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Demythologizing Homer: Investigating Religion In Minoan Crete, Elizabeth Rybarczyk
Demythologizing Homer: Investigating Religion In Minoan Crete, Elizabeth Rybarczyk
Student Research Submissions
The Minoan civilization of Bronze-Age Crete has, until recently, been obscured in mythological uncertainty. As a prehistoric civilization, the available evidence for historic analysis is sparse and ambiguous. This paper evaluates the material evidence for ritual activity to chart the religious developments of Minoan Crete. In the earliest periods of their civilization, the Minoans practiced animism, which reflected their ideals towards survival and cooperation. As their prosperity grew due to technological advancements, a social hierarchy formed. The emerging elite employed religion to justify their claim to power by appropriating religion, which culminated in a dual-monotheistic Knossian theocracy. This lasted until …
Why Bad Things Happen To Good People: Polytheism As A Response To Questions Of Human Suffering, Mikaela L. Taylor
Why Bad Things Happen To Good People: Polytheism As A Response To Questions Of Human Suffering, Mikaela L. Taylor
Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)
This thesis argues that there are some interpretations of Christian traditions which are not adequate in response to questions of human experience, particularly suffering, which results in a crisis of faith. Questions of purpose or greater meaning of suffering people face are often answered by their relationship to the divine. Through the process of critiquing the American Prosperity Gospel, Karl Barth’s Universal Predestination of Grace, and biblical narratives, I argue that there are some authoritarian monotheistic conceptions of divinity which do not adequately respond to questions of human suffering. As a way of providing an imaginative approach to divinity, I …