January/February 2003 Spirituality
The Power of Story

by Marilyn McFarlane

"Who was Joan of Arc?" asks the history teacher in the movie, Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure. One of the characters answers, "Uh . . . Noah's wife?" In a real-life essay, a college student writes that "Judyism was the first monolithic religion," and its God was named "Yahoo."

You can't help but chuckle over these, but the reality is that a high percentage of Americans are almost this unaware of the basics of the world's major religions. Members of a particular religion may be familiar with at least some of its sacred stories, but most other religions and the stories that reveal their meaning are unknown territory.

In the late 1990s very few non-Muslim Americans had more than a hazy idea of Islamic beliefs. The Five Pillars of Islam, the Kaaba, the prophet Muhammad--these were foreign concepts of little interest. It took a monumental act of terrorism to focus attention on a religion that informs the lives of more than a billion people, worldwide. After September 11, 2001, Americans suddenly wanted to know a lot more about Islam.

There has been an upsurge of curiosity about other spiritual paths, too, as more people have come to realize that gaining some understanding of the world's diverse faiths is a step toward tolerance. The treasured stories of a religion form its mythology, and by mythology I do not mean untruths. Myths are not lies. On the contrary, they’re the deepest truths of all, because they go beyond the surface of literal fact and tell us about meaning. "Mythic tales," said Joseph Campbell, the scholar and noted mythologist, "reconnect us to the transcendent source that underpins daily life."

Myth gives us a picture of the most cherished beliefs of a religion's followers. This is why I believe it's important to learn, especially in childhood, the stories of different religions. When beautiful myths like "The Buddha and the Bodhi Tree" or "The Birth of Krishna" are as familiar to a Christian child as "The Birth of Jesus" is, when they're part of that child's store of knowledge, then the religion based on those stories comes to life. It's no longer a mystery or a strange set of rituals but real people, worshiping in a way that is meaningful to them.

Stories don't demand a belief in the dogma, they're not a threat to one's own faith, but they bring us closer to tolerance. In this shrinking global community, filled with people yearning for peace in the midst of mistrust and hatred, we need all the tolerance we can get.

As kids hear the stories, they begin to notice similarities. For example, Christianity tells the story of the Good Samaritan, who stopped to help an injured man, a stranger. Islam's version is about a man who descended into a well in the desert to bring water to a stray dog.

That's not to say the religions are alike. The differences run deep. But that is all the more reason to know them and to accept that different traditions have their own truths, and truth appears in many forms. As the Koran says, in the words of Allah, "We never sent a messenger except with the language of his people."

There are lots of ways to encourage mutual respect and tolerance. We can visit churches or temples other than our own, or go to a Pagan celebration. We can avoid making judgmental remarks about other people's beliefs; ask friends of different faiths to tell us about them; or we can explain (which is not the same thing as defend) the basis for our own beliefs. And we can tell our kids the old stories, not as folk tales or superstitions but as religious mythology, reflecting deep beliefs worthy of respect.

Marilyn McFarlane is the author of Sacred Myths: Stories of World Religions (Sibyl Publications, $26.95); a teaching guide for it will be available in early 2003.
Contacts: toll-free 1-800-240-8566 or 503-293-8391; e-mail: mmcf@easystreet.com.