Red Greece

Did people actually believe in the greek gods and godesses?

If people thought the greek gods and godesses were real at one time, then doesn't that seriously damage the credibility of the god theory we have today? That just proves that people have always been making gods up, and maybe the god we have is made up too. Theres just no way of disproving it. What do you think?

Public Comments

1. bingo.
2. Yes. They did. I think that you are right.
3. Uhm, yes. They believed they were very real.
4. Yes. I don't think this is any big surprise. People used the notion of various gods to explain the things that were happening to them and their environment.
5. Did you just disavow Zeus? Don't make me get my bronze axe
6. no sh*t sherlock...common sense says they did believe in them, and leaves one to wonder and finally disbelieve
7. They sure did, but we know that The Lord God is the one true God as it is written in the Bible and stated by Jesus our savior. Thank you Jesus!
8. Oh yes they took them seriously. Socrates was executed for taking them lightly.
9. Good point.
10. in ancient times yes!
11. Yes very true. No real difference between one god and others.
12. I totally agree. The Christian god is kind of all the greek gods rolled into one. Keyword: MYTHology
13. yes they did some people still do and if you go there and you do something bad they'll kill you just like in the old days
14. Correct. Correct. And...Correct! Unfortunately you hit the nail right on the head!
15. Barring the fact that people have believed in the God we have today, since before and after the belief in the Greek gods/goddesses, then your assertion falls to the wayside. Comparatively, there are people who have not believed in the Greek gods/goddesses, does not this also prove that peopl have been always denying god? Does this make God any less existent? By the way of comparison, does the fact that people have statistically over the course of time believed in atheism less than those who have believed in a God/Goddess system, in any way prove that statistically, that a God Goddess system is true?
16. Some do believe in them. Just another delusion. .
17. Faith is faith, you can't prove or disprove it.
18. Exactly.
19. You jumped to a conclusion. Just because people once believed in gods doesn't automatically mean that they made them up. You cannot disprove a negative.
20. Yep, so did the Sumerians, the Egyptians, the Romans, the Mayans, the Indians, every culture that's ever existed. The history of religion has been a long drawn out process of distillation from a multitude of nameless spirits to a full pantheon down to one- hindus excepted, and, eventually, to none. Begging Michelle Chang's pardon but you're wrong, the Sumerian and Egyptian gods predate Yahweh/Jehovah so the questioner's point is made.
21. answer: Yes they did And there are Hellenistic pagans now. As for your idea - I agree. Religion is man made. Do I believe the creation myth in my lore? I'm agnostic and say it's HIGHLY unlikely that it's true. Do I believe in my deities, yes. I understand Atheists though and your thought that the Christian religion isn't as perfect as advertised. # # # Babie - what are you babbling about? Pagan religions are the most peaceful on the planet (except for Bahai and Buddhism). It was the Christians that killed the pagans, remember?
22. It doesn't matter what society thinks; what you think is what matters. If you believe there is a God, then you should find Him, if you don't, then you don't. But dying at the end of your life without finding the meaning to life and why you were here defies logic. I think the gods the Greeks talked about were angels that were assigned certain tasks to do for God's creation, like watch evolution to make sure is was pure for an incarnating soul. Other angels may have helped humans and their societies, the way the Greeks described them.
23. There are, or have been, thousands of Gods. Many of their believers were every bit as fervent, if not more so, than the thumpiest bible thumper alive today. Christianity is just the latest fad with a good marketing department.
24. They did believe in their gods. They went to the extent of killing their own family members and sacrificing to these gods at times. It is my belief there always has been God. It is the nature of mankind to believe in something greater than they are because they cannot accomplish much on their own. Mankind has always been seeking something to believe more than themselves. Psychologists tell us it is healthy to believe we are NOT the most complete being that exists. The dependence on something greater than ourselves is good for our mental health.
25. they were every bit as real to the greeks as 'god' is to the christians today.
26. For as long as there has been a human race, there have been Gods and beleifs in Gods. If you research a little, you will find that the majority of what Christians beleive in are rip-offs from other religions. People beleive in Gods and Goddesses and things because beleiving in it offers explanation. Why does the sun rise and shine? Because of God Why is the sky blue? Because God made it blue. That way people don't have to worry about what can't be explained. Why not take the hard road once in a while? It rains because of condesation and evaporation, not because God makes it rain.
27. Organized religion in any form is an instrument of fear and control. The cast of characters is always changing, but the plot stays the same: "Do what we/I say, or (insert really bad thing of choice) will happen to you" Trying to figure out which "god" is the "real" one will make you dizzy. It's all a game created by your human friends to keep you under their thumb...
28. People still have beliefs in strange things. It does not change the fact; I know Him and that is not wishful thinking or something that was drummed into me.
29. I think you are looking for justification for your own thinking. If one truly believes in what they think, then no justification from others is needed. Choose wisely............
30. I agree with you whole-heartedly. I like to think that in a few thousands of years, the same will be said about the gods of today as is said of the Egyptian and Greek gods.
31. yuppers, you got it right.
32. No matter how many societies you venture to study ....there is a god. He is just called by different names and interpreted differently by different people. And God said, Let us make man in OUR image, after OUR likeness: The bible itself says there are more than just GOD up there. But he's the BOSS!
33. Only the lost and insercure searching for hope are the true believers. Basically the way I interpereted religion is to believe in yourself and you can do anything
34. That's kind of the logic that led me from monotheism to polytheism. However, I do not accept that we've been "making gods up." I just suspect there's a lot out there, and therefore the idea that only one exists is incorrect.