Myths and Truth

Since my teens, I have always believed that the creation myth was just that- a myth. Rich with meaning and symbolism, but not literal fact.

If one wishes to believe the Earth is 6,000 years old, that's fine. But what a limiting belief to live with.

I attended a special presentation once, sponsored by a local church, with a visitor from a Christian organisation dedicated to proving that the Bible was to be taken literally, particularly the creation story.

They seemed to be afraid that disproving the creation story would disprove the very existence of God. Or at least, destroy the foundation for Christianity; the reliability of the Bible.

This same fear was the motivation behind the persecution of Galileo who claimed that the sun was the centre of the solar system. In the end, he was forced to recant this belief and spent the rest of his life under house arrest on the orders of the Inquisition.

We now know the truth thanks to other brave people that went to the source...nature itself. These people, known as scientists, found indisputable proof that the earth is not the centre of the universe. And yet, somehow, Christianity survived.

I believe that God speaks through the Bible. I believe God has spoken to me through the Bible. I also believe that God has spoken to me through many other 'secular' books, poems and lyrics. None of these are to be taken literally and venerated as holy in themselves, but they all contain spiritual truths.

Towards the end of his life, Albert Einstein attempted, unsuccesfully, to find a theory that would unite all the laws of physics. One of the reasons he failed was that he rejected the theory of quantum mechanics. Einstein said, “I can’t imagine God playing dice with the universe.” Ironically, it was his restrictive religious beliefs that got in the way of his science.

I am not afraid to have my beliefs challenged. Well yes I am, but I am more afraid of not knowing the truth.

The truth will set you free, but first it will make you miserable.
-James A. Garfield, twentieth president of the U.S.