What is the difference between myth and theory?

            This is the question that has been bothering me for the past month.  If the theory of evolution is so troublesome to the school district, why aren’t greek myths?  Is it not true that both Greek myths and the theory of evolution deal with the theme of how life was created? Could they both not potentially influence student views on creation? What makes them so different?

            After much research, I have discovered that a myth can be apart of a theory. Myths are stories that are created as an explanation for why certain things exist.  These tales date back to the early history of people.  A theory can be used to explain why myths exist all over the world.  There is actually a theory known as “The Jesus Myth Theory” that poses the idea that Jesus of Nazareth was not a historical person, but a fictional character or mythological archetype created by early Christians.  The idea that Jesus was not real but was a fictitious figure is apart of a larger theory that explains this myth. 

            According to Religion Compass, “Myths are prose narratives which, in the society in which they are told, are considered to be truthful accounts of what happened in the remote past.”  Theories serve to explain why these myths are created.  However, myth theories that are taught in school, such as the Greek myth of Zeus, are taught in such a way that makes it obvious that the stories are fictional.

Resources:

Myth & Theory

Jesus Myth Theory

What is Myth?

Questions to Consider:

•What about a theory makes it controversial?

•What other factors separate the theory of myth and the theory of evolution?