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Zeus makes a comeback in Greece

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Lewis

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Zeus makes a comeback in Greece

ATHENS, Greece (AP) -- A clutch of modern pagans honored Zeus at a 1,800-year-old temple in the heart of Athens on Sunday -- the first known ceremony of its kind held there since the ancient Greek religion was outlawed by the Roman Empire in the fourth century.

Watched by curious onlookers, some 20 worshippers gathered next to the ruins of the temple for a celebration organized by Ellinais, a year-old Athens-based group that is campaigning to revive old religious practices from the era when Greece was a fount of education and philosophy.

The group ignored a ban by the Culture Ministry, which declared the site off limits to any kind of organized activity to protect the monument.

But participants did not try to enter the temple itself, which is closed to everyone, and no officials sought to stop the ceremony.

Dressed in ancient costumes, worshippers standing near the temple's imposing Corinthian columns recited hymns calling on the Olympian Zeus, "King of the gods and the mover of things," to bring peace to the world.

"Our message is world peace and an ecological way of life in which everyone has the right to education," said Kostas Stathopoulos, one of three "high priests" overseeing the event, which celebrated the nuptials of Zeus and Hera, the goddess of love and marriage.

To the Greeks, ecological awareness was fundamental, Stathopoulos said after a priestess, with arms raised to the sky, called on Zeus "to bring rain to the planet."

A herald holding a metal staff topped with two snake heads proclaimed the beginning of the ceremony before priests in blue and red robes released two white doves as symbols of peace. A priest poured libations of wine and incense burned on a tiny copper tripod while a choir of men and women chanted hymns.

"Our hymns stress the brotherhood of man and do not single out nations," said priest Giorgos Alexelis.
More than a mere re-creation

For the organizers, who follow a calendar marking time from the first Olympiad in 776 B.C., the ceremony was far more than a simple re-creation.

"We are Greeks and we demand from the government the right to use our temples," said high priestess Doreta Peppa.

Ellinais was founded last year and has 34 official members, mainly academics, lawyers and other professionals. It won a court battle for state recognition of the ancient Greek religion and is demanding the government register its offices as a place of worship, a move that could allow the group to perform weddings and other rites.

Christianity rose to prominence in Greece in the fourth century after Roman Emperor Constantine's conversion. Emperor Theodosius wiped out the last vestige of the Olympian gods when he abolished the Olympic Games in A.D. 394.

Several isolated pockets of pagan worship lingered as late as the ninth century.

"The Christians shut down our schools and destroyed our temples," said Yiannis Panagidis, a 36-year-old accountant at the ceremony.

Most Greeks are baptized Orthodox Christians, and the church rejects ancient religious practices as pagan. Church officials have refused to attend flame ceremony re-enactments at Olympia before the Olympic Games because Apollo, the ancient god of light, is invoked.

Unlike the monotheistic religions of Christianity, Judaism and Islam, the old religion lacked written ethical guidelines, but its gods were said to strike down mortals who displayed excessive pride or "hubris" -- a recurring theme in the tragedies of Euripides and other ancient writers.

"We do not believe in dogmas and decrees, as the other religions do. We believe in freedom of thought," Stathopoulos said.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/01 ... index.html
 
All come on' give me a break.

Why is it so ridiculous? Just because a religion hasn't been practiced for some thousand years doesn't mean that people today can not find some value from it. Ancient Greek religions had a strong intellectual and philosophical backbone, so much so that the great Christians such as Justin Martyr felt moved to demonstrate Christianity as an intellectual and sophisticated tradition rivaling (and obviously in his eyes) superceding the pagan practices.

Just because you don't like the movement because of personal religious views doesn't make it ridiculous.
 
AHIMSA said:
Why is it so ridiculous? Just because a religion hasn't been practiced for some thousand years doesn't mean that people today can not find some value from it. Ancient Greek religions had a strong intellectual and philosophical backbone, so much so that the great Christians such as Justin Martyr felt moved to demonstrate Christianity as an intellectual and sophisticated tradition rivaling (and obviously in his eyes) superceding the pagan practices.

Just because you don't like the movement because of personal religious views doesn't make it ridiculous.

So "pagan" practices aren't ridiculous? :o

Of course, Mythology has it's own merit, in that, one can point out the difference between good and bad virtues, morals, etc. But to actually "worship" Zeus ( a "false" god) ? :o

This type of "worship" and ritualistic practices are nothing more than a form of witchcraft, and witchcraft is nothing more than another form of paganism.
Worshiping False gods are nothing but idolizing that which did not create life.
Zeus is not the creator of life.
Zeus is a fictional character symbolic of a type of principality, a pricipality which is an embodiment of a spirit.

Zeus, not a nice character, and surely, just a pagans "false" god.


check this out
List of False gods:

http://www.workersforjesus.com/falsegods.htm


Also, here's a good post made by JM:
13 things lost people can't do.

http://www.christianforums.net/viewtopic.php?t=27298&highlight=


.
 
Huh, that's interesting.

I hate to say this, but I bet it will have a comeback.

I think people are really starting to forget all the good that Christianity did in the world, or people just see that good as relative. It seems when Christians are depicted they are seen as violent, even immoral, people. We are sinners too, but the uniqueness of Christianity itself is far different than any other religion out there. The amazing benefits of that seem to be forgotten.

It's amazing how much people are drawn to relativism/polytheism/idolism. If you read through the Old Testament we see the Israelites making this very mistake countless times!

I'm guessing all this kind of stuff will become mainstream soon. Which is actually probably fine, The Light will just become all the more apparent then.
 
the problem is, you all sit their and bad mouth a different religion, just because yours says it is wrong.

they badmouth christianity, because Christianity took away their freedoms, and forced them to believe something they believe is false.

How would you all feel if Christianity was banned, jesus was a "false prophet" and you were forced into a different religion?

as one of you pointed out, people seem to ignore all the "good" work Christianity has done.

what about all the good work other religions, including paganism has done?
 
the problem is, you all sit their and bad mouth a different religion, just because yours says it is wrong.

I'm sorry you just see it as "bad mouthing", but we speak out against such things because we care about what is right and what is wrong.

How would you all feel if Christianity was banned, jesus was a "false prophet" and you were forced into a different religion?

Bad, of course. But freedom is what is in your mind and soul. You can't really ever force a person into a different religion. Many Christians died and still do die, rather than be "forced" into another belief.

as one of you pointed out, people seem to ignore all the "good" work Christianity has done.
what about all the good work other religions, including paganism has done?

I'm not sure if you want me to get into this, the history of paganism I'm aware of is not good.

But yes, I do agree with you that good people are doing some good things in other religions, I just don't think the "good" is intrinsic to those religions at all.

The BIG good that I know in Christianity is that God loves you. You don't have to do anything to earn it, that love is freely given to you. You, peace4all, are unique, special, and loved by God ;).
 
Has Hercules went back to Mt Olympus ? Well if you see him' tell him that I said hello. And that I will see him for the Jason and the Argonauts' on the looking for the Golden Fleece' expedition.
 
Lewis W said:
Has Hercules went back to Mt Olympus ? Well if you see him' tell him that I said hello. And that I will see him for the Jason and the Argonauts' on the looking for the Golden Fleece' expedition.

the same thing can be said about Jesus returning (minus the golden fleece etc)

Many other religions have clauses also where, converting someone is "saving" them, and the best thing you can do to help them.

Many religions go through times where they are seen as good, and times where they are seen as evil (also it depends on your viewpoint). Each religion has times where they regret what other followers have done.

You are right, you can't force someone to change their religion. People of all beliefs will still keep their personal faith, wether they are budhist, christian, an atheist or muslim. and many people of many faiths have died because of their religion, or died due to their refusal to convert.

basically it boils down to

2 sides both want whats best for everyone
one side says their god is best, the other side says there god is best, and both sides have written texts that say the other side is a false side, and that it is not the true god to believe in, and that those people aren't saved, so you better help them out.

It's like two cloned snails playing tug-of-war with eachother. It's not going to go anywhere.
 
peaceforall wrote:
Many religions go through times where they are seen as good, and times where they are seen as evil (also it depends on your viewpoint).

I don't know if you realize this, but that view, is a very dangerous one. Some religions think that it is good to sacrifice children, some religions think that it is good to subject women to prostitution in their temples, some religions think it is good to subject children to prostitution. Does that just depend on your viewpoint?. Or do you believe that yes, that really is evil no matter your viewpoint?

I do respect the Muslims and the Jewish in the fact that they at least have a concept of what truth means. If one is right, the other is wrong. That's simple logic. Their morality also lines up very close to that of Christians.

The rest of the religions seem to be pretty wishy washy in their logic. They are very relativistic, polytheistic etc. That thinking can lead to the acceptance of pretty much anything, and that includes the horrific. Do you know what was going on in Greece and Rome before Christ's message was spread?
 
:-D :biggrin
herc05-3.jpg
 
veritas, yes, I agree it is dangerous. People have sacrificed and killed people unjustly in the names of ALL religions. People have raped and tortured people in the name of ALL religions.

Usually we can all agree that murder and rape and torture are bad things, and, usually when a religion is brought charges of doing it, they say "ohh well those aren't "True" Muslims" or "Well the ones in the past had misinterpreted a bible passage"

What makes native american religions wishy washy? (btw, not all use animal or human sacrifice, nor do many) What makes budhists and hindus wishy washy? or atheists?

and btw, not all christians have good morals (cough falwell/robertson)
 
Peace4all,

I'm glad we can agree that some things are bad no matter what our viewpoint. Some things are not relative. Child sacrifice, rape, torture, are always bad, no matter the viewpoint or religion that promotes it. That means there is such a thing as "Truth".

Which also leads into what I meant by "wishy washy". I think that trying to accept all religions as good or "truth" is wishy washy. Which is, part of the reason polytheistic religions get started (different gods just keep getting added to the belief system). So I would say hindu, native american religion, early Mideastern and European religions, early Greek, are wishy washy in that way. Budhism is somewhat different, and so is atheism, and I think those depend much more on the individual whether they are relativisitc (wishy washy) or not. I do not consider Muslims nor Jewish wishy washy.

And I know, not all Christians have good morals... one look at myself proves that quite well. I am sinner, just like everyone else
 
.

It is evident, that some people here have not studied the bible very much at all.



God's Holy TRUTH vs. the deceptions of False gods

Only those who have eyes to see, will see, and only those who have ears to hear, will hear the truth and understand the full implications of these scriptures.
If you want to understand the voice of God you must be willing to listen and be willing to learn from the word of God's Holy Truth.

Numbers 23:19
God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?



Psalm 4:2
How long, O men, will you turn my glory into shame ? How long will you love delusions and seek false gods ? Selah

Psalm 40:4
Blessed is the man who makes the LORD his trust, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods.

Jeremiah 13:25
This is your lot, the portion I have decreed for you," declares the LORD, "because you have forgotten me and trusted in false gods.

Jeremiah 16:19
O LORD, my strength and my fortress, my refuge in time of distress, to you the nations will come from the ends of the earth and say, "Our fathers possessed nothing but false gods, worthless idols that did them no good.

Amos 2:4
This is what the LORD says: "For three sins of Judah, even for four, I will not turn back {my wrath}. Because they have rejected the law of the LORD and have not kept his decrees, because they have been led astray by false gods, the gods their ancestors followed,

Matthew 7:13-16

Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?


John 14:6
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Acts 4:12
Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

Acts 20:21
Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 6:9-10
Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

Revelation 21:8
But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.


.
 
How would u'all feel if u were jesus and your believers decided to worship Iron Man or the Green Lantern, wouldn't that be disappointing! All Hail the Ori! :robot: Resistance is futile!
 
ÃÂoppleganger said:
How would u'all feel if u were jesus and your believers decided to worship Iron Man or the Green Lantern, wouldn't that be disappointing! All Hail the Ori! :robot: Resistance is futile!
Iron Man' from Black Sabbath ?
 
Thats what I was thinking lewis :-P

This reminds me of a.. Family guy episode? Where someone does something, a miracle happens, and they are like "thank you Jesus" and it goes up into a "heaven like" area, and there is a hindu-looking god standing there saying "well it wasn't it wasnt.. ehh i guess.. " and then Jesus and another religious figure walk up and jesus is like "ooo sorry dude, but, thanks :-D"


idunno if anyone will get the reference :-(
 
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