• inconel@lemmy.ca
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        2 years ago

        I’m just curious, but the definition sounds like distinguishing between religion and faith not exactly religion and mythology. Animism or shamanism doesn’t always have overarching dogma to teach nor actively ask other people to believe in them. Ancient Greek people did some rituals and sacrifice, that practices they did doesn’t count as religion?

      • Hemingways_Shotgun@lemmy.ca
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        2 years ago

        Things aren’t suddenly called mythology once they’re not believed by a lot of people.

        No…that’s pretty much exactly how that happens.

        Religion is ritual devotion to a higher being. Full stop. The fact that the Greeks and Romans worships a pantheon instead of a single god makes no difference whatsoever.

        I majored in Near Eastern Classical Archaeology and that came with a heavy does of anthropology. What you’re saying is meaningless pedantry that ONLY comes from people who are too insecure to admit that their own Monotheistic religion is in fact just a made up mythology like every other faith that’s ever come and gone on the planet.

          • Hemingways_Shotgun@lemmy.ca
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            2 years ago

            Dude you literally just said it yourself;

            “formally organized beliefs and practices typically centered around the worship of supernatural forces or beings”

            What do you think is taking place when they are sacrificing a bull or a lamb to Zeus, or visiting the temple of Dionysus. Romans (since we’re using them as an example) had very structured forms of worship around their gods. So how exactly is that NOT a religion in your brain?

        • barsoap@lemm.ee
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          2 years ago

          Religion doesn’t require devotion to a higher being, or even ritual. What about, say, Zen?

          The whole distinction between philosophy, religion and, heck, even psychology is a very very Abrahamic/western-centric view.

        • Lemminary@lemmy.world
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          2 years ago

          Yeah, there’s certainly a bit of both, right? Modern religion have their own brand of myths and tie that up with their values.

          I will admit I know nothing about this. I don’t even know where to find these types of explanations from a secular POV.

        • afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.worldBanned from community
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          2 years ago

          Good term for it since, besides for a few incidental stuff in Acts and the Letters of Paul, none of the stories happened. At least Spiderman is set in NYC a city that actually exists in the time period the story is set in.

      • afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.worldBanned from community
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        2 years ago

        Religion and mythology are the same. I don’t trust people who, like yourself, claim to be buffs.

      • Simulation6@sopuli.xyz
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        2 years ago

        And yet it was part of their religion. The fact that other aspects did not survive to the present day does not change that.

          • afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.worldBanned from community
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            2 years ago

            Not all Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists share the same beliefs. However I guess in your mind those are real religions and those long dead, unable to defend themselves, Romans didn’t have a real religion. A guy like you burned down the pagan temples of Rome.

      • NotSoCoolWhip@lemmy.world
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        2 years ago

        Id argue that they are the same conceptually, and digging any deeper is splitting hairs. Both are made up stories to make ourselves feel better about death, as well as tips and tricks on how to live.

          • braxy29@lemmy.world
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            2 years ago

            … but texans are americans?

            look, mythology and religion may not refer to precisely the same thing, but there was a relationship between greek mythology and religious practice. understanding one is helpful in understanding the other.

              • braxy29@lemmy.world
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                2 years ago

                …i think you have me confused with others.

                anyway, i’m not convinced trying to delineate between the two is so neat or always necessary. but it seems no further conversation is to be had here.

              • afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.worldBanned from community
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                2 years ago

                They are not different at all. Don’t argue with me since if you are on expert on it I shouldn’t talk to you