Comparison Of Ancient Greek Religion

1025 Words3 Pages

The religion of ancient Greece continues to influence modern society. The myths of ancient Greece are preserved through art and literature. Archaeological evidence gives information about these myths, but also how their religion was practiced. Religious temples still stand today, many of them being popular tourist destinations. Buildings, such as the Parthenon, were converted into multiple different religious buildings, depending on who occupied Greece. There were times when Christians saw the ancient religions as evil and banned people from worshipping their gods. Most people see ancient religions as extremely different to the practice of today. The gods of ancient Greece were not the being that should be worshipped in the minds of the Christians. …show more content…

One similarity is each creation myth, but each groups reaction and interpretation varies slightly. In Greek mythology, man is created in the image of the gods. Prometheus decides to give man fire, which angers Zeus, so he creates Pandora and gives her a box, telling her she is not allowed to open it. Pandora’s curiosity gets the better of her and she opens it, releasing horrible things, like plagues, envy, greed, etc. In Christian beliefs, Adam is created in God’s image and Eve is created from one of Adam’s ribs. God tells them they are not allowed to eat any apples from the from a specific tree. Eve’s curiosity gets the better of her and she eats an apple, creating sin. These stories are similar explanations as to why there is evil in the world. However, Christians believe that Jesus died so humans can be forgiven for this, while Greeks saw sin as a force that tempts them and if they appease the gods, they will be safe. Each group has different interpretations on how they should react the …show more content…

The religion of ancient Greece was heavily incorporated into the government and everyday lives of the people. Every polis had a religious association (Snodgrass, 33). For example, many of the cities were related to a specific god or goddess, like Athens and Athena. The cities had central sanctuaries for their god, like the Parthenon. (Snodgrass, 33). Religion was the largest factor in political and economic life (Snodgrass, 118). Religion was brought into politics, like if a politician wanted something done, they could persuade others with threats of the gods (Snodgrass, 116). Many parties would claim that the gods were helping them with what they wanted to accomplish or that the gods were against their enemies, therefore the general public should be too for fear of the gods’

Open Document