A group of self-styled Zeus worshipers have decided to revive the worship of the ancient Greek gods. They are demanding access to the ruins of the temple of Olympian Zeus for their rites. Never mind that the religion and the original rites have pretty much been forgotten. The practitioners have also already won a court decision in Greece forcing the government to recognize them as legitimate.
ATHENS, Greece – After all these centuries, Zeus may have a few thunderbolts left. A tiny group of worshippers plans a rare ceremony Sunday to honor the ancient Greek gods, at Athens' 1,800-year-old Temple of Olympian Zeus. Greece's Culture Ministry has declared the central Athens site off-limits, but worshippers say they will defy the decision.
"These are our temples and they should be used by followers of our religion," said Doreta Peppa, head of the Athens-based Ellinais, a group campaigning to revive the ancient religion.
"Of course we will go ahead with the event … we will enter the site legally," said Peppa, who calls herself a high priestess of the revived faith. "We will issue a call for peace, who can be opposed to that?"
Peppa said the ceremony will be held in honor of Zeus, king of the ancient gods, but did not give other details. The daily Ethnos newspaper, citing the group's application to the Culture Ministry to use the site, said the 90-minute event would include hymns, dancers, torchbearers, and worshippers in ancient costumes.
Greece's archaic religion is believed to have several hundred official followers, mainly middle-aged and elderly academics, lawyers and other professionals. They typically share a keen interest in ancient history and a dislike for the Greek Orthodox Church.
Ancient rituals are re-enacted every two years at Olympia, in southern Greece, where the flame lighting ceremony is held for the summer and winter Olympic games. But the event is not regarded as a religious ceremony and actresses are used to pose as high priestesses.
Peppa's position is absurd. The temples are not "theirs" because they claim them. The religion died out; they revived their concept of what the religion was. They are free to form their own traditions and establish their own religious places, but they have no legal right to claim the ancient ruins. But heck, we want in on it, too if that's all it takes. Accordingly, we here at Blue Crab Boulevard officially lay claim to a very important historical site: Outhenge.
The British government lets one bunch of aging-hippie nutballs worship, well, whoever, at Stonehenge, and the US government let some — no kidding — Old Norse worshippers have a ritual over the skull of that alleged Caucasian found on the West Coast a few years back.
I want to have my sacred rites on the site of the local Federal Reserve vault.
Hey! Let’s form a religion that claims Fort Knox as its sacred site!
This could work…..
As Michalleen Ogg said in The Quiet Man “The proprieties must be observed at all times.” These days the recognition of religion(s) is more important than the observance of same. We know that this is just a bunch of fools looking for another multi-culti precedent, but when they attempt to try in the Court instead of the Paper they will end up as they are; as fools. I have little enough faith in the jurisprudential system, but even the most loaded Court can recognize this as a power grab. Assuming it works, I am simmering a couple of new religiion ideas that should test the resolve of even the most liberal court. Based on historical precedent, mind you.
No problems with the comment this time? I’ve turned the plugin off – I’ll see if the spammers go ape again and may have to turn it back on.
Comment went through five by five. Hope the spammers have passed you over. Damnable things come back more often than cockroaches and silverfish.
Yeah, they are pretty bad right now. I’ll reactivate it when the next wave hits.
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