What was ancient greek religion?

Answer 1

Greek religion was a predominant form of early Paganism and as a result their religion reflected many central ideas and concepts of earlier forms of Paganism, such as Druidism, both ancient and Modern and Witchcraft and Wicca. It was polytheistic, consisting of the worship of many Gods. The Greeks believed that the Gods would offer protection and guide their city-states. This belief was identical to other earlier forms of Paganism.

The major gods and goddesses: Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Apollo, Artemis, Aphrodite, Ares, Dionysus, Hephaestus, Athena, Hermes, Demeter, Hestia, Dionysus and Hera

Answer 2

religionreligion played a major role in how government was run and shaped. Of course Greece had their own religion so they were bias in there laws to the beiefs noted in their religion.It also played a large part in moral action. Like the fact that sexual condust was a public things you shared with friends, and you often would "share partners".

Answer 3

Answer

The general religion was based on sky gods, which is natural as they came with the nomadic Greeks when they took over from the earlier agricultural peoples and their earth gods. As with the Roman official religion, it was seen as a compact between the state and the gods. The gods were given their due (respect, consultation and sacrifice) and it was hoped that in return they would influence events or give warnings to the benefit of the state and its people. However underlying this was a cynical use of religious practices by leaders to control the people: the priests were of the aristocracy. Nothing has changed today.

In consequence, all significant acts and many personal acts were accompanied by getting oracles, sacrificing and invoking divine intervention or approval. Even the games and dramatic performances were part of religious festivals dedicated to gods.

While they had a somewhat ambivalent attitude which could almost be classed as doubt, it was in fact double-think. While they may have made jokes at the gods' expense (buzzing like blowfiles above a sacrifice), they also were meticulous in their practices, and assigned the death penalty for sacrilege (exit Socrates). In an uncertain world of which they knew relatively nothing of physical cause and effect, the gods and myths provided answers of the unknowable, non-understandable and unpredictable.

The fact that so many today, in a world where scientific knowledge explains all this, still cling to extreme religious beliefs is an indication that superstition was hard-wired into our minds as an evolutionary advantage. The Greeks did what so many do today, just with differently-named god(s) and rituals.