The Origins of Roman Religion and Its Progress Essay

The Origins of Roman Religion and Its Progress Introduction ============ Throughout the ages, beliefs have changed, advanced, and occasionally begun. In the time of Ancient Rome, the people began observing one religion; that which was similar to the Greeks; the pantheon. Through the Roman Empire, the worship of twelve central deities was observed carefully. The Romans themselves began all the beliefs contained within the worship. This was of great importance to the Roman people, and helped the empire to expand through its strong religious centre. The presence of the gods gives the past a certain dignity, and if any nation deserves to be allowed to claim that its ancestors were gods,†¦show more content†¦Many of their festival days remain in our society today; floralia (May Day), lupercalia (Valentines Day), All Fools Day (April Fools Day) and Saturnalia (Christmas). As in our present society, we come together on Christmas Day to listen to the Queens Speech or such like, in Ancient Rome the citizens would all stand and watch the festivals pass through the forum or a similar place. The Roman Forum where festivals would have taken place. The layout of Roman religion The majority of worship took place in the many temples in the centre of Rome, an idea taken from the Etruscans. These people also instigated the production of statues of the gods and goddesses within and around the temples. The temples were, in effect, the stage for religious activity. Here citizens would come to worship, pray in times of personal crisis and atone of their sins. In times of national and empirical crisis, the temples would also be used to perform animal sacrifices. These were also performed on festival days. Roman religion was, in some ways, very similar to the social ladder of Rome itself. At the head was the emperor, who would eventually become a deity after his death. Below him would come the Pontifex Maximus, or the chief priest. Julius Caesar held this position at one time, which was very helpful to his political career. The Pontifex MaximusShow MoreRelatedThe Relationship Between Religion And Science1056 Words   |  5 Pagesbetween religion and science? In his book, Consilience, Edward O. Wilson aims to find a unified theory of knowledge. Consilence also seeks to show how science is superior to and can replace religion. In this paper, I intend to show how Wilson understands this relationship and science as well as how. as well as show John Stuart Mill would agree or disagree with Wilson. Science â€Å"aims to save the spirit, not by surrender but by the liberation of the human mind† (Wilson, 7). Both religion and scienceRead MoreThe Second Vatican Council And The Future Of The Church1476 Words   |  6 Pagespresses forward and the earth continues to revolve, the world will never stop progressing and adapting to better suit the needs of mankind. 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