From: li@Data-IO.COM (Phyllis Rostykus)
Subject: Re: Unbe Awakens
Organization: Data I/O Corporation
Date: Mon, 21 Dec 1992 20:50:46 GMT

Liralen reads the following with her eyes growing wider and wider...

In article <1992Dec18.020221.10366@midway.uchicago.edu> mss2@midway.uchicago.edu writes:
>	"But myths have power precisely insofar as they illustrate
>perceived truths in a way which mere factual reporting doesn't.

"I've been going at this all ass-backwards." she mumbles to herself.

>To say that a work of fiction
>influenced one's morals is to say that something within it wasn't
>fiction-- or, since that's a clumsy way to use the word, to say that
>something in that story was _true_.  

She nods.  A use of the word 'true' that she can definitely agree with.

[quote from Orson Scott Card, _Maps in a Mirror_]
>	`All storytelling contains elements of the particular, the
>epic, and the mythic.  Fiction and scripture are both uniquely suited
>to telling mythic tales, however, because by definition fiction is
>_not_ tied to particular people in the real world, and by definition
>scripture is perceived by its believers to be the universal truth
>rather than being merely and particularly true, the way history is
>usually received.  That fiction and scripture are also inevitably
>epic, reflecting values and assumptions of the community out of which
>they arose, is true but not terribly important, for their audience
>_believes_ mythic stories to be universal and, over time, comes to
>behave as if they _were_ universal.

"And that is the basis of all religions," she says softly, "Myth alongside
a system of morality to explain it.  I guess all along I've been trying to
argue that the particulars of the mythology *don't* matter to the validity
of a religion, and getting stuck all wrong in an argument about what is
'truth'.   Most religions share a central core of 'truth' of which the
particulars don't really matter, anyone can believe that the particulars
are true/false (can't be proven) and they are the ones that don't
*matter*, it's the universal truths that matter in the end..."

"But those truths can't be 'proven' either," she says, sighing softly,
"Other than in their commonality across much of humanity."

"Up to this point, Michael, you've mostly only pointed out the particulars
of various religions that might cause them to call each other 'wrong'.
There are also a lot of 'rights' that all religions share because of that
commonality of what grabs people and tells them that a myth is True.
Courage in adversity, sacrifice for what is right, honesty and trust,
responsibility for those that need the help, harming none except in need,
and striving to always touch perfection.  NOT that you've denied the
above, in fact, I think you noted to StM that there is a lot of
commonality.  But I guess I'm trying to stress that commonality as opposed
to the particular differences..."

"This last Sunday, on the day of the children's Christmas Pagent, the
deacon/lay leader of the service got up and said, 'May you celebrate this
season with joy, give thanks for what you have and remember those who have
none.  For this is the first day of Chanukah.' She then went on to tell
the story of Chanukah, about how a king had taken over the land, and how
the king had suppressed the religion by killing those that wouldn't
convert.  So most did.  How a tribe (the Jacobees?) rose up against that
king and with ferocity and guerilla warfare and the conviction that they
were right in what they did, took back the lands all the way to
Jeruselum.  When they had taken it back, they cleaned up the mostly
wrecked Temple and worked to rededicate it to their God.  However, they
only had enough holy oil for one day's light in the lamps of the temple.
So they filled the lamps, lit them, and the lamps lasted for eight days.
The eight days of Chanukah.  She ended with the words, 'May we enter the
new year with a better understanding of our commonalities than our
differences with others.  Happy Chanukah.'"
-- 
Phyllis Rostykus    | "... and how you feel can make it real  | - _US_
aka Liralen Li      | Real as anything you've seen            |   Peter
li@Data-IO.com      | Get a life with this dreamer's dream."  |   Gabriel