Zeus is worshipped in Athens

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Not sure where this belongs so I'll put it here.

Modern Pagans Honor Zeus in Athens

Zeus

 

Pagans? Do polytheistics count as pagans? I thought pagans believe in the forces of the nature but I think I'm wrong.

 

Awesome, good to see. Their claims are just as valid as anyone elses and I think they should be given their ancient worship sites back, as well as compensation from the government who took said places of worship... now who would that be... the Pope?

 

heh its a bit like the Asa-belief having flourished again in scandinavia. cant see why we should make a big fuss about it.

 

Supreme Council of Ethnikoi Hellenes

 

@Equester:
I think the big fuss is that they're not allowed to practice their beliefs because they don't directly line up with the Christian (Orthodox) views. For instance, based on what the YSSE says, euthanasia isn't allowed there due to Christian beliefs, even though euthanasia was allowed back when Zeus was actively worshiped in Greece, which was in accordance with their moral standing and religious beliefs.

@Argohir:
My understanding is that pagans can be polytheists, but that is not always the case. For instance, Mother Earth and Father Sun would be pagan and polytheistic but just believing in Gaia would be pagan and monotheistic. Correct me if I'm incorrect.

@Abomination:
Wishful thinking, wishful thinking.

Ha, excellent indeed.

 

heh soubriquet, what i ment was, i cant see why the christians want to make such a big fuss about it. just let them whorship Zeus in peace.

 

Argohir,
the most common definition would be one who's not a Christian, Muslim, or Jew, especially a worshiper of a polytheistic religion, or an animistic religion.

Besides, these Greeks are idiots.

 

Awesome.

 

I love how these Zeus worshippers seem to be promoting a rather liberal agenda. Didn't Zeus go around raping women and blasting people with lightning bolts?

 

Sir Fink,
as for lightning bolts that's probably because of limited means.

Going around, and say, disguising themselves as stallions raping beautiful ladies like Europe would at this stage be devastating for their image. So they play nice, for now.

 

Well, that's interesting. Silly, but interesting. Hopefully they gain the rights of any other religious group (they sound saner than most...).

 

Would they have had to speek in Ancient Greek for the ceremony?

 

I disagree with the 'oh they're so cute and sensible' part of some of the above sentiments. Sure these folks do no one no harm, and I don't expect them to. But they are silly. One more esoteric take-what-you-like-and-stir outfit nonsense that I, suffice to say, detest. Usually it's a dose of Zen + Shintoism + Druidism + Indian Shamanism + Hinduism + Jewish Kabbalah (Cool! Mysticism!) + Sufi-Islam (Cool! More mysticism!) + maybe some Christianity for familiarity. Why not adding a dose of the AD&D pantheon? Mask is sure a way cool god. Oh how cute. What a wonderful feel-good coctail. And without all the hard questions religion normally involves. Yay!

Here it's ancient-greek-without-all-the-bad-stuff. Like slavery. Or animal sacrifice. Or incest. Or all the other stuff they don't like. It's artificial, and just like Volapük, it'll go away. And it's very silly. Bleh.

 

A fine sentiment. We should be good herdlings and embrace the heritage of the days when Europeans weren't free to make choices of who to worship; when it was take-what-we-feed you-or-else.

Mask is past his cool days. He's now a lowly Lesser Power. Thanks to his own machinations, no less. Hardly cool.

Currently it seems more like Christianity is on its way out of Europe. I hope it wont let the door hit it on its bitter, bloody butt. Visited greater horrors on us, and through us, than animal sacrifice.

 

Paganism is still around. There are people who worship the old German, Scandinavian gods. People who go to Stonehenge for what they call Druidic ceremonies. Earth Mother worship is quite active. Fine with me if that is what you want and if you do no harm to others.

However, my own personal feeling is that these religions are pretty much modern ideas and only loosely based on ancient beliefs. The older the religion the less we know what was actually believed and practice.

 

Just wait until Islam is the dominant religion. It'll make the days of the much hated Christianity look pretty good by comparison.

Zeus? How utterly ridiculous.

 

Whether Islam will put Christianity to shame is as much a question of future developements as the rise of Islam to dominance. The only certainty about the future is uncertainty.

I recognize the spirits fostered by Christianity. Arrogance and condescension.

 

Dendri,
this is about digging out the ancient greek pantheon, and projecting on the humanistic and egalitarian ideas. The Greek gods were nothing like that. They were moody, greedy, vengeful, reckless, and ultimately had their heads full of frills if I still know my Homer. It is 'lego-ing' together a new 'religion' of convenience.

What today counts as 'Scottish folklore' is probably an 18th century re-invention. The Brits were so thorough and successful in supressing Scottish national identity, that there was barely anything left of it. It is most likely even the famous tartans had to be re-invented. And that was just a couple of hundred years ago. My point?

I have had the unique experience of having met a 'Druid' some years back. He was permanently uttering about 'knowledge' and 'secrets of nature'. I don't care about his beliefs. What repulses me is the background: Celtic druid culture was _wiped out completely_ over the milennia, first by the Romans and eventually by the Christian missionaries of the later empires over the next few centuries. They were thorough. There was nowhere he could possibly have gotten either 'knowlege' or 'secrets' from, because it is all irredeemably lost. That is, he either made, or dreamed, it all up. It's nonsense.

Where I agree with you is that Christianity in it's heartland must be truly weak if there are people falling for such junk.

What my druid and those Greeks have in common is the ultimately reactionary mindset, you read me right: That they think the 'good ol' times' were destroyed by evil Christianity, which brought nothing but evil and intolerance (Huh, huh) and now aim to 'restore it'. Restore from what?
It is very unlikely that it was any better before. With selective reading one can even make Timor's conduct look humane and measured I guess.

In my understanding what makes up being a good Christian is in _not_ being a herdling, but acting on your own conscience, because that's what you're supposed to be held accountable for at one day. It's the 'herdlings' who'll 'burn in hell'.

I'm so glad you're beyond such petty flaws.

 

Yes, the bogeyman that is Christianity is at it again, sowing hatred and intolerance. What was I thinking? Of course the cult of humanism displays so much more tolerance and humility.