Today, we find ourselves diverse in religion; there is no specific religion everyone in any culture is to follow. Religion is not something everyone has; one could be Christian, Jewish, Hindu, or have no religion at all. Americans are still Americans, without having a universal religion in their culture. We are still a culture even though our culture does not comprise one religion. Today people are unified as a nation. However, Greek lives are determined by how well the gods perceive them to be. I do agree with Julia and her post on Tuesday about the god’s influence and relationship with humans. Greeks believe a higher being exists to control their lives because their culture revolves around their religion. In the Odyssey one sees that human and god relationships are complicated. People are blaming gods, then praying for help, and afterwards they make offerings to them for forgiveness. We see a relationship when Athena defends Odysseus by telling Zeus her “’heart breaks for Odysseus, that seasoned veteran cursed by fate so long- far from his loved ones still, he suffers…” (1:57-60). Athena feels moved with all of Odysseus’ hardships; even Zeus answers her by telling her he did not forget about Odysseus. Zeus goes on to explain that Odysseus the man “’who excels all men in wisdom, (and) excels in offerings’” (1:79). This quote tells us that the gods in Greek culture do notice those who are exceptionally superior such as Odysseus. Zeus also tells the reader he is almost god-like. Zeus teaches us that Greek culture takes sacrifices to the gods seriously so that the gods take favor in your part. Human and god relationships are also portrayed in the Ajax story when Poseidon kills him after saving because of his boasting. Though gods do not always take a side, they are there to assert their power to rule by being feared through their element forms matching that of nature but also respected as that of one who has ultimate control.
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