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Greek religion had a huge impact on Western arts, science, and philosophy, ironically enough because it was so accessible that Greek intellectuals were able to reject it. Greeks took a jumble of deities from other cultures, changed their names, and constructed elaborate and imaginative myths around them. Because Greek gods behaved like extremely powerful humans, they were not shrouded in mystery. Thus they could be worshipped in large, beautiful public temples adorned with statues and freizes. As poets considered the place of gods in the human world, they began ask what purpose humans played in the universe. It was, for example, difficult for Homer to concentrate solely on divine intervention in the Trojan War, because the story revolved around the hero Achilles and his petulant refusal to fight. The major thrust of the narrative consists of Achilles's personal growth rather than the military action. Over time, poets focused on individual concerns. Playwrights turned their attention outward, but they looked at civic responsibilities instead of the goings-on at Mount Olympus. People, particularly men, became the common subject of artistic representation. When humans shifted their attention onto themselves, it was only a short step to abandoning religion as a source of explanation. Greeks questioned received truth, and in the process they invented the bases of modern math, science, and philosophy. By the time of Aristotle, it was perfectly possible to contend that humans were essentially rational beings, capable of understanding and enjoying knowledge for its own sake. Of course, not everybody could be a well-educated philosopher. Ordinary Greeks maintained their belief in the effectiveness of omens and amulets, and feared committing actions that would bring the wrath of the gods down upon them. They joined mystery cults, which promised to link worshippers with the fundamental forces of the universe.
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