Essay/Term paper: The revolutionary war

Essay, term paper, research paper:  American History

The Revolutionary War was an enormous part of American

history. The revolution in Russia, that sparked the

overthrow of communism, was a huge part of Russian

history. The revolution of Christianity from the concepts of

Greek gods was also a large part of religious history.

Christianity and Greek gods have many comparisons,

contrasts, and these contrasts resulted in Christianity being

revolutionary. The concepts of Christianity and the religious

concepts of the Greek gods are comparatively alike. To

begin, in both religions, humans believe that there are

speakers for their God/gods. Gods do not speak to mere

mortals. These people are the priests who teach of the

gods¹ ways and wants. Some are fortune tellers or

prophets, as they were called in Greek times, that foretell

the future. For example, Tiriesias, in the plays Oedipus the

King and Antigone, was a blind prophet who could see the

future and foretell it to people. In Greek times the prophets

were of high social status. Also, the people believe that

their God or gods are above all human ranks. They believe

a god is above all and listens to people when they need

help. This is why humans pray to the God/gods for

forgiveness. The two religious views also believe that the

God/gods are watching over their followers. The God/gods

decide either before or after a person¹s life on earth where

the person will live in the afterlife, depending on the

person¹s values. Both believe one would either go to a bad

place, called Hell or Hades, or a good place, called heaven

or the Elysian Fields. Likewise both believe in an afterlife

that is eternally chosen. The ideas of the followers of

Christianity and Greek religions are also very different. To

begin, Christians believe in one almighty God. This is also

known as monotheism. Christians believe this God gave the

world his only son. When that son was put to death by a

human, He told the people He would die to forgive their

sins. This shows that God and His son were both caring

and forgiving beings. They are respected by the followers

of Christianity. God helps humans. Humans pray to this

God for help and forgiveness. People also go to church to

learn about their religion and to pay their respects to God.

The church is thought to be God¹s house. This is why

people get dressed up and try to look nice when they are

guests in God¹s house. God and Jesus are thought to live in

heaven. Greeks, however, are very different from

Christians. They believe in many gods. This is also known

as polytheism. These gods are mean and torture the

humans for doing wrong. In the play Antigone, the leader

speaks, ³Must, King and quickly too. The gods, provoked,

never wait to mow men down.²1 This quote proves how

quick tempered the gods are. These same gods destine a

human¹s fate. Fate is also determined usually by a family

curse. As in Antigone, the Greek tragedy, Antigone states,

³What more do you think could Zeus require of us to load

the curse that¹s on the House of Oedipus?²2 This quote

shows how Zeus, a Greek god, has determined Antigone's

fate by the curse that has been placed on her family. A

human¹s fate is foretold and is kept by the oracles.

Oedipus¹ oracle states that he would kill his father and

marry his mother. This oracle comes true even though many

people of the city of Thebes do not know that Oedipus is

Jocasta and Liaus¹ son because they ordered their son to

be put to death. People of Greek times do not attend

church; they are told of their futures by prophets or by

other family members. They do, however, also try to please

the gods so that they are not punished. The Greek gods are

thought to live above the Greek citizens on a mountain

named Olympus. Christianity was considered revolutionary

by many. Revolutionary is defined as: ³having the nature of,

characterized by, tending toward, and causing a revolution,

or drastic change.²3 Christianity was a major change in

beliefs causing many to think it was wrong. The evolution of

Christianity was hampered by the beliefs of the people and

their familiarity with the ways of the Greeks. This was such

a giant change, many did not like it. Thus, although

Christianity may seem similar to the concepts of the Greek

gods it has many distinct differences. These differences

explain why Christianity can be considered revolutionary.