This paper discusses that the social sciences have searched to identify the purpose of religions, but in their efforts to define the purpose of myth, sociologists are still at a loss.
Written in 2004; 5,645 words; 23 sources; MLA; $ 136.95
Paper Summary:
This paper explains that ideas about moral values, religions, or myths, which have an absolute foundation in a "god" who is essentially "other" than ourselves, have been replaced in the minds of this generation by the treatise of relative morals and ethics. The author points out that there are the two common frameworks that classical mythologists used to understand the construction of myth: (1) Belief systems, which attempt to give the person a sense of control over that which is larger than him or herself, and (2) myths, which allow the person an understanding of themselves and the world around them. The paper stresses that, in the wake of man's self-enlightenment, the striving for knowledge has left behind an unexplained vacuum in the minds and hearts of men to still remain connected to myth-belief systems.
Table of Contents
Levi-Strauss's Conundrum Regarding Myth
Personal "Needs" for a God Identity Myth
Myth Definition
Myth Construction
Myth's Purpose
Conclusion
From the Paper:
"As consequence to the failure of religious leader to adapt an argument for God's existence in scientific terms, man's continued desire to connect with a "higher being" was reduced to the idea of myth. Thus construction of the myth has absorbed much of sociologist's activities for the last half century. How and why man creates belief systems for something that is not real poses a problem to the scientific mind. If God does not exist, then within mankind there must be internal desires which create the longing and psychological need for attachment to an ethical system, or moral compass. Another hypothesis is that within the social construct of a community, there exists a collective need for the group to find identity with a ?higher order'.?"
We have thousands of high-quality term papers, research papers, essays, book reports and dissertations on every topic. At AcaDemon, you can download those term papers to help you write yours! You can be sure that the term paper, essay, book report or research paper you download are top-quality, competitively priced and high-level work.
This Free Term Paper Abstract is a part of our Term Paper Library.Here you can purchase research papers, examples of essays, academic dissertations, articles, notes, analytical papers, book reports, stories and poems. We have thousands of persuasive, point-of-view, narrative, critical, compare and contrast and other types of essays in our Library. You can also find here Term papers on "God, Myth, and Society", Essays on "God, Myth, and Society", Research papers on "God, Myth, and Society", Student papers on "God, Myth, and Society", Book reports on "God, Myth, and Society", Dissertation on "God, Myth, and Society", Thesis on "God, Myth, and Society", Summary of paper on "God, Myth, and Society", Articles written on "God, Myth, and Society".
Look for more research papers, essays and book reports on