Transreligiosity and Religious Revitalization in Modern Greece: Bridging Religion and Science through Geomythology

This article examines the revitalization of the ancient Greek religion in modern Greece and the way some of its adherents approach mythology. This religious movement challenges the dominant religious discourse in modern Greece by claiming legitimacy through indigeneity, while making important argume...

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Main Author: Evgenia Fotiou
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2023-06-01
Series:Religions
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/14/6/754
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author Evgenia Fotiou
author_facet Evgenia Fotiou
author_sort Evgenia Fotiou
collection DOAJ
description This article examines the revitalization of the ancient Greek religion in modern Greece and the way some of its adherents approach mythology. This religious movement challenges the dominant religious discourse in modern Greece by claiming legitimacy through indigeneity, while making important arguments regarding the perceived spiritual and value crisis in their culture. At a time that right-wing extremisms and fundamentalisms are rising globally, this religious movement places emphasis on worldview and imagines a kind of citizen who engages with universal ideals while maintaining a strong connection to a unique ethnic identity. At the same time, Ethnikoi Hellenes challenge prevailing understandings of religion by making ‘logos’ or reason central to their theology. Thus, they challenge the association of Indigenous religions with “irrationality”, while pointing out the inconsistencies and irrationalities of monotheistic religions, which they consider responsible for the widespread “cultural” crisis facing humanity. The example of one group’s engagement with geomythology has been used to demonstrate that they do not conceive religion and science as contradictory but complementary, thus exhibiting transreligiosity.
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spelling doaj.art-d696a0ec0d7043108cbb7fd11185a2b82023-11-18T12:23:22ZengMDPI AGReligions2077-14442023-06-0114675410.3390/rel14060754Transreligiosity and Religious Revitalization in Modern Greece: Bridging Religion and Science through GeomythologyEvgenia Fotiou0Department of Sociology, University of Crete, 741 00 Rethymno, GreeceThis article examines the revitalization of the ancient Greek religion in modern Greece and the way some of its adherents approach mythology. This religious movement challenges the dominant religious discourse in modern Greece by claiming legitimacy through indigeneity, while making important arguments regarding the perceived spiritual and value crisis in their culture. At a time that right-wing extremisms and fundamentalisms are rising globally, this religious movement places emphasis on worldview and imagines a kind of citizen who engages with universal ideals while maintaining a strong connection to a unique ethnic identity. At the same time, Ethnikoi Hellenes challenge prevailing understandings of religion by making ‘logos’ or reason central to their theology. Thus, they challenge the association of Indigenous religions with “irrationality”, while pointing out the inconsistencies and irrationalities of monotheistic religions, which they consider responsible for the widespread “cultural” crisis facing humanity. The example of one group’s engagement with geomythology has been used to demonstrate that they do not conceive religion and science as contradictory but complementary, thus exhibiting transreligiosity.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/14/6/754transreligiosityPaganismindigeneityGreecegeomythology
spellingShingle Evgenia Fotiou
Transreligiosity and Religious Revitalization in Modern Greece: Bridging Religion and Science through Geomythology
Religions
transreligiosity
Paganism
indigeneity
Greece
geomythology
title Transreligiosity and Religious Revitalization in Modern Greece: Bridging Religion and Science through Geomythology
title_full Transreligiosity and Religious Revitalization in Modern Greece: Bridging Religion and Science through Geomythology
title_fullStr Transreligiosity and Religious Revitalization in Modern Greece: Bridging Religion and Science through Geomythology
title_full_unstemmed Transreligiosity and Religious Revitalization in Modern Greece: Bridging Religion and Science through Geomythology
title_short Transreligiosity and Religious Revitalization in Modern Greece: Bridging Religion and Science through Geomythology
title_sort transreligiosity and religious revitalization in modern greece bridging religion and science through geomythology
topic transreligiosity
Paganism
indigeneity
Greece
geomythology
url https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/14/6/754
work_keys_str_mv AT evgeniafotiou transreligiosityandreligiousrevitalizationinmoderngreecebridgingreligionandsciencethroughgeomythology