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What if the Bible is a Myth?

By Jeremy Myers
13 Comments

What if the Bible is a Myth?

This month’s synchroblog challenges us to ask the question: “What if some or all of the biblical narrative is not necessarily true history, but is myth of one sort or another?” In other words, what if the Bible is a myth?

I have considered a similar question before: What if Jesus Did not Rise? and my answer to whether or not the Bible is myth follows the same logic as in that post.

If the Bible is a Myth, it is a TRUE Myth

I believe that even if the entire Bible is a myth, it would be truer than most historical facts.

Some people say that the Bible is nothing but a myth, but there is no such thing as “nothing” but a myth.

Any good story is far more powerful to change lives and direct history than the most provable scientific or theological fact. This is one reason the Bible is a story rather than a book of theological facts.

If the Bible is a myth, then we have no way of knowing if there is a God, or what happens after death, or how humanity came into being. (Even with the Bible, the answers to those last two questions are anything but certain.) If the Bible is a myth then while a man named Jesus might have lived, he probably certainly was not God, and while he might have died as a criminal on the cross, he most likely did not rise from the dead.

And if all of that could indisputably and unquestionably be verified as historical fiction, if it could be undeniably proven that the Bible is a myth, then you know what I would do? I would shrug my shoulders, and continue living as I have been.

Even if the Bible is a myth, the truth that is contained within the Bible is some of the greatest truth that has ever been put onto paper. Even if the Bible is a myth, the Bible is still true!

Let me put it another way. Would you say that Aesop’s Fables are true?

Well, of course they are true! But they are not “true” in that they did not actually happen in recorded history. In that sense, they are “myths.” They are “fables.” But they are some of the truest fables ever told for they provide insights into human activity, provide guidance on proper living, helping the reader make right choices.

Even if the Bible is a myth, it would function in a similar way.

The Bible is True, but HOW is it True?

The Bible is true, not so much because it is fact (which I believe to be true), but because it does what it claims to do, that is, change lives for the better. If you look at the history of humanity, the cultures and eras where lives have been affected most positively for the good are the cultures and eras where the Bible has been taught and followed.

Oh sure, there is great evil that has been done because of the Bible as well, but that is true of every holy book in existence, so in that regard, the Bible as a myth would be just like is just like any other myth-filled religious literature.

the Bible is a MythBut when it comes to the positive benefits that have come to the world, it is an indisputable fact that great advances in medicine, science, equality, health, art, music, prosperity, longevity, and numerous other positive traits have existed most where the Bible is taught and followed best. And as cultures that have the Scriptures begin to abandon them (as is happening in Western culture), that society begins to degenerate once again toward lawlessness.

If the Bible is a myth, it would be the truest and most helpful myth ever written, and I would still read it, study it, teach it, and try to follow it… especially the parts about Jesus, for He (even if he didn’t really exist) represents the truest way to be human.

Everybody recognizes that Jesus was a great teacher, and lived an exemplary life, even those who do not believe the Scriptures are true. Even atheists say that Jesus was a good man and provides a great example for people to follow. People who hate Christians and despise the church, still love Jesus and what He stood for.

So what would change in my life if it turned out that the Bible is a myth? Nothing!

If the Bible is a myth, would your life change? Mine would not, for even if the Bible is a myth, it would be the truest myth ever written.


This post was part of the April Synchroblog. Here is a list of other contributors. Go check them all out!

  • K.W. Leslie – When People Believe Christianity Is A Myth
  • David Derbyshire – What If Genesis Is A Creation Myth?
  • Bud Brown – What if Paul was wrong about the life of Christ living in me?
  • Chris Jefferies – What If … Creation Was A Myth?
  • Paul W. Meier – Is The Bible A Myth?
  • damannwrite – The Bible As A Source of Wisdom
  • Phil Lancaster – What If the Bible Were A Myth
  • Carol Kuniholm – What If Newness Was The Norm
  • Liz Dyer – Penultimate Truth
  • Glenn Hager – Myths in the Bible? So What?

God is Uncategorized Bible & Theology Topics: bible, bible is a myth, synchroblog, Theology of the Bible, truth

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Merry Mithras

By Jeremy Myers
16 Comments

Merry Mithras

On Easter I wrote a post called Happy Sex Goddess Day. The post showed that the name “Easter” really came from Ishtar, the sex goddess, but through the  process of cultural redemption, nobody thinks of Ishtar on this day anymore, but of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The post was somewhat controversial on my Facebook page, and even had a professor from my former seminary weigh in.

Pagan Roots of Christmas

So this Christmas season, I’m wishing all of you “Merry Mithras!” Whether you realize it or not, Jesus was probably not actually born on December 25. Historically, December 25 was a day to celebrate the god Mithras and his connection with winter solstice. But again, through the process of cultural redemption, few people think of Mithras on December 25. Instead, it is a day to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.

But here is an additional point I want to make. One of the guys I meet with in my church planting Bible study, the one who is agnostic, reminded us all on Thursday as we were reading Matthew 2, that all of this was just plagiarized from pagan myths of Osiris and Mithras.  None of it really happened. It wasn’t the time or place for me to attempt to “correct” him, because after all, we agreed to not argue and debate with each other.

But I can post my thoughts on this blog as I made no such agreement with you.

Pagan Roots of Christianity

Several years ago, I wrote a post about an online movie called Zeitgeist: The Movie. A pantheistic friend of mine asked me to watch it.

The basic premise of the movie (the first half anyway), is that the biblical accounts of the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus were all plagiarized from ancient myths about Osiris, Dionysus, Adonis, and Attis. The movie claims, among other things, that some of these myths are about people who were born of a virgin on December 25, had twelve followers, performed miracles, died, and rose again. As a result, it is argued, the story of Jesus is just a myth also.

I’ve done a lot of thinking about this since I first made that post, and have come to this conclusion:

Defending Christianity

First, I have done some reading into the myths of Osiris, Dionysus, and some of the other mythical parallels, and to be honest, I can’t find many of the matching details that supposedly exist. It is claimed, for example, that Mithras was born of a virgin on December 25. Well, he was born on December 25, but he came out of rock, not a woman. Coming from a rock is quite different than being born of a virgin.

Furthermore, though we celebrate the birth of Jesus on December 25, few people believe he was actually born this day, nor does the Bible ever say that this is the day of His birth. The parallel is contrived.

So before someone begins doubting the accuracy of the Gospel accounts of Jesus based on some supposed parallels to ancient Persian, Greek, and Egyptian mythology, it would probably be wise to check the facts on the ancient mythology.

Second, it might also be wise to check the historical chronology of some of these myths. Take Mithras as an example. Sure, there are some striking similarities between Mithras worship and early Christian worship. See this site for some of these. But by digging a little deeper, you discover that the Roman cult of Mithras probably didn’t develop until the late First Century A.D.

Yes, that’s right, the events of the Gospels happened first. The early Christian apologist, Justin Martyr accused members of the Mithras cult of stealing the beliefs and practices of Christianity for their own religion! So who plagiarized whom?

But let’s give these myths the benefit of the doubt. Let’s say the parallels really do exist, and let’s say that they really do predate the Gospel accounts. Does this mean that the accounts of Jesus should now be considered myth?

The Myth of You

You can answer this question by googling your name. Go ahead. When I googled “Jeremy Myers” I found that there are several other people alive today with the name “Jeremy Myers.” A few of them even have some similarities to me… similar age, similar interests, etc. I didn’t research any of them in depth, but if I could sit down with some of them, I’m sure we would discover some striking similarities. Does this mean that some or all of us are myths? All of us (if Google can be trusted) are real, living, breathing, human beings. Imagine trying to argue that because there is more than one “Jeremy Myers,” and we share some striking similarities, we are all mythical.

The Titanic Myth

Or let me approach this another way. Did you ever hear the story of a fancy ship that ran into an iceberg on its maiden voyage and sank as a result, killing more than half of the people on board because there were not enough lifeboats? No, I’m not talking about the Titanic. The name of the ship was the Titan, and this was the plot of a fictional novel called Futility: the Wreck of the Titan, which was written by Morgan Robinson in 1898, fourteen years before the historical events of the Titanic. Can we say that since Morgan Robinson’s fictional story has so many striking parallels to the events of the Titanic, that the sinking of the Titanic must also be fiction?

Of course not. But this is the argument used to discredit the historical account of Jesus.

If you don’t believe the events in the Gospels really happened, you should have better reasons than the (questionable) idea that since the Gospels contain parallels to ancient myths, the Gospels must also be myths. To believe or disbelieve the historical accuracy of the Gospels, you must study them on the strength of their own historical evidence, not because of their real (or supposed) parallels to pagan myths. I, for one, believe that the Gospels contain some of the most accurate and reliable history ever written.

I believe that Jesus truly was born (maybe not on December 25, but does it really matter?), lived, taught, died on the cross, and rose again, just as the Gospel accounts say.

And that’s part of the reason I can wish you, and everybody I meet, “Merry Christmas!”

P.S. I wrote more about this topic in my short eBook, Christmas Redemption. You can get it on Amazon for only $0.99.

God is Uncategorized Bible & Theology Topics: bible is a myth, Christmas, Discipleship, evangelism, holidays, pagan, prophecy, Theology of Jesus

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