What is the difference between a religion and a mythology? What stops someone from saying they worship Greek gods if asked if they are religious?
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In general, religion is a system of formally organized beliefs and practices, while Mythology is an unorganized collection of stories. Both are in typically centered around supernatural forces or beings that can, are or were being worshiped. You can make a religion out of a mythology and most religion have a mythology.
For example, the Ancient Greek mythology was the basis for religion at the time and there is modern revival attempts like Hellenism. But such attempts are not really popular so we talk a lot more about the Mythology than the religion.
And like someone else said, we can see a lot of Christian mythology in our general culture. Adam and Eve, or Cain and Abel are two example of stories that are use outside the religion.
Stories in mythologies often have a moral or a point they try to explain, but they are not a set of belief and practices to live by. People can learn from the Story of Cain and Abel, but they don’t base their life around it. They base their life around the rules and morals of the religion and they follow the practices developed over the history of the religion.
Same thing in Ancient Greek religion. You can learn something from the story of Hercules, but you don’t base your life on it. But people in the past did create a value system and practices out of the mythology. It’s just that today these values and practices are basically non existent, but the stories (mythology) are still very well alive.
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