Joe sez: But then he posts another twenty posts that show he still doesn't have a clue."

Steve sez: Well, you clearly don't have much of a clue about arithmetic, or for that matter honesty. In fact, between that post and this one, I've posted eight times.

I'm still counting, and it's past twenty now and he still holds tight to his "There Is No God But Science" theory....

And I combined a couple of his posts so they'd all be identified by name. Otherwise, there'd be two more.

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So, as I was saying about these sacred stories or myths (although Steve's rules don't allow me to use the word sacred). So, as I was saying, the various cultures "believe" or "hold" or "hold sacred" these stories or myths. For the most part, they think of these stories as true, but they do not hold onto them as tightly as Steve and the 20/21st century fundamentalists would have one think. These stories form the context for their exploration into the meaning of the undefinable mysteries of life that surround us - life, love, death, peace, and the reason why things are. Again, these explorations are believed, but for the most part not held tightly.

When we look at the sacred stories of various cultures, we encounter many generations of wisdom; and a respectful study of these sacred stories can lead us to a profound respect for the wisdom of other peoples.

I thought Egyptian mythology was just governmental hoo-hah of the pharaohs...until I went to Egypt. When I saw the paintings and carvings and temples and pyramids in their home environment, I saw something much deeper. I was particularly fascinated by the Horus-Isis-Osiris myth (click). With the help of the Beatles and others, many of us have become familiar with the sacred stories about Gautama Buddha and the wisdom that has flowed from that myth. And there is much to learn from the poetry and practices of Sufism, and from the Qur'an, if one studies them with an open mind. And of course, the Judeo-Christian Bible offers much wisdom, although Europe currently seems to have a self-loathing that does not allow it to appreciate the stories it once held sacred.

None of these stories and writings have much scientific value, but they offer infinite wisdom to those who approach them humbly.

-Joe-