What sorts of support did people get from religion in the ancient Essay

What sorts of support did people get from religion in the ancient world - Essay Example In other words, it could be asserted, that the Greek Mythology was the forebear for all subsequent performance arts. In the primitive world, mythology served as a primitive form of theatre. But this is only one side of the truth. Myths were cleverly used by the religious leaders to impose their authority on the unsuspecting masses. This was done by distorting and warping historical truth in a way that strengthened their present hold over the masses. (Bremmer 1994) Ancient Religion laid the foundation for Rational Enquiry: It is surprising to learn that the Ancient Stoics sought religion for intellectual reasons. For them religion is an avenue for rational enquiry into the natural laws. The Ancient Stoics reasoned thus – since all physical phenomena followed natural laws and explainable by reason, the creator of this world himself must be comprehensible through the same instrument. Reason itself is divinity. This is quite an advanced usage for religion, one has to admit. But this theological framework had its failings, for rationality does not answer all questions on nature. Religion, inevitably it would seem, belong to a realm beyond rational enquiry. On this account, when the oracle at Delphi proved difficult to interpret and understand the Greek were not surprised. Gradually, the Stoics came to associate exclusively all that is unknown to the divine, thus deviating from their more advanced provisions for rational enquiry in religio n. Religion as a Means of Control: The Greek and Roman theologians detested the concept of religious tolerance. Religion was little more than a cult at this time, centred on tradition and manifested through elaborate rituals. When contact with new cultures brought notice to new gods, they were assimilated or added to the existing pantheon. Britain is a good example – here altars to Mars, Hercules and Epona are found. On the darker side, it was common in Rome to make sacrifices to the new god in the way of