THE MATERIAL DIMENSION OF MYTH

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR DISCUSSIONS: Your contributions should be thoughtful and developed. Answer all parts of the question and use concepts from the course materials. Use a professional style of communication with attention to grammar spelling and typos; cite your sources. Unless your instructor specifies otherwise choose ONE of the following questions and give a substantive response to at least two other students.

1. THE MATERIAL DIMENSION OF MYTH If you look at the Learning Resources for this week you will see myths from religions paired with elements of the arts which express or are related to those myths. For example the Jewish Passover myth is covered and then there is a link to a Passover dance and some material decorative items used in the Jewish Passover ritual which re-enacts the myth. Also the Eucharistic myth is covered under Christianity and then there are some examples of how the story of the Eucharist is expressed in the arts including in music and poetry. For this discussion pick one of the five major world religions. Find a myth from that religion that you can directly connect to something in the religion’s material dimension (the arts). Provide a link to a version of the myth and give us a very short (3-5 sentences) description of the myth. Provide a link to the element from the arts that links to the myth and give us a paragraph that analyzes how the two are connected. For example: Is this an object that is part of a ritual? Is it used by believers to accomplish something? Does it teach believers something? Does it help a community express their beliefs? Is it something (like a work of visual art) that critiques the values/beliefs/practices etc. expressed by the myth or offers a new perspective on the religion? Keep in mind that according to the Encyclopedia Britannica online a myth is: a symbolic narrative usually of unknown origin and at least partly traditional that ostensibly relates actual events and that is especially associated with religious belief. It is distinguished from symbolic behaviour (cult ritual) and symbolic places or objects (temples icons). Myths are specific accounts of gods or superhuman beings involved in extraordinary events or circumstances in a time that is unspecified but which is understood as existing apart from ordinary human experience. The term mythology denotes both the study of myth and the body of myths belonging to a particular religious tradition. (https://www.britannica.com/topic/myth).

2. THE ACADEMIC STUDY OF RELIGION To address the following questions consider the four approaches to religion described in the introduction to this module: exclusivism inclusivism pluralism and empathetic interest in other people. Which of these four approaches do you take in your everyday life and why? Describe a friend acquaintance or relative whose approach to religion is different than yours. What approach do they take? Given your different approaches how would you communicate with them about religion? If you were to take a college class on religious traditions do you think the academic study of religion might require you to adjust your approach? Explain your answer.