Atheists & Agnostics

frogmarch

(12,232 posts) Sun Mar 24, 2024, 02:13 PM Mar 2024

Religious syncretism

The Ptolomaic Empire in Egypt began in 305 BC, when Ptolomy I Soter, a top Greek general in Alexander the Great's army, took over Egypt 18 years after Alexander died in 323 BC. Maybe it took that long after Alexander's death for his friends and associates to quit fighting over who got what country to rule and get it settled.

Bits from the net:

By combining eastern Greek god Apis and Egyptian god Osiris, Ptolemy I Soter created a new god, Serapis, in an effort to blend elements of Greek and Egyptian religion. From Alexandria it spread to become one of the most widespread Eastern cults in the Roman Empire.

The Ptolemies used this type of religious syncretism (the blending of different religious practices and beliefs) to gain acceptance as rulers.

Religions from various other countries also have syncretic deities.

I read somewhere that when an attempt was made to combine Zeus and Yahweh into a single deity, Jews considered it to be the highest form of sacrilege and rejected it.

Do people really worship deities they know were invented by other people, or don't most of them know the deities are fictitious?

5 replies

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Highlight:

Religious syncretism (Original Post) frogmarch Mar 2024 OP

You can't ask logical questions like that HAB911 Mar 2024 #1

Very informative post. anciano Mar 2024 #2

Religion is a culturally accepted form of mass delusion. Voltaire2 Mar 2024 #3

A quote attributed to Hadrian, but not proven, was that if you wanted to find Karadeniz Mar 2024 #4

I think people who believe Farmer-Rick Mar 2024 #5

HAB911

(9,368 posts)

1. You can't ask logical questions like that

Reply to frogmarch (Original post)

Sun Mar 24, 2024, 02:23 PM

Mar 2024

Blasphemy!

anciano

(1,589 posts)

2. Very informative post.

Reply to frogmarch (Original post)

Sun Mar 24, 2024, 02:39 PM

Mar 2024

"The Christian theory is little else than the idolatry of the ancient mythologists accommodated to the purposes of power and revenue." ---- Thomas Paine

Voltaire2

(14,854 posts)

3. Religion is a culturally accepted form of mass delusion.

Reply to frogmarch (Original post)

Sun Mar 24, 2024, 02:42 PM

Mar 2024

As we have witnessed over the last few decades, delusions can be cultivated and propagated and spread through a population, and bad actors with enough resources can do this deliberately for their own benefit. The same advertising tools and tactics that convince us to consume, can and are obviously used effectively for all sorts of purposes.

Karadeniz

(23,503 posts)

4. A quote attributed to Hadrian, but not proven, was that if you wanted to find

Reply to frogmarch (Original post)

Sun Mar 24, 2024, 09:52 PM

Mar 2024

Christians, just go to the temple of Serapis. Paul said he had no real problem with his "adults" going to a pagan temple, except it might confuse the younger members.

Farmer-Rick

(11,532 posts)

5. I think people who believe

Reply to frogmarch (Original post)

Sun Mar 24, 2024, 10:52 PM

Mar 2024

All these made up stories about gods, convince themselves that it is true. They convince themselves that the people saying the lies are actually telling the truth. They con themselves because they want it to be true.

We never heard anything about Trump being a god, the second coming, a billionaire who could get away with murder or any of the other stupid cult like ideas about him before he ran for president. For 70 years he was just another filthy rich hoodlum.

This mythology about him was created on the spot, morphed and massaged layer by layer, right in front of our own eyes. And people right now believe this crap. Lie after lie they buy in to it. Just like they buy into religions. Seems no lie is big enough that doesn't have some believers.

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