Ancient
      Greek
      and
      Roman
      Religions
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Ancient
      Greek
      and
      Roman
      religions
      were
      more
      cult
     
     
      practices
      then
      religions;
      there
      was
      no
      set
      of
      theologi-
     
     
      cal
      beliefs
      nor
      a
      specific
      moral
      code
      to
      be
      observed.
     
     
      ‘People
      practiced
      the
      cult
      to
      keep
      the
      gods
      friendly.
     
     
      “Ina
      sense,
      these
      ancient
      religions
      were
      paganistic
      --
     
    

    
     
      the
      gods
      were
      not
      morally
      superior
      to
      mortals.
      There
     
     
      was
      aclose
      connection
      between
      magic
      and
      religion.
     
    

    
     
      Magic
      was
      you
      doing
      it
      rather
      than
      appealing
      to
      the
     
    

    
     
      gods
      for
      it
      to
      get
      done.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Greek
      Gods
      had
      individual
      personalities.
      Romans
      had
     
     
      no
      personalized
      gods,
      they
      worshipped
      power.
      Ro-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      man
      religion
      was
      like
      electricity
      --
      we
      can’t
      see
      it
      or
     
     
      smell
      it,
      but
      we
      understand
      how
      to
      use
      it.
      [f
      we
     
    
   
   
    
     
      -
      connect
      the
      wires
      it
      works.
      The
      Roman
      genius
      was
     
     
      _
      the
      acquisition
      and
      management
      of
      power.
      Religion
     
     
      '
      was
      a
      way
      to
      manage
      the
      power
      of
      the
      gods.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Romans
      religion
      was
      contaminated
      by
      Greek
      religion;
     
    

    
     
      most
      of
      the
      gods
      were
      similar.
      However,
      their
      gods
     
    

    
     
      of
      war
      were
      quite
      different.
      Mars,
      the
      Roman
      god
      of
     
    

    
     
      _
      war
      was
      powerful,
      whereas
      the
      greek
      god
      Ares
      was
     
     
      more
      ofa
      buffoon.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      _
      As
      the
      classical
      world
      aged,
      and
      city
      states
      passed
     
     
      away,
      other
      forms
      of
      religion
      came
      along
      which
      tried
     
     
      to
      do
      what
      modern
      religion
      does.
      Some
      example
      are
     
    

    
     
      _
      Orphism,
      ISIS
      worship,
      and
      Mithraism.
      Isis
      worship
     
     
      was
      close
      to
      christianity
      --
      it
      required
      a
      certain
      moral
     
     
      way
      of
      life
      for
      well-being
      in
      both
      this
      world
      and
      the
     
     
      next.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      _
      Homer
      said
      that
      gods
      are
      immortal,
      better
      looking,
     
    

    
     
      _
      faster,
      stronger
      than
      humans,
      but
      not
      morally
      differ-
     
     
      _
      ent.
      While
      this
      was
      the
      thought
      of
      the
      time,
      Homer
     
     
      _
      and
      others
      writings
      were
      literary
      creations,
      and
      not
     
    

    
     
      _
      very
      good
      indications
      of
      real
      religions
      in
      Greek
      and
     
    

    
     
      _
      Roman
      worlds.
     
    
   
   
    
     
         
     
     
       
     
     
          
     
     
        
     
     
        
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Chinese
      Folk
      Religions
      and
      Confucian-
     
     
      ism
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Chinese
      mythology
      points
      to
      an
      indefinitely
      long
     
     
      philosophy
      was
      still
      the
      controlling
      force
      over
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      were
      ruled
      over
      by
      shang-ti,
      the
      Supreme
      Lord.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      period
      of
      time.
      Reliable
      history
      begins
      with
      the
      Shang
     
     
      dynasty
      (1523-1028
      B.C.),
      when
      religion
      rather
      than
     
    
   
   
    
     
      minds
      ofmen,
      Departed
      ancestors
      acted
      as
      interces-
     
     
      sors
      between
      men
      and
      spirits,
      and
      the
      various
      spirits
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Confucianism
      was
      the
      most
      influential
      philosophical
     
     
      _
      system
      not
      only
      in
      China
      butalso
      in
      Korea,
      Japan
      and
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Vietnam.
      The
      teachings
      of
      Confucius
      go
      back
      to
      551-
     
     
      479
      B.C.
      The
      Chinese
      have
      honoured
      Confucius
      as
     
     
      their
      “‘Supreme
      Sage
      and
      Foremost
      Teacher.’’
      Con-
     
     
      fucius
      carried
      over
      certain
      ideas
      from
      antiquity,
      but
     
     
      also
      introduced
      the
      unitary
      principle
      of
      jen,
      translated
     
     
      as
      benevolence,
      love,
      manhood,
      human-heartedness.
     
     
      ‘*What
      one
      does
      not
      wish
      to
      be
      done
      unto,
      do
      not
      do
     
     
      to
      others’’
      is
      a
      well-known
      saying
      of
      Confucius.
      In
     
     
      the
      system
      of
      Confucius,
      ethics,
      politics,
      and
      educa-
     
     
      tion
      work
      hand
      in
      hand,
      and
      the
      super
      virtue
      of
      jen
      in
     
     
      the
      unifying
      principle.
     
     
      Taoism
      was
      founded
      by
      Lao
      Tzu
      and
      Chuang
      Tzu.
     
     
      Their
      teachings
      deal
      with
      the
      central
      notion
      of
      the
     
     
      Tao.
      Tao,
      which
      means
      ‘‘path’’
      or
      ‘‘road’’,
      hascome
     
     
      to
      signify
      the
      basic
      principle
      that
      pervades
      man
      and
     
     
      the
      universe.
      Taoism
      in
      the
      philosophy
      of
      ‘‘live
      and
     
     
      let
      live’’.
      The
      spirit
      of
      Taoism
      has
      pervaded
      many
     
     
      aspects
      of
      Chinese
      culture,
      such
      as
      art
      and
      literature,
     
     
      particularly
      landscape
      painting
      and
      nature
      poetry.
     
     
      Other
      Chinese
      religions
      include
      Moism,
      The
      School
     
     
      of
      Logicians
      The
      School
      of
      Diviners,
      and
      Legalism.
     
    
   
   
    
     
         
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Christianity
     
     
      IT’S
      EASY
      TO
      BEA
      CHRISTIAN
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Perhaps
      the
      most
      misused
      word
      used
      in
      relation
      to
     
     
      Christianity
      is
      the
      word
      ‘‘faith’’.
      For
      many,
      it
      is
     
     
      used
      simply
      to
      denote
      irrational
      belief
      --
      blindly
     
     
      believing
      ina
      God
      Who
      does
      not
      exist.
      It
      is
      used
     
     
      almost
      to
      dismiss
      Christianity
      as
      a
      mere
      idiosyncrasy,
     
     
      another
      twist
      in
      the
      ‘anything
      goes’’
      world
      of
      reli-
     
     
      gion.
      ‘‘
      Well,
      it’s
      justa
      matter
      of
      faith...’’
      But
      the
     
     
      Christian
      understanding
      of
      faith
      is
      more
      than
      just
     
     
      beliefin
      the
      invisible.
      Faith,
      quite
      simply,
      equals
     
     
      trust.
      Trust
      is
      confidence
      that
      we
      have
      in
      another
     
     
      person,
      a
      confidence
      gained
      by
      prior
      knowledge
      of
     
     
      that
      person’s
      trustworthiness.
      In
      other
      words,
      my
     
     
      faith
      ina
      friend
      is
      confidence
      that
      he
      will
      acta
      certain
     
     
      way,
      based
      on
      his
      past
      performance.
      Applied
      to
      God,
     
     
      that
      term
      gains
      great
      significance.
      Faith
      in
      God
      is
     
     
      trust
      that
      He
      willacta
      certain
      way,
      because
      we
      know
     
     
      how
      He
      has
      acted
      in
      the
      past,
      It
      is
      our
      confidence,
     
     
      based
      on
      His
      past
      behavior.
      So
      what
      is
      His
      past
     
     
      behavior?
      The
      Bible
      tells
      us
      that
      He
      called
      certain
     
     
      people
      to
      be
      His
      and
      made
      promises
      to
      them,
      based
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
      V_PRESS
      March
      26.
      1999
      Pace
      10