Dear Isobel and any others interested,
Isabel, you wrote an excellent post under Re: The Greeks/Romans. Anyone who wants to follow this reply should read your post. I moved to a root article in reply because I think others may wonder about the same things you did.
I don't think Tim would be thankful to me at all, though you suggest he would, because I'm sure he already knows about most of this or has read it. Most well-educated people of the whole Western world know about the Greek and Roman civilizations and have read a fair amount of mythology, at least when they were children, if not for serious study later. After all, these are one of the greatest foundations of our Western civilization. The brilliance of the Greeks' understanding of human relations and so on isstill often used and expanded on today.
You may wonder how this could be. Here is why: the Greeks were very cultured, cultivated people with much wisdom when they were conquered by the Romans. The Romans were a younger nation, full of strength and ability, but not the same kinds of abilities as the Greeks. They were geniuses at construction of roads and buildings, as administrators, as warriors. They knew they lacked religion and culture, and they took on that of the Greeks, whom they admired greatly, and for good reason. They added the Greeks' kind of knowledge, and also religion into their Roman ways That's why the gods and goddesses often have both Greek and Roman names.
The Romans developed a huge and powerful Empire. It covered most of the then known world. (Known world from a Western point of view.) To be a Roman citizen was a great honour, great protection, and held much power. It gave you the protection of the huge and great Roman Empire behind you, no matter where you were. The Romans took care of their own. Roman citizens were Romans of course, but there were many people from the countries they conquered who also gained Roman citizenship. Especially people who were outstanding in some way or who were former native leaders like princes, who became administrators in the name of the Romans. By the way, St. Paul of the Christians was a Greek from Tarsus and a Roman citizen. That was part of what protected him for so long from being killed as a Christian as many others were.
You wonder why we should be interested in the Roman Empire? Because it is wisely said that "those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it." Just one more reason for knowing history in order to understand world affairs today. The Roman Empire eventually split into two. The western part faded and the Eastern part became Christian Byzantium, known also as the Eastern Christian Roman Empire. The churches and beliefs and added dogmas, rituals, priests, is still what is going on in Russia and related countries today as almost the only officially accepted religion.
You wonder it seems why I am interested in religions. Religions have alwaysfounded great civilizations. It is true. Every religion has within about500 years or so founded a great and glorious civilization. I don't say thatthey lasted much more than a thousand years after the Teacher gave theTeachings. Usually after a thousand years they needed to be renewed, butthe previous religions didn't accept them so they went on becoming more andmore decrepit. You may notice that I never try to get any of you to become Baha'is. I tell you about it only as part of the wider picture, and also so that you know me and what I think about things. This is what I do in Canada, too. I share, but I never try to make people become what I am.
The Baha'i Faith believes that all the great world religions were given from God, therefore, it can explain them to each other from a loving and understanding point of view. Today these religions are divided badly, and they need this understanding of their underlying universal unity and truth. Aren't many of the wars going on right now actually between religions, terrible as that is, when each of their Founders taught peace and love? It is because of the misdirections and additions that were added to each Religion through the ages that this has been forgotten as their main reason for being. They have become muddied by all the additions down through the ages that were added and can't understand that they actually have a common foundation.
Islam could be introduced to Christianity, (for instance,) as a valid religion. Christians don't believe that Islam is a real Revelation from God, because it came later than Christianity. They believe that all religions after Jesus Christ are not valid. If a Christian accepted it asa later revelation he would have followed it and would be a Muslim. If aJew had accepted a later revelation he would have followed it and been a Christian. In fact every religion, except the Baha'i Faith, believes that it has the only true religion. They can accept some religons that came before them, but reject any that came after them. Baha'i's intent is to unite humanity as a great, loving family, including all the World Religions as being like grades in the same school. Each teacher building on the foundation laid by the one before. This is called Progressive Revelation. Just this understanding among peoples can put a stop to religious wars, especially if they go back to what their Founder taught and leave out what people afterwards added. People don't have to become Baha'is for this to happen, they just have to check it out and see for themselves that they have the same original spiritual foundations, but different social laws given according to the needs of the time when each one came. Their spiritual laws still work just as well today as they always did. :-)
I began before by telling you all about Greek and Roman beliefs (gods and goddesses,) so I was very interested to see that the university professor who prepared the present course I am using for a guide, also begins with Greece and Rome and the gods and goddesses, etc. It goes on to something academic about Christianity and then to the great split between Catholics and Protestants that happened and changed and influenced so much, includingthe present President of the United States. (Also my own family and billions of others wouldn't even be in North American or many other places they are, if it weren't that they were on the side of the split that didn't have the power, so this is necessary knowledge to understand all western history. The professor's starting that way proves to me, and I think it should to you, that I am on the right track with what I am sharing with people here who want to learn English language and western culture.
Now about gods and goddesses, or One God. The great Power that is the creator of everything that exists anywhere at all (that some of us believe in and some don't here, but is very much believed in the West is spelled in English with a capital G -- God. If you want to show respect to the civilization, and also to be correct you too, spell it with a capital G, even if you don't believe.
Hephaestus and Hera, and all the gods and goddesses are not spelled with a capital G.
If you want to know English and to understand Western culture, whether you believe in God or not, whether you believe in any religion or not, you need to know about these things because they formed it. Nobody is trying to convert you. Believe what you want, but don't ever think you can understand Western culture without religion.
I have set out to try to present something here that was developed by a University Professor who might even have been an athiest. From what heoffers it isn't possible to tell. He developed this to teach non-Western or non-English speaking people who were going to go his university about Western culture.
You mentioned that you only believe in science. One of these days I may send a post about why science and religion must learn to go hand in hand, or else we are all in trouble. They are two wings of the bird of knowledge and if they don't work together and balance each other the bird will not fly. It will fail. Trouble is showing clearer and clearer in our world today because of a dangerous imbalance.
Warm greetings, and a big hug to you, Isobel. I hope you follow what I have written to you and the friends here. MaryP. S. By the way, to concentrate with a bowl full of water to learn the future is like looking into a crystal ball, or the laying of cards out on a table, or the casting of runes to try to predict the future. These are entertaining and intriguing pastimes, but really have nothing to do with religon -- Buddhist or otherwise. :-) The great Teachers didn't teach this.
