I love Lucretius, the Epicurean and poet, myself. Epicureans were very active at
about 200 C.E. ridding people of superstitous fears. They believed there were
gods but that the gods didn't intervene in human affairs nor did they torment
people. They tried to rid people of belief in miracles, omens, fortune-telling
etc...they are very much misrepresented as they were christianity's main
competition.

Pre-Constantine Rome was a very civilized place, certainly in medicine, laws,
universal Roman citizenship, public libraries. Morality was the domain of
philosophy not religion.
Rory



-- In Deism@yahoogroups.com, "W. E." <renga_ya@...> wrote:
>
> Yes, i totally agree, i have always had an ancient Greek attitude to life.  i
dropped jesus
> at the age of 10.  I regard Xianity as a peasant religion to serve all the
peasants
>  with no education at all, streaming towards Rome looking for work or heaven. 
Then
> there was that power monger  Athanasius who in 325
> made people believe that jesus was the 3-veries, very, very, very Son of God
--- bah!
> The Greeks took a civilized attitude towards sex,  then  christianity messed
it up bad.
>   from  WEG. 
>
> --- On Mon, 6/7/09, mikecrahart <mikecrahart@...> wrote:
>
>
> From: mikecrahart <mikecrahart@...>
> Subject: [Deism] Re: Hello, new to group.
> To: Deism@yahoogroups.com
> Date: Monday, 6 July, 2009, 3:27 AM
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> --- In Deism@yahoogroups. com, "Maior" <rory12001@ ..> wrote:
>
> This is something to which I've given a great deal of consideration. Classical
civilisation was making a turn towards a transpersonal, non-interventionist ,
supreme deity during the Golden Age of Athens with the philosophers, especially
Plato & Aristotle.
>
> During late antiquity this move was increased with many people believing in a
single supreme deity above the other gods. Usually a solar deity like Sol
Invictus or Mithras. Constantine chose Christ as his supreme deity but
Christianity believed this supreme deity to the only god and this god was a
personal deity with a plan for mankind and each and every one of us!
>
> Christianity had cashed in and took over within a few generations. Destroying
centuries of art and culture in it's wake! It was only after the renaissance
with the reintroduction to the west of the classics during the enlightenement
that the pre-christian move to a reason based single transpersonal
non-interventionist supreme deity could re-emerge, in the form of Deism.
>
> Deism not Christianity, or neopaganism for that matter, is the true heir to
the classical tradition.
>
> Regards
>
> Mike
>
> > -I'm Rory; I'm also new to the group. I have a real interest in the Classics
and philosophy, it seems to me Western civilization turned retrograde with the
advent of Constantine.
> > I like what you said Theano about using reason to rid ourselves of false
views, as a child I threw off the tyranny of the punishing, vengeful god..but
would like to replace it with something positive!
> > Rory
> >
> > >
> > > Hi Mike,
> > >  
> > > Welcome to our discussion group!  
> > >  
> > > I love the Greco-Roman Classics also.  Through them we discover who we
really are.   I think that when we of the West became Christian, we took on a
false view of ourselves [fallen sinners].   Through Deism we shed this false,
negative view  and become once again comfortable in understanding
ourselves, Nature and Creator.   And you're right, the ancient philosophers were
already there!
> > >  
> > > Looking forward to your participation,
> > > Theano
> > >
> > >
> > > --- On Thu, 7/2/09, mikecrahart <mikecrahart@ > wrote:
> > >
> > >
> > > From: mikecrahart <mikecrahart@ >
> > > Subject: [Deism] Hello, new to group.
> > > To: Deism@yahoogroups. com
> > > Date: Thursday, July 2, 2009, 3:29 AM
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > Hi everyone I've just joined the group and thought I should introduce
myself. My names Mike and I'm a student of Plato, Aristotle & etc and a member
of a few Hellenist groups.
> > >
> > > I've come to the conclusion through my studies of Greek Philosophy that
the Deist religion is possibly the closest and best representation of those
beleifs and attitudes. I've also noticed that Deists list Plato & Aristotle
among their earliest representatives.
> > >
> > > I live in the UK and wonder if there are many Deists here?
> > >
> > > Kind regards
> > >
> > > Mike
> > >
> >
>