More on science and religion

I recently recieve a question about my perspective on the link between science and religion and I felt it only right to share this perspective with you all as it obviously affects my worship and the way I write about our religion. The original message was:

"I have read your posts about mythology. But I wanted to get a clearer idea of what you think. Do you think mythology doesn't stand at all? That it is all invented? The various monsters and such? And the heroes? Do you think science is in the right about everything? But then, wouldn't Titans like Helios, who is the sun itself, dont exist? Or do you think the form people see is one of the many the Titan can take to show Himself to humankind? Much like the human form the ancients depicted Him as?"

In my post on mythology and science, I tried to explain how I feel about the connection between the two: I feel both are correct and both are equally valid. I believe that mythology--be it Hellenic, Khemetic., Christian, or anything else--is based on truth. Science is also based on truth and neither gets in the way of the other. In short, I have a multiperspectivalistic view of religion.

Multispectivalism, in short, is an approach to knowledge that suggests that reality is made up of multiple perspectives, none of which can grasp reality as it is. As such, the more perspectives one takes into account--biological, scientifical, psychological, theological--the better the overall picture one might have of reality. Multispectivalism in relation to religion thus implies that all reality can never be summed up under any one religion, concept, or perspective but is, in essence, a combination of all.

Take the sun: the sun is both a ball of hot plasma at the centre of our universe as well as Helios who emerges each dawn driving a chariot drawn by four, fiery winged steeds and crowned with the aureole of the sun and is carried back around the northern streams of Okeanos back to his rising place in the East in a golden cup. And the sun is also Ra who carries the sun across the sky and descends into the duat at night where the sun's power is renewed. There are many versions of the sun, just like there are many Gods. In a way, they are all connected and they are all equally powerful--but yes, at its core is that ball of scientifically measureable plasma that our planet revolves around.

I believe that there is a scientific and biological core to all myths. For example, I am sure there was someone like Herakles (or many men like Herakles!) who performed amazing feats of strength and endurance. I am sure he fought with boars and birds and diverted rivers. I am sure he took a woman from a powerful man. Do I necessarily think those men and the Herakles of mythology are one and the same? No, but he doesn't have to be. Mythology has many functions beyond accounting for history. They are the tales of our Gods. They provide our ethical framework. They bring community and foster the spirit of worship.

We need the man (or men), the stories, our Gods, the framework of history, philosophy, ethics, and many, many other perspectives to form a unified whole. The end result is a layered realisty in which everything is equally true and valuable. That is my position on mythology in a scientific framework.