rather than absolutely. Life has a larger meaning and we ourselves are living in a larger magnitude than we realize. To fully live, would mean to go beyond a common way of absolute thinking. Life is no longer understood in relation to finite benefit as myths show that an individual’s life is symbolic of this greater absolute whole....