FREE ESSAY ON ROLE OF MYTH IN RELIGION

ROLE OF MYTH IN RELIGION

Anthropology 166
Role of Myth in Religion
Industrial society has no body of shared beliefs, no common mythology. Its members hold
onto a collection of disconnected beliefs and are vaguely familiar with fragments of many
myths. The advantage that some new religions have in this situation is that they possess
powerful connected mythologies that have ancient experiences. 
The mythologies of new religious movements are created out of numerous disconnected myths
found in society generally. By weaving these unrelated myths into compatible wholes, new
religions create a sense of continuity with society. Through the use of traditional
myths, they are able to give themselves an apparent historical depth that legitimates
their claims to be the carriers of a high culture. In common speech, to call a story a
myth is to say that it is untrue. 
Once accepted, a myth can be used to glorify the past, explain the present, and hold out
hope for the future. It gives individual and social life meaning and direction. This
ability to guide action distinguishes myths from legends, folk tales, and other stories.
In short, myths have the power to change lives and shape societies. 
The validity of individual myths is enhanced when they are incorporated into larger or
related myths. In many societies, myths are officially sanctioned through public
recognition. Thus in medieval Christian Europe many myths, such as those about King
Arthur and the Holy Grail, were publicly recognized. In Hindu society, myths about
Krishna and other deities are given sanction in all areas of life. Christian societies
have traditionally given official recognition to Christian mythologies, Islamic societies
to Islamic mythologies, Buddhist societies to Buddhist mythologies, pagan societies to
pagan mythologies, and so on. In other words, the common religion in any given society
typically provides its members with a powerful mythology that receives full recognition
and social support.