Myth Became Fact

Myth Became Fact

Myth Became Fact is an article written by C.S. Lewis in the collection of Lewis’ writings called God in the Dock. I plan on occasionally posting reviews of these articles when I have time as they are very interesting and thought provoking. You do not have to agree with what he wrote. I do not always agree with what he wrote, but he was a very smart man and there is much we can learn from him. Please comment if you have any thoughts on any of these! Without further ado, Myth Became Fact.

Lewis addresses a claim by a friend of his that there are no Christians at all. Anyone who claims to be a Christian is believing a modern system of thought while using the language and emotions from Christianity. This compares it to the kingship in England. The form is there, but it means nothing in reality. Lewis argues that this is false. He starts by assuming his friend was right. Assume that Christianity is a system in which the names, rituals, formulas and metaphors persist while the motives behind it changes. Lewis says that one would have trouble explaining why these things persist. Why would these modern Christians choose to express their thoughts through an ancient m? Before I continue, let me define what a myth is according to Wikipedia. A myth is usually regarded as a true account of the remote past. Myths are generally regarded as being true. Legends are also considered true, however legends generally take place in more recent times and involve humans. Myths tend to involve the supernatural and take place when the world was a much different place. Back to Lewis now! If this modern view is correct, then we should be very willing to cut any ties to these ancient dead myths and replace them with something as modern as our thoughts. In fact we should be quick to do so. However, we see that when presented with that choice, very few people are willing to completely cut off the Christian myths. This would make more sense if it was profitable to hold to Christianity, but in general it is not. It is actually more difficult. Lewis acknowledges that it would be easier to cut away the myth in much the same way it would be easier for a man to divorce his wife to marry someone more suitable. The only issue with marrying someone more suitable is that you abandon the very point of marriage. In the same way if England were to get rid of the kingship, they would get rid of the thing that carries British values. These ancient institutions trickle into modern thought and customs.

Lewis argues that what matters in Christianity are the myths even if they are purely myths, which he does not think. This modern view wants Christianity to move with the times, but the times always move away. Christianity shows something which does not move. What is called a myth remains while what is called “modern thought” always fades and is replaced. Philosophies against Christianity disappear but the “myths” that they attacked remain. The myth outlives defenders and attackers. It is this so called myth which gives life to Christianity.
Lewis then explores myth. He explains that human thought is incredibly abstract. However, the realities we experience are concrete. We cannot understand and experience simultaneously. The more we think, the less we experience and vice versa. For example, we cannot study laughter while we are occupied with laughing. But in reality, when else can you understand these concepts? This is something which myths can partially solve. In myths, we can understand something abstract through something that is concrete. When abstract concepts are interpreted through the concrete framework of a myth, we have a common ground between reality and thought. Myth does not have to be created to carry these principals because it inherently will carry universal principals according to Lewis. When you begin to analyze a myth you enter the abstract world of thought again. Only when you listen to the myth do you experience the abstract principal. Lewis distinguishes between truth and reality. He says that, “truth is always about something, but reality is that about which truth is.” Myth communicates reality not truth and thus myths create many truths at the abstract level. Myth is the connector between thought and experience. It belongs to neither but it shares characteristics of both.

Lewis claims that as myth transcends thought, Incarnation transcends myth. Christianity is a myth which is also fact. The myth of the Dying God became fact without ceasing to be a myth. While other myths have their gods dying, Christ comes to earth and is crucified under Ponitus Pilate in a historical place, on a historical date, with historical consequences. Lewis argues that the miracle of Christianity is that the myth becomes fact but retains the myth. Lewis suspects that some people get more from the myths they disbelieve than the religion they claim to follow. Lewis argues that to be a Christian means to hold to the historical fact while receiving the myth, though it is now fact.

Lewis concludes by saying that we can learn from these modern thoughts in that it reminds us that what became fact was a myth and still carrys the properties of a myth as well as fact. God is more than a god and not less. Because of this, we should expect parallels and Christ figures in other pagan religions and cultures. They should be there. What makes Christianity beautiful though is, as Lewis says, “the marriage of heaven and earth: Perfect Myth and Perfect Fact: claiming not only our love and our obedience, but also our wonder and delight, addressed to the savage, the child, and the poet in each one of us no less than to the moralist, the scholar, and the philosopher.”

I found this article very interesting. While I have never defined myth like he did, he really captured the importance of the wonder of the Bible which requires faith, and the logical historic fact of the Bible which we can evaluate with our reason. Christianity really does encompass both abstract thought and concrete reason and experience. Christianity is not against science, it just goes beyond science. But we will hear more from Lewis on this subject in the future.