Myths as “bad science” or, alternatively as Symbolic Maps of Social Order – Suresh, Kamar S The Indian scientist, Suresh, states that “When we stop viewing myths as ancient "bad science" and instead see them as cognitive operating systems, their true function becomes clear. They are structural frameworks designed to categorize reality, enforce social cohesion, and guide the human unconscious.” (Suresh Kumar S Council of Scientific and Industrial Research India, NIIST, Trivandrum, India, Faculty Member) As Confucius observed long ago, “signs and symbols rule the world not words nor laws!” For many, the most obvious example of the historical connection between spiritual-religious beliefs and social-moral order would be Moses and the Ten Commandments. I would highlight the fact that the Compassionate aspect of the Moses and the ten commandments is often over looked. After the Golden Calf incident, God famously reveals His core character to Moses in Exodus 34:6-7. Exodus 34:6 states “And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness,” The emergence of compassion in Hinduism is parallel to the emergence of compassion in the Old Testament which emerged roughly around 2000 to 1600 BC. Compassion, of course didn’t appear suddenly as a lightning bolt, but took years to develop. In Vedic literature which emerged roughly around 1600-1500 BC, particularly the Rigveda, Indra is the supreme king of the gods, a warrior deity of thunder, storms, and war and developed into the protector of mankind. In the earliest text, the Rig Veda, “dharma” emerged from the cosmic concept of ṛta (universal order) to denote the moral, ritual, and societal laws that sustain the universe.: Originating from the ancient Sanskrit root dhr, meaning "to uphold" or "to support", it generally translates to cosmic order, righteousness, duty, and the "way things are. Moitreyee Raj, an Indian poet and “story Teller, explained it this way: ``Dharma is like a spiritual court of justice or justice by itself which is ingrained or inbuilt within us that should act as a deterrent from doing the wrong thing. In other words dharma is the conscience or the God that resides within the body. That is why it's said Karma is dharma. When your karma is right you are following dharma. In all ancient civilizations from the Mesopotamian to Egyptian thee are parallels

As Confucius, a Chinese philosopher and spiritual leader who lived from 551 to 479 BCE, observed long ago, "Signs and symbols rule the world, not words or laws!" The modern world has proved Confucius right. For better or worse political and religious symbols are very salient and often very emotionally evocative in today's world. The Nazi regime manipulated symbols to create motivations in members and promote their ideology. The Nazis used propaganda largely grounded in symbols and symbolism to advocate their biased version of truth. Religious symbols are also extremely prominent. The symbol of Jesus Christ on the cross – of course - is a powerful prototypal symbol. Furthermore, pivotal values and ideals such as freedom, equality, justice, family, love, as well a nation are largely symbolic in nature. Moses – Prophet and Lawgiver Now, many westerners and Christians might think that Moses and the ten commandments aren't myth – it is real. A closer examination of morals might shed some light on this question, While Spinoza, the philosopher, - and others argue that morals are derived from reason, recent neuroscience research indicates that emotions are pivotal. Neuroscientists Funk and Gazzaniga observe, "Morality is a set of complex emotional and cognitive processes that is reflected across many brain domains. Some of the emotions processed are more central to morality than others, but all emotions contribute to moral judgment given specific contextual situations." (Brain Archit