Response

Catholics tend to do more than just honor the person's accomplishments. They ask the saints for things, and they also ask their dead ancestors for things. For example, a Catholic would ask St. Andrew to help them find something they had lost because he specializes in helping people to find things. It is his job, if you will. Also, as you yourself pointed out, Catholics tend to ask their ancestors for guidance, just as many pagans/heathens (there IS a difference) do. The only difference is pagans/heathens will often offer tangible objects to these "spirits", such as wine, bread, and incense, while Catholics often offer intangible objects to these "spirits", such as their time and thoughts. Also pagans/heathens will admit to "worshipping" their ancestors, while Catholics tend to adamantly deny it. The same goes for saints, which would fall under the "hero" category in Hellenic theology. While many Catholics, especially in European and Latin American countries, will offer incense or flowers to saints, the majority of offerings are intangible. Asking for something from a non-earthly being higher than you, whether it's intercession or finding a lost object, is by definition prayer. And when you pray to something other than a one God you are recognizing that there is more than one spiritual power in the world, and you are polytheistic. Oh, and just because there is a general consensus that a saint is not equal in status to God, does not mean that this saint is not worshipped. Zeus is far stronger than all the other Hellenic gods (and demi-gods, cthonic dieties, nature spirits, heroes, . . . et cetera), but that does not mean that the rest of the gods are not gods. It just means that Zeus is stronger than they are.

It is my personal theory that nearly everyone is polytheistic at heart, but few admit it. One of the many valuable things that I learned from Islam is that your personal gods may not necessarily show up in a mythology handbook (whether it's Hesiod's Theogony, the Bible, the Qu'ran, or anything else). Your gods are anything and everything that take up a considerable amount of time, effort, and thought. For example, I do worship "traditional" dieties such as Apollon, Hermes, Aphrodite, Dionysos, Demeter, etc., but I also worship non-traditional "spirits" and objects such as Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (falls under hero category :D), books, television, even the internet simply because I sacrifice so much of my time and thought to them. I worship them, I pay them homage, I "venerate" them, whatever you want to call it. Your principal diety, for example, probably isn't Yahweh (or Jehovah), but is most likely Ryan (how idolatrous, ;D) simply because so much of your time and energy revolves around him. I know it's an unsettling theory, especially for monotheists, but it's the conclusion I've come to.

Oh, and one more thing . . . "why create something that isn't there?" Excuse me? Would you like to rephrase that statement, because I personally find it insulting and bordering on hubris (look it up). When you're listening to your favorite music and you become surrounded by the beauty of music that you are in a moment of complete ecstasy can you honestly tell me that Apollon does not exist? When you're walking in the woods and surrounded by the beauty of Nature and can see for yourself how alive the world is, can you honestly tell me that Ge and Demeter do not exist? When all the world seems to shake with the thunder from the storm and you are staring out the window in awe and terror can you honestly tell me that Zeus does not exist? When you sneak up behind your friend and cover their eyes trying to suppress a giggle so she won't figure out it's you, can you honestly tell me that Hermes is not right by your side laughing as well? How dare you insult me and my gods by claiming they are some fantasy made by my mind to satiate my arrogant desires! For if they are my personal fantasy, they seem to be a pretty universal one. For how is it that these are a product of the human mind when all the animal world seems to relish in the worship of these gods as well? The world is not some idealogical crusade, Jessica.

Oh, and Hellene's don't really have an "Adam and Eve" story, per se. The first beings around were the Primordials, who tend to be distant dieties who seem to have no desire for relationship with mortals. Such dieties are Khaos, Ouranos, Ge, and even Eros (although according to some Eros is identical to the Roman Cupid, and therefore not a Primordial). The gods worked out their system, more and more were created, and then Zeus created humans out of . . . shit, I should know this. Lol, I'll look it up. He created them for some reason. They were pretty stupid until Prometheus stole Fire from Zeus and gave it to Humans, and Zeus in retribution for Prometheus' rash actions made Hephaistos build Pandora, a metal robot-like woman who brought a box to the humans, which they stupidly opened although Prometheus warned them against it, and out of it came disease and all that lovely shit. But along with that curse there remained Hope, which is Zeus' true gift to human-kind. There are also various kinds of humans, according to Hesiod the world will keep getting worse and worse until . . . I don't know when, probably until we destroy ourselves. That was probably a more moral observation than a theological opinion though, and few modern Hellenes adhere to that theory. Why'd you ask anywho?

Larissa