War Goddess.net - Religious Pluralism in Antiquity, by Sannion

Religious Pluralism in Antiquity, by Sannion

One of the most stunning features of religion in the ancient world is the often bewildering variety of Gods and cults and beliefs open to the individual. In Rome, for instance, you could find foreign Gods such as the Egyptian Isis, the Phrygian Great Mother, the Persian Mithras, and the Thracian Hero Gods worshiped alongside the traditional Olympians of the Civic Cult, the household spirits called lares and penates, and the Deified Emperor. What is interesting about this is not that Rome, which at the time straddled the bulk of the known world, should play home to such a panoply of Gods, but that all of these Gods should be found worshiped within the same household, by the same individual.

For historians and students of religion, this curious fact can often be troubling. Within our culture, there is a general sense of conversion, and of exclusiveism that was decidedly lacking among the ancients. When one accepts Jesus, it is understood that one is rejecting all other Gods. Even when considering Non-Abrahamic religions, it is assumed that one cannot subcribe concurrently to more than one belief system. If one were to say that they were both a Buddhist and a Zoroastrian, or a Shinto Priest and African Shaman, they would be laughed at. Even self-proclaimed eclectic religions like Wicca reject this idea - as evidenced by the hostility many Christian Wiccans receive from their brethren.

Consequently, when people look back at antiquity and see this wonderful religious pluralism, they attempt to denegrate it. "They were looking for new thrills. Or they were just cynically trying to cover all of their bases. Or they believed in a synchreticism that lent an inner unity to what appeared as bewildering plurality." But heaven forbid we consider the option that the ancients had some idea of what they were doing, and were seriously, consciously devoted to the different cults of the numerous Gods.

By practicing what amounts to multiple religions, one finds their horizons broadened. There are certain customs, ideas, and ritual proscriptions which go along with any religion. By adopting these, we give depth and meaning to our lives, and it brings out interesting nuances in the other religions we practice. Further, one can see it as a form of peace-making between the different Gods. In most religions there is a sense of reciprocal relationship, mutual obligations. We do things for the Gods, such as honor them, perform sacrifices, tend their temples, and propagate their faith - and they do things for us, protect us in times of stress, make our crops grow, and offer us a better lot in the afterlife. If one has ties to multiple Gods, one can sometimes act as a diplomat, bringing them together in their mutual concern for you and helping to foster deeper bonds between them. If nothing else, you provide an area where they can meet that is neutral, belonging equally to both of them.

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