The stories of Zeus and all the gods was/is that a religion or are they old tales? I know theres the religious people you call something that starts with a P that believe in many Gods but I was just wondering.
2007-12-04 05:06:26 · 16 answers · asked by ehrlich 6 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Both. The ancient greeks believed in these gods, prayed to them, fought over them and built temples in their honor. Now we generally just like to think of them as old stories.
Even today there are people who worship these gods.
That word is polytheism (many gods)
2007-12-04 05:11:29 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Polytheism is the beleif in more than one god. Many cultures were/are polytheistic, not just the Greeks. Today, the biggest polytheist religion is Hinduism, the single largest religion in the world.
There is no difference, speaking in terms of sociology, between a religion and a mythology. It is the proper use of the term to say that the bible is "christian mythology". Worship of Zues and the other gods was the common religion of the era and region, and a few enclaves still exist today.
2007-12-04 05:14:06 · answer #2 · answered by juicy_wishun 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It was a religion that grew from "old tales" -- the beginning of which are actually recorded in the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh).
Genesis 6 records the existence of the "Nephilim." In some Biblical translations, this word has been translated to read "giants," so readers naturally picture huge human beings. But this Hebrew word does not mean "giants;" it actually means "fallen ones." The reason it was translated as "giant" is because in the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament made around 250 B.C., Jewish scholars translated verse 4 by using the Greek word "gigentes" which means "Titan." (Our English word "giant" comes from this Greek word gigentes.) In Greek mythology, the Titans were part man and part god, because they were born from intermarriage between them. So when the Jewish scholars translated the word "Nephilim" to Greek, they used the Greek word "gigentes" because they recognized this to be a union between angels (sons of God)and humans, which produced a being that was neither angelic nor human. So it's clear that the Jewish scholars clearly understood this to be an intermarriage between angels and human women.
As a result of this intermarriage of angels and women, a new race of beings called the Nephilim -- a race of fallen ones -- came into being. As I wrote above, they were superhuman, but not in size. They still had human characteristics.
Interestingly, it is from the events of Genesis 6:1-4 that the source of Greek and Roman mythologies were derived. These mythologies record how gods from Mount Olympus intermarried with human beings on earth and produced children who had superhuman characteristics, who were greater than men but less than the gods. The book of Genesis gives the true history of what really happened, while Greek and Roman mythologies give the corrupted account.
2007-12-04 05:19:55 · answer #3 · answered by Suzanne: YPA 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Well, it is Greek mythology. Meaning is is believed to be a myth-or not true. However, some believe that these Greek gods may have been those who came off the ark and their direct descendants. They would have been more intelligent and would have lived a long time- making room for legends.
But, who really knows for sure?
2007-12-04 05:11:52 · answer #4 · answered by Higgy Baby 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
They are actually stories that the Greeks made up to explain the activities in the heavens. Zeus is Jupiter, who, while out of his orbit one day actually came close enough to the earth to shake the ground and make massive lightning bolts shoot to the ground.
when mars comes close to the earth, we get more war-like.
venus = horniness.
so Greek mythology was kinda like Astrology.com
2007-12-04 05:11:01 · answer #5 · answered by voodoogeisha 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
To them it was religion. Your "P" could be polytheism or Paganism, and yes some people still relate to those gods and goddesses. None of them (their gods and goddesses) claim to be omnipotent, which makes more logical sense than the monotheistic versions of "god", who is believed to be omnipotent, and again that's just illogical.
If an omnipotent creator being, though, works to teach some people altruism, wisdom, patience, compassion and so on, then that's what's best for them. If relating to the gods and goddesses of other pantheons works then that's what works for THEM.
Let there be peace among all of us.
_()_
2007-12-04 05:14:32 · answer #6 · answered by vinslave 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It was a religion.
The Greeks had a very different way of living it. When you are talking about a mythical society, you must remember their concept of truth is quite different from ours. These people are much more connected to unconscious ideas. Gods are representations of archetypes. The more sophisticated members of society showed evidence of understanding the Gods as representations of realities beyond human comprehension.
2007-12-04 05:10:04 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 5⤊ 0⤋
They were both. People told stories of the gods, which traveled to Rome. However, there were many worshippers of the Greek gods and the Greeks were it.
2007-12-04 05:09:20 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 0⤋
They say all mythology is based on true events...just jazzed up to give the audience the extra stay awake power.
2007-12-04 05:13:37 · answer #9 · answered by wrathofkahn03 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Paganism specifically, polytheism generally.
Personally I find that Paganism makes just as much sense, in some cases MORE sense than most modern religions.
2007-12-04 05:09:11 · answer #10 · answered by Elana 7 · 4⤊ 1⤋