THE MYTHS THAT MAKE US: How myths have influenced Western civilisation & culture
136 pages
B/W illustrations
230 x 165mm

Shortlisted: 2007 Ashton Wylie Chartitable Trust Book Award

“I had struggled with Christianity most of my life, finding the Old Testament too violent with its emphasis on sin and punishment, and the New Testament unbelievable. Yet, I knew there was something deeply religious within me.”
So writes Julie Hunter in her book The Myths That Make Us. She started investigating other Near Eastern myths, particularly the creation myths of Sumer (Iraq). What she found was a completely different way of looking at life. Instead of sin and punishment these myths emphasised unity: heaven with earth, humanity with divinity, men with women. The splendid culture that arose from this belief produced equable, tolerant, peaceful ways of life.
Could the violence in the Old Testament still be influencing the Abrahamic religions – Judaism, Christianity, Islam – of today? Yes it could, says Julie Hunter, particularly if the Old Testament is believed as historical fact and the Word of God. Drawing threads together from those ancient times up to modern-day theology, mythology and psychology, she has produced an original, controversial point of view worthy of thinking about in today’s world.

Julie Hunter has been a copywriter in an advertising agency, a consultant in an employment agency, and owned two companies. One of her companies was an agency that worked with ACC to help long-term clients find the job that best suited them and helped them past their injuries. This was part her inspiration to write The Myths that Make Us, as she found that people exploring their own personal myths was a key part in helping them overcome injuries. After she retired, she had the freedom to explore her own beliefs and write about them.