Religions of the World

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Parables, Stories, and Allegorical Statements

Parables, Stories, and Allegorical Statements

One of the reasons religions use parables, stories, and allegorical statements is that they can address many people at different levels of development. It can also be fuel for those who disagree with the primary principles put forth... as well as a basis for a higher state of awareness for those that do agree. When we stop seeing authority as truth we do begin to see the authority of truth. Similarly a country that is ruled by law will normally seek to destroy those that are following the rule of law. Using the rule by law dogma can be used to maintain a dictatorship or to build one by removing the natural rights of the people using "the imposed law" to do so. This has often been done historically using the pretext of "protecting" the people from some form of "catastrophe" that those in power can stop, fight, or in some way defeat.

Paul Coehlo in the "The Alchemist" suggests through the book that one follow a personal myth. That when one "truly believes" in something the universe will support bringing it about. This is also a prominent belief in many New Age books such as "The Secret." All myths begin with humans looking at something that they cannot fathom or is ineffable and causes them anxiety. From there they look for causal relationships. For example: The volcano is erupting but when the young virgin died it stopped. Therefore, it takes a virgins death...and then after the causality they polarize: They find the up and down, the good and bad, the right and wrong, the devil and the angel...From there they begin creating a narrative they can share with others of their perceptions of reality. These parables, stories, and allegories can often be used in ritual to bring about a neuro-chemical response similar to those who first found the "causality" and with this they too begin the process of accepting the dualities that define their new found perceptions whether it is based on reality or close to it or on the "volcano scenario."

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