Why are the Greek Gods so evil?

I have to say, I love Greek mythology but the Gods are pretty awful. We’re talking eating people (including babies and children), rape, obscene punishments for nonsensical reasons, starting wars for petty shit, killing people for petty shit, the list goes on.

It’s not unique to the Greek myths - true of all paganism.

AND - hold on to your hats - there are parts of the Old Testament where Yahweh does similar stuff.

These are old, old legends - not so much interested in “good and evil” but, instead natural and supernatural.

Sorry for the sermon.

I think it’s a perfectly acceptable way to tell your children the awful shitty sins of your parents and grandparents.

“Oh, you think me forcing you to fight off wild dogs is bad???? Let me tell you about Deb Messing!” That sort of thing.

It's about establishing a power dynamic where us mere, powerless, mortals better seek the, all-powerful, Gods' favor or face their wrath.

It's a characteristic of the myth. All mythologies are like that.

A great explanation found online:

The ancient Greek Gods did not create the universe. God(s) did not create humans in his image. The ancient Greek religion was not God-centered but the other way.

It was human-centered. Gods were created in the image of humans. It was human-centered.

Gods had power over humans and some extend could influence human activities/fate and this fate was unavoidable, but humans could influence the course of the fate bestowed unto them.

Look at this way. In Christianity par example when a person does good deeds for the benefit of mankind, obeying God's will he/she becomes a saint.

In the ancient religion the same person performing good deeds for the benefit of mankind obeying and subjected to the needs of humans and with God's assistance he/ she will become a demi-God.

But would attain the status of demigod only after performing extraordinary deeds like Hercules par example. However, a step lower was to be called an offspring of a divine God as Achilles par example.

The relation between Gods and humans in ancient Greece was not a one-way street, from God to humans but it was a two-way highway to put it in lay man's terms.

I can not resist asking you a question.

If in our modern days how can humans explain the death of an infant, par example, since God is all-loving and caring?

They can’t! The ancient Greeks, through their human-centered religion, sought an explanation. That’s why Gods must have had weaknesses.p

They're above you're infantile human morals and your judgement.

Worshipped out of fear! Sound familiar. Think Harvey Weinstein for one.

[Quote] Gods were created in the image of humans

R6 All gods are created in the image of humans. Where do you think big skydaddy got his beard from?

Are thunder and lightning evil? Or conflict, plague, and famine? Love and passion? Power and powerlessness?

The Greek gods are simply powerful forces in a (at best) careless universe.

Morality usually doesn't come into it. It's a mortal/human concept.

[quote]A great explanation found online:

R6, being as how it's written by a believer using fundamentalist Christian talking points, it's a shit explanation.

As far as evil acts and sweeping atrocities, the god depicted in the bible beats the Greek gods, hands down.

The ancient gods were seen as manifestations of forces beyond human control, e.g., earthquakes, floods, storms, famines, etc. The malign forces might be appeased with abject obeisance and sacrifices, but were largely unmoved by such factors as human love and kindness.

That’s what i found the most intriguing when I read Homer’s The Iliad. That for ancient Greeks, these wars (in this case the Trojan war) were all seen as caused by the gods, petty, vindictive, and frankly childish. A superb read though which I highly recommend.

R13, how is any of that different from the succession of various conquering nations Yahweh was supposed to have unleashed upon the Jews for their failure to sufficiently follow his penny-ante ritual laws?

Besides, let's not forget that the idea of the Greek gods changed a lot as time went on. From their Proto-Indo-European (and Minor Asian) origins, through Archaic and Classical interpretations, to Neoplatonism in the Hellenic period.

*Hellenistic

R1 Are you sure you aren't describing Republicans?

The question remains: Is he a Greek god...or a goddamn Greek?

Because PEOPLE created them. That’s why.

Greek mythology is awesome! Athena is probably the least awful.

Um, have you ever read the Old Testament, OP?

The Judeo-Christian god is pretty evil, too.

Their togas were chaffing.

R20

I think Hestia is the least awful.

Athena beat a girl and turned her into a spider because she lost to her in a sewing competition. She also created Medusa.

R23

Correction: She turned Medusa, a girl who was raped by Poseidon in her temple, into a gorgon.

Burn in hell for eternity, homo OP.

[quote]R6: I can not resist asking you a question.

Unless it is “how do I spell ‘cannot?’” we have already heard enough from you.

R26

And cue the grammar/spelling cunt, right on time. There's always one.

I think one goddess turned some lady into a spider.

Was that really necessary?

R27 as soon as i answer, the punctuation/capitalization cunt will show up.

I loved (and still do) Greek mythology as a kid/teen. i'm not sure where my fascination came from, but i have read the Illiad and the Odyssey and have a well-read book sitting on my bookshelf of mythology. I also really loved the book "Firebrand" about the seer Kassandra/Cassandra. I most connected with the goddess Demeter (and became an avid gardener). Lots of favorites.

But yes, they were quite cruel in how they treated humans. i am pretty sure the people of the time were trying to make sense of the cruelty and randomness of why/how people died or events happened.

One of my favorite SNL videos, just an excuse to watch it again.

Don’t try me, boys.

that was hilarious r30, thanks!

I don't know. But more people know me, than they do the "Goddess" cunt who afflicted me.

They weren't evil per se. They were simply anthropomorphisms of natural phenomena. People in ancient times didn't have the same scientific knowledge as we do today. So whenever a natural disaster happened, a famine happened, war and bloodshed, corruption, whatever drama et cetera. It was easier to explain that chaos as punishment from the gods. The gods were petty, angry and vain yes but almost every god in ancient cultures were like that. And interesting enough the Greek gods weren't omniscient and omnipresent. They had weaknesses, could be ignorant and they could even die. The definition of a god back then simply meant any supernatural being that was more powerful than a human being. The whole concept of an all-loving, all-knowing and all-present God that always existed came from Christianity via Platonic ideals and that greatly influenced our perceptions.

You think they were evil? Just imagine them being dataloungers.

It’s also true of the christiian myths - in fact, true of all christianism.

Good = natural

and evil = supernatural.

That I would agree with.

It had something to do with the origin of love.

To answer your question: The Greek Gods are evil because the Greeks are cray cray! Greek people are either super nice or bipolar maniacs. Of course their gods are cray cray too

The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully.

But he said he loved me, so there's that.

Not just the 'God of the Old Testament,' R39; New Testament theology is equally bloodthirsty. It's apparently the eschatological plan for Christ to wipe out the entire world upon his return, all except for the 'right kind' of Christians.

The old Testament is part mythology. Part lore, history, genealogy, poetry, screed.