Oh! My Aching Brain!

1. I don't have much to say with this post as I've been reading those Greek dramas and the philosophers for the past few weeks. I have also obtained, from a close friend, a three volume video series developed by an education service called The Learning Company. This video series is of college level lectures on ancient mythology which is both Greek and Roman. It has been wonderful in providing for me a more informed context. The professor helps with geographical insight, cultural meanings, time placement, religious thought, and world view understanding. Not only this but she helps me with pronunciation too. That actually is no small thing. It helps me to hear the word I see, mentally grasp it, and eliminates reading hiccups or blocks and I can cover more text with better understanding in less time. The reason that I don't have too much to say is that, "I think my brain is temporarily fried!" There is so much to contemplate. It is, to my view, most wonderful. Surprise, surprise I actually think that it is faith building. I will, in a later post, explain the irony of this. What I need to do is take some more time and sort my thoughts out before going to print with the ideas that I feel have come to me in this frenzy of ancient Greek reading.
   
   Here are are some of the thoughts that are swirling around in my mind:
   
   1. Ancient people were very, very religious.
   
   2. These same people were extremely pious.
   
   3. They thought the world flat, so they had a limited or wrong understanding.
   
   4. Though they had a wrong understanding of the world they certainly knew the human condition.
   
   5. They struggled with the same great questions we all do. We are, in this, the same.
   
   6. Why did bad things happen to good people? They had an answer for this, which is to some, shocking. It was the gods' fault. But, at some level are they not correct? Hummmmm?
   
   7. Sacrifice was key to religious expression.
   
   8. They were what is called fatalistic in their approach to life. Many of us actually are that way too.
   
   9. We think of Freud as the father of modern psychology yet much of what he said is mentioned thousands of years before by the Greeks. What does this mean?
   
   10. Blood sacrifice was essential for their gods. Why blood?
   
   11. Vegetable offerings were sometimes acceptable, but not always. Cane and his sin carried on.
   
   12. Religion and politics were mixed, but the potential for conflict was recognized.
   
   13. They honored and sought freedom, but they kept slaves. What parallels are here to modern cultures particularly our own?
   
   14. Representative democracy and court systems were in place before 600 B.C. We citizens of the USA have much to thank the Greeks for as pertaining to law, justice and governmental form. Do we owe as much to the Greeks and Romans as we do our Judeo/Christian heritage? Is our heritage as much Greek as it is Christian? Hummmmm?
   
   15. Personal honor was a paramount issue. Have we actually fallen behind ancient Greece in some ways?
   
   16. Women, though being thought of as property and even at times a curse, were of utmost importance to society and they lead a lot more than the ancients would admit. Yet, the dramatists certainly took shots at the traditional view of women's role in society compared to what power they actually exerted. Some things seen not to change much.
   
   17. The understanding of myth simply being a lie or a false view is not the understanding scholars or we should have. The myths of the Greeks and Romans were in fact the stories that defined the world that they lived in. What are our myths and how do they work in our 21st Century world? Can they be both good and bad? Myth seems to be found in every culture.
   
   18. Mixing politics and religious practice was considered very dangerous. Surprised?
   
   Wow! So much to contemplate. I'll take some time now to sort things out through a Biblical perspective. Then, hopefully, I'll be able to put into words some clear suggestions and righteous implications and communicate them clearly to you. In the mean time I'll continue to read, think, pray, and then later write.