Reflection on "Myth Became Fact"- Calvin Griffith

(Reflection on assigned reading material: "Myth Became Fact" by C.S. Lewis)

After reading C.S. Lewis's essay "Myth Became Fact" I found myself very intrigued with the idea of myth as an extremely central apsect of the Christian religion. I had not previously considered the tale of Jesus' death and resurrection as a "myth," probably because in my interpretation, the word "myth" was something commonly considered to be false. However, applying it to simply describe a story expands my understanding of the word. Lewis' essay focused on the centrality of myth not only in Christianity, but in humans' lives as a whole. According to Lewis, humans are faced with the dilemma of not being able to experience life and understand it or analyse it at the same time. For example, while experiencing an emotion like pain, pleasure, anger, or grief we are fully caught up in the moment and equally unable to analyse the emotione we are experiencing. Additionally, when we begin to think abstractly about such emotions, we are no longer experiencing them in their essence. In Lewis's mind, myth provides us with a partial solution. As we delve into the story, we can both experience it and the "principle" that it is attempting to portray. Take one of Lewis' own myths for example. He wrote the "Narnia" books based largely on Christianity or Christian themes. Through these books, readers can sympathize with characters and the story, all the while relating it back to the theme of Christianity.

In the next section of Lewis' essay, he goes on to discuss how the central myth found in Christianity binds all Christians together despite differences on other issues, because it "becomes fact." This myth of course is the story of Jesus' death on the cross and resurrection thereafter. His description of the myth "becoming fact" means that the myth has historical backing, or can be considered true, while still retaining its mythical qualities. According to Lewis, you need to embrace both the factual and mythical aspects of the story to be a Christian.

So, following along with Lewis' reasoning, this myth that is fact allows us to both experience and analyse the concepts that make up Christianity and to accept them as truth. This is a very interesting way of summarizing the Christian religion. In my own experience with Christianity, I have found that the existence of both historical fact and fantastical stories together in the Bible has sparked a wide variety of thoughts and emotions in me. I think that Lewis's breakdown of myth is largley accurate in that it helps us to perceive things more clearly and experience them at the same time. The Bible is filled with stories that contain truth while at the same time producing awe and amazement in the reader. Perhaps Lewis is right in his assumption that the myth central to Christianity is a unique one, being both true and mythical at the same time.