Greek Religion Essay

Decent Essays
Religions, its beginning, practices, beliefs, or definition though interesting remain challenging for any one individual to comprehend. More so, for the Greeks since they were a much diversified population (Freeman, 2004). Religions are developed by humans for humans either on an individual level or a collective one. Some of the methods individuals utilize to foster religions include its creation, intervention, or revelations. Moreover, the development of religions by individuals which has continued for centuries further complicate matters.
Religions serve many purposes, for different reasons and vary from person to person. Many turn to or seek out religion simply to explain the perplexed obstacles humans face or those issues that have no
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For instance, Homer and Hesiod were noted to have established for the Greeks the genealogy of the gods, assign them their titles, delegate them their honors or functions and defined their images (Freeman, 2004). For the Greeks, there existed no church, book, or interpreter (Freeman, 2004). However, one can presume Homer and Hesiod as the interpreters or even creators of Greek religion since they laid the foundation for a system of Gods and Goddesses for others to follow or acknowledge. In another example, Themistocles manipulated the interpretation of an oracle to benefit his favor and further advance his gain of support concerning a plan of attack (Freeman, 2004). In some cases, others sought to incorporate other religions into their own whether purposely or inadvertently remains questionable. One can agree with this notion since some features are similar in another. For instance, some forms with Greek roots were meshed with certain characteristics from the east (Freeman, 2004). The intervention in religions stems from human inclinations to advance their agendas or reinforce their own chosen positions. Again, the intervention by humans develop religions accordingly and produce change with reinterpretations or adding new information that is perceived consistent with the current society’s

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