In the Beginning: The Role of Myth in Relating Religion, Brain Science, and Mental Well‐being

Abstract

Building upon the insights of scholars attuned to story, narrative, and myth, this article explores the relationship between myth, science, and religion. After clarifying the interplay of the three terms—story, narrative, and myth—and the preference for the term myth, this article will argue that myth can serve as a medium through which religion, neuroscience, and mental well‐being interact. Such an exploration will cover the role of myths in religion, the neurological basis of myth, and the practices of narrative psychology and bibliotherapy. The article will conclude with suggestions for understanding and utilizing the relationship between myth and the scholarly study of the relationship between science and religion. This article ultimately suggests that myth can operate as a methodological aid to the science‐and‐religion field.

Making Space for the Methodological Mosaic: The Future of the Field of Science‐and‐religion

“…I think my own research (see Wright 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020) has perhaps been most aligned with the idea of science‐and‐religion scholars becoming “historians of the present.” I am particularly interested in science‐and‐religion as it is engaged within popular literature. Studying the lives of characters has led me to think about what I call science‐and‐religion‐as‐lived (see Wright 2019)—not only within the lives of fictional characters but also those within our nonfiction, extra‐textual world.…”