1. Sacred Stories

2. Kinds of Sacred Stories Myth: stories that explain why the world is the way it is Sacred History (narrative): stories which place the sacred within historical persons and/or events Parable: teaching stories

3. Characteristics of Myth Outside of time & space: Stories of times and places before and beyond the world we live in today (e.g. Eden) Involving the fantastic: fantastic or supernatural beings (e.g. talking snakes) Intent: to explain (e.g. origins) and validate (e.g. caste) what is Not “false tales” – beyond proof (because the events are before & beyond historical time) Not how it came to be but what it means

4. Kinds of Myths Creation stories - Do not confuse a creation myth with the theory of evolution. Evolution = how; creation = why, meaning, values Lesser origins (of law, rite, custom, geographic feature) End of the world (eschatology) Lesser endings (of a city or empire) Stories of death and the afterlife Stories of gods and demons Stories of transformation or incarnation between the human and non-human

5. Characteristics of Sacred History Historical but not entirely factual: Within time & space: –Stories of events that supposedly took place within historical time frame –To some degree provable A mix of the realistic and the fantastic: –More realistic than myth but still with elements of the fantastic (e.g. the virgin birth) –Certain details of the story beyond proof

6. Kinds of Sacred History Narratives of hero figures: Birth of Jesus, life story of Buddha Narrative of important events: the Exodus Legends (semi-religious, cultural): King Arthur’s Court, George Washington’s youth Intent: stories told to inspire us, to make certain persons and events “larger than life”, beyond the ordinary

7. Characteristics of Parables Realistic events and characters Events that did not really occur (outside of time & space) not intended to be taken literally Intent: to teach a moral lesson (Aesop’s fables) to teach a spiritual or philosophical truth (Plato’s “the Cave”, Parables of the “Kingdom of Heaven” – Matt. Ch. 13 )