Myths_and_Fairytales

The Bible is filled with many stories, some that are known as myths. A myth is a symbolic story that illustrates views of particular people regarding the relationship between humans and the divine. The Bible is filled with these stories (especially the Pentateuch) to show us how to live our lives in the way that God intended us to. The stories are told in a myth to catch our attention, which will make us read them. When we interpret these stories, they have a different meaning. A meaning that applies to our lives and shows us the way the Lord our God wants us to live. Some myths are harder to interpret then others, which sometimes leads to people not understanding the true meaning. Sometimes myths are passed down through word of mouth. A fairy tale is a tale of legendary deeds and creatures, usually intended for children. Fairy tales are intended for children because they are easier to understand, then myths. Some fairy tales that don’t exist in the Bible still teach you the way of life. The creation story is an example of a myth or fairy tale. This story shows us that we should rise above the powers of hell and always follow God’s word. The devil comes to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Edan and he tells them to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. God had already warned Adam and Eve not to eat from that tree, but the devil tricked them and they ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. This action opened their eyes and then they noticed that they were naked and brought the evil doings in to the world. Also, this made God mad and that is why everyone is born with original sin. This story reveals a deeper truth, saying that we should listen to God. But if we don’t listen, we will be punished severely. Also in this story, God creates the world in six days and rests on the seventh. This shows us that we should keep holy the Sabbath day, by resting, avoiding unnecessary work, and going to Mass on Sunday to worship the Eucharist. This is also known as the third commandment. Another myth or fairy tale is the story of Noah and the Great Flood. In this story, God is not pleased with the way his people were acting because they were sinning too much. So God comes up with a plan to make the world flood and wipe out humankind and start over. God chooses Noah, who is a good and honest man. He tells Noah about the flood and tells him to build a giant ark. He also tells Noah to fill the ark with animals (two of each species and opposite sex) and his family. Noah accepts God’s instructions, because he knows that God would never lie and he is doing this for his own good and the good of mankind. After forty days and nights of rain, every living thing on the earth was destroyed, except for Noah and the others on his ark. When all this was over, Noah built an alter in thanksgiving to God because he saved him and his family from the flood. This shows God’s covenant with all of us humans, and that if we sin we will be severely punished just like the creation story. This story also shows us that God is all powerful and is always looking out for his children. David and Goliath is another example of a myth or fairy tale. Goliath was a nine-foot-tall soldier from Gath. He bragged that he could beat any Israelite soldier who would fight him. But all the Israelite soldiers were afraid to fight him. David was a young shepherd boy who believed in God. He took his sling and five smooth stones from the brook. Then he went to fight Goliath. King Saul wanted to put his heavy armor and helmet on David. He also tried to give David a big sword, but David said he could not wear them. He knew that his strength and protection came from God. David threw a stone, with his sling, at Goliath. It hit Goliath in the forehead and the giant fell, face down. Then David used the giant's own sword to kill him. David believed in God, and God helped him win over the giant. This story shows that we should never be afraid of anything when God is on our side. It also shows us that we should never brag about anything because anything can happen. Sometimes God is with us in other people like our parents, teachers, and others around us that can help us with the “giants” in our own lives. Anything is possible when we believe in God. Also another myth or fairy tale is Jonah and the whale. Jonah was a prophet from Galilee. Assyria was a powerful, evil nation and Israel’s most dreaded enemy. The Lord spoke to Jonah and told him to go to Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, and preach to the Ninevites. Jonah was supposed to warn the Ninevites to repent or suffer the consequences of their wickedness. Jonah had other ideas, though. Instead of heading for Nineveh, he took off for Tarshish, Spain. Jonah hops on a boat headed for Tarshish, attempting to hide out from God. At night, a huge storm comes up and tosses the boat wildly. The sailors are afraid and all start to pray to their gods, while Jonah sleeps soundly below deck. The sailors all question Jonah about what he’s done to bring this storm on them. He confesses that he is running away from the Lord’s will and tells the sailors to throw him overboard to spare their lives, which they do. As Jonah is sinking into the sea, a whale swallows him. Here we see God’s great mercy because he could have let Jonah suffer the consequences of his actions and drown. Yet, God intervenes and spares Jonah’s life. Jonah sat in the whale’s belly for three days and nights. He spends that time in prayer, thanking God for saving him. He realizes the miracle that God has performed to save him and is truly grateful. Jonah doesn’t complain, and he is sincere in his prayer. God tells the whale to spit Jonah out on shore. Then, the Lord tells Jonah, again, to go to Nineveh and preach repentance. Jonah this time does as he’s told and amazingly the people repent. The king orders all to fast, put on sackcloth and beg for forgiveness. The story of Jonah and the whale is too important to be left as just a children’s story. There are lots of life lessons in the Book of Jonah for children and adults. Jonah’s story teaches us about obedience, willingness of spirit, gratitude, compassion and God’s patience and mercy. This story shows us that if we don’t listen to God, he will punish us, but if we show him we are truly sorry, he will forgive us. Myths and fairy tales in the Bible appear very often and some people don’t even notice. These myths and fairy tales teach us lifelong lessons in which God wants us to live. God shows us the way in stories, when we interpret them, and also through examples. God comes to us in many different ways. Through parents, teachers, stories, and many other ways. God is always looking out for us and always wants us to do what is best. That is why we always have those little voices in our head telling us right from wrong. He wants us to live a life of good, not evil, and that is why he sent his son down to earth so he could save us from our sins.