What does CS Lewis mean by True Myth?
Upvote:22
The word myth, in its academic definition, means a story with deep power and symbolic meaning. When studied in the academic sense, it's that meaning that is important, not whether the story actually happened or not. Thus ancient 'myths' like the founding of Rome, or the stories of Hercules were important (to their societies) for what they said and the effect they had on those societies rather than because of their historicity.
Many of those myths turn out not to be actually true (like Hercules). That doesn't necessarily rob them of their power. The existence of the story can still shape a nation and a culture. But given that they mostly aren't historical, the word 'myth' in common parlance has come to mean 'something that isn't true' (giving rise to 'Mythbusters' for example). But that's not the sense that Lewis, as an academic, intended it.
So Lewis' point in calling the Christian story a 'true myth' is that it is a story that is powerful, and capable of changing lives and shaping cultures. It also happens to be historically true.
More post
- 📝 What are some of the reasons for which Catholics are against gender-neutral secular marriage?
- 📝 Why was Esther not sinning when she broke the law and approached the king?
- 📝 Why is saying Vespers on Holy Thursday and Good Friday discouraged?
- 📝 What does the Bible say about being a witness to sin?
- 📝 What information do we have on the real vision of Pope Leo XIII?
- 📝 Do Catholics believe in other apparitions like Mary? Or is she unique in this respect?
- 📝 Why did Jesus say, "Do not touch me"?
- 📝 From what biblical basis can it be argued 'God heals damaged emotions or physiological problems through the Bible'?
- 📝 Are there any denominations that teach Adam and Eve did not have the opportunity to be saved?
- 📝 Is righteousness a prerequisite for salvation?
- 📝 What evidence exists to support church traditions regarding the deaths of the following apostles?
- 📝 How did St. Jerome defend the Blessed Virgin's virginity 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘮 in light of Matt. 1:25?
- 📝 What did "one baptism" in the Nicene Creed mean back then?
- 📝 In Catholicism, do scripted and unscripted prayers have equal importance to one's spiritual identity and development?
- 📝 Does the Russian Orthodox Church venerate the saints of the Orthodox Church in America?
- 📝 How do Catholics answer the question of idol worship within the faith?
- 📝 Can indirection bring us closer to Christ?
- 📝 What is the correlation between cosmic energy and Christianity?
- 📝 Is white underwear necessary while being baptized in The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints?
- 📝 Outside the technical definition, what is the term "Pharisee" synomynous with inside Christian Teachings?
- 📝 What's the origin of this approach of trying to obtain meaning from the individual letters of Hebrew words?
- 📝 Obligation to get married with partner?
- 📝 Lords Prayer. Asking for Forgiveness
- 📝 Is Calvary Chapel a denomination?
- 📝 Is the doctrine of "Particular Election" synonymous with that of "Unconditional Election"?
- 📝 What is the theological basis for distributism?
- 📝 What is the difference between immediate judgment after death and the final judgment, according to Catholicism?
- 📝 Is 1 John 5:7-8 (the Comma Johanneum) a Latin corruption?
- 📝 Do Unitarians believe in the same number of books? Do they reject certain verses?
- 📝 Does Modern Science's Law of Causation come to the aid of Christianity's Doctrine of Creation, exposing a flaw in Atheism's plank of "No Cause"?
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 What does CS Lewis mean by True Myth?
- 📝 What does Lewis mean by the things that stifle bitter resentment in elders in A Grief Observed
- 📝 What does it mean that Satan is "god of this world"?
- 📝 What does it mean that Jesus fulfilled the law but did not abolish it?
- 📝 What does Jesus mean by saying, "Why do you call me good?"
- 📝 What exactly does it mean that Jesus Christ is the son of God?
- 📝 What does "scripture" mean in NT writing?
- 📝 What does it mean that Jesus was the "second Adam"?
- 📝 What does it mean to "Bless the LORD"?
- 📝 What does it mean to interpret the Bible literally?
- 📝 In Catholicism, what does it mean for a priest to bless an object or person?
- 📝 What does it mean to "be saved"
- 📝 What does Jesus mean by "this generation" and "all these things" in Mark 13:30
- 📝 What does Paul mean by "Love believes all things?"
- 📝 What does "gates of hell" mean in Matthew 16:18?
- 📝 What does it mean to comment on scripture with scripture?
- 📝 What does it mean to be "weak in faith"?
- 📝 What does being lukewarm mean in contrast with being hot or cold for the church of Laodicea?
- 📝 What does it mean to "worship God" to Christians in general?
- 📝 What does the abbreviation "RNIO" mean in a painting of the Virgin and Child?
- 📝 What does it mean that someone managed to live beyond 120 years?
- 📝 What does it mean to say "Jesus died for our sins"?
- 📝 What does it mean to be an heir of God and a joint-heir with Christ?
- 📝 What does 'first estate' mean in Jude 1:6 (KJV)?
- 📝 What does it mean that all scripture is God-Breathed?
- 📝 What does the Catholic Church mean when it calls humans co-creators with God?
- 📝 What does St. Augustine mean by predestination?
- 📝 What does it mean that "the two natures of Christ cannot be separated"?
- 📝 What does it mean to be "poor in spirit"?
- 📝 What does it mean that Jesus, Father, and Holy Spirit are of the same nature but different personas?
