Why do you believe in God but consider Greek mythology to be fiction?

Question

I am taking a class called Mythology/Folklore and some of the kids in my class ask questions about how Greeks actually believed "this stuff." Some of them are Christian and I wonder how they can say that Zeus didn't throw lightning bolts when they believe that Jesus walked on water. What makes Christianity so much more credible than the beliefs of the ancient Greeks? I'm curious about what you think...

I'm not trying to argue that Jesus never existed. It just seems to me like Christianity is a slightly more realistic version of older religions. I know Jesus Christ is a historical person, but just because someone wrote down that he came back from the dead and turned water to wine, it doesn't mean that he did those things. I believe that Christianity has a good general message and that we should all care about other people. I just think it seems hypocritical to say that Zeus didn't turn into a bull because that's impossible, but Jesus performed all of these physically impossible miracles because the Bible says he did.

Answer 1

Hehe,

That's a great question. I'm gonna go with "Society." In the Western world, Christianity has been taught generation to generation.

Lately, there's been quite a shift where people would rather investigate for themselves rather than believe what they've been told, so agnosticism and atheism is on the rise.

I guess the answer to your question is that Greek Mythology (like Roman and Egyptian mythology) was taught generation to generation...no one had any reason to question it. Constantine eventually became Christian (after having a dream of Jesus) and converted the roman empire. As people converted, they taught their children, and their children taught their children, etc.

So, old beliefs seem silly, and the new ones look ordinary as they've always been...until you start to question them.

Answer 2

The credibility of Jesus (God the Son) can be tested and has been tested over and over throughout the centuries. There is excellent verifiable evidence of Jesus' empty tomb which continue to confuse as well as convert atheists to this day! (See a Case for Christ) a very famous book about an atheist that set out to disprove the testimony of the apostles and debunk the miracles and empty tomb that ended up converting upon seeing the evidence.

In contrast, most ancient religions didnt care if their beliefs were actually true, because they could simply go to Mt. Olympus and see for themselves if Zeus was there. Likewise, why did people worship manmade idols when they knew they were manmade? Reason, rationality, and tests for truth werent very widespread until after the renaissance and the Age of Enlightenment.

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. -John 14:6

Answer 3

Alot of mythology, gods and goddesses, was based on superstition. Even though they had the brightest thinkers, many lay person remained in a state of ritual and stagnation. For thousands of years their religion was the only way till Christianity came around. Since it was documented (the bible), people were more apt to take it as fact since stories of Zeus became more like fables and were passed down only orally.

One thing that is interesting, on my visit to Rome this year, it's amazing how many statues of Zeus, Hera, Hercules, etc there are. Even Isis, Osiris, Anubis from Egypt! Christianity had to assimilate religions before they could fully convert the view of Jesus being such an amazing miracle maker. Even on some of the tapestries hanging outside the Sistine Chapel, there are images of Christ's ascension that have Mercury with the angels! Really interesting stuff...

Answer 4

Chicagogurl,

Sorry for my knee-jerk reaction. Consider this:

Jesus Christ only lived 33 years, never went more than 30 miles from his home, never wrote a book, never was on tv, never made a cd or any multimedia source and YET
-- Jesus Christ has influenced the world more than any person;
-- Jesus Christ's existence separates history (ac or bc);
-- Jesus Christ has more books written about him than any person in history;
-- Jesus Christ is the Ruler of the largest religion in the world;
-- Jesus Christ had 11 apostles and numerous martyrs die excruciating deaths believing in the Messiah, the Son of God;
-- Jesus Christ as the promised messiah fulfilled over 300 prophesies in the Old Testament. Just fulfilling 50 makes the odds of doing so 10X135 power, an astronomical number. No human being has ever fulfilled so many prophesies about them, not even Moses!

In short, Jesus Christ has accomplished things NO OTHER HUMAN BEING HAS DONE in the entire history of mankind. If anyone thinks Jesus Christ is JUST A GOOD TEACHER they are very unrealistic by making such a huge understatement. God bless you and good luck in college. There is so much to learn!

Answer 5

The world is flat and sits on the back of a giant turtle and from the sides of the ocean overflows milk. Grow up first. Learn how to read. Sit down with you two fathers and ask these questions. Before you say that Christianity is a fairy tale first prove that God does not exist. Not to many people around today believe in the gods of your myth. Key word mythology. Look that word up.

Answer 6

xianals actually, unwittingly, do admit jebus was right up there in the same league as zeus, hades, zoro, poseidon etc (by the way, the word All-h isn't the name of a god, it is the arabic word for G-d), when they say many have claimed their gods were real, but their gods are dead, ours is different he lives. So I look around and not one of them can provide me with an address, phone number, or email, and without a doubt I know it isn't true. As far as the world wide flood: Evidence for Global Flood by Brad Harrub, Ph.D. Scientists from NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center and Columbia University have uncovered evidence that confirms there was once a massive flood in the northern hemisphere. According to their computer models, the flood occurred approximately 8,200 years ago and resulted in climate changes that decreased the temperature. Their report noted: The last major abrupt climate change occurred at ~8.2 kiloyears before present (kyr) and is recorded in multiple proxy records across the Northern Hemisphere. Contemporaneously, glacial Lakes Agassiz and Ojibway catastrophically drained into the Hudson Bay, possibly delivering enough freshwater into the North Atlantic to affect the ocean circulation (LeGrande, et al., 2006, 103[4]:837). Could this discovery be pointing back to the Noahic Flood? Scientists had previously documented changes in isotope, aerosol, and methane levels—all of which pointed to a major cooling event. The group used a fully coupled atmosphere/ocean general circulation model in an effort to determine what could have caused the climate changes. Their computer model used a flow of water that was equal to between 25 and 50 times the flow of the Amazon River in twelve model runs that took more than a year to complete. While none of the scientists involved in this study would suggest that this data supports the idea of the global Flood they did indicate that the effects of this event were “clearly expressed” in Greenland and Ammersee, Germany. The scientists suggested this catastrophic flood was caused by retreating glaciers. Interestingly, they documented significant decreases in temperature in the northern hemisphere—something that creationists have long suspected would have occurred after the global Flood. Multiple evidences demonstrate that the Earth’s climate has changed, and fossil records indicate that the Earth was once covered with water. The logical conclusion that incorporates all of the available evidence is the global Flood—as recorded in the book of Genesis. REFERENCE LeGrande, A.N., G.A. Schmidt, et al., (2006), “Consistent Simulations of Multiple Proxy Responses to an Abrupt Climate Change Event,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 103[4]:837-842.

Answer 7

If you scientifically study the concept of their gods and goddesses you will see they have symbolic meanings which are very primitive. The ancient Greek theory of creation is scientifically false. Beliefs in gods and goddesses are inventions of the mind, because many peoples have believed in gods and goddesses, each with their own symbolic stories, to comfort them. The belief in God is much more reasonable in light of the fact that humans evolved over a long period of time, and no idolatrous religion supports evolution. All the gods and goddesses had human or animal form, which is another sign that they are inventions of the mind, because at one time there was no life on Earth but amoeba.

Answer 8

There were actually hundreds of people that saw Jesus perform miracles, and physically see him after he resurrected, and see him ascend to Heaven, among many other things. These are historical facts, which have also been recorded in other books besides The Bible, by such scholars as Josephus.

Answer 9

There may be basis for some of the beliefs the Greeks had. But stories get corrupted and facts need proof to be considered fact. Tangible evidence. Some of that evidence seems to be surfacing in recent years, such as huge skeletons and unbelievably large bones that seem to point to animals once thought to be myths.
On the other hand, God has made claims WE CAN'T SHOVE ASIDE.................

Answer 10

They'll say The Bible, or Faith.

Personally, I believe in the Greek Religion... and the Ancient Egyptian one... and... all of those...

- 16 yo Pagan