Pagan Worship

The moral corruptions of Paganism all admittedly originated with the gods.

Against the Heathen (Contra Gentiles), by St. Athanasius (html)

Temple prostitutes, propitiating their goddess by fornication; men dressing as women; all manners of sexual gratification.

Romans 1:24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, 25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. 27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.

It strikes me that it may not be that the Pagan corruptions originated with the gods, but that the gods were created by men to reflect their desired corruptions.

For from Zeus they have learned corruption of youth and adultery, from Aphrodite fornication, from Rhea licentiousness, from Ares murders…

False gods are created in just this way – man makes gods of their desires, then worships these. We do the same today – the god of money, the god of political saviors, the god of physical appearance, the god of frivolity, the god of self.

Does it then remain fit to consider them gods who do such things, instead of reckoning them, for the licentiousness of their ways.

It makes sense because it conforms with man creating god in his image.

St. Athanasius next comes to worship of the universe and its parts, having earlier dealt with the idols made of things found on earth – stone, wood, etc. Those who have come to worship the universe believe themselves on a higher plane than those who worship things seen on earth:

…[they] think that they have a well-grounded and unanswerable opinion, namely, the worship of the universe and of the parts of the universe.

Much larger, more infinite, grander than anything found on earth. The sun, the moon, the stars. Here is the true…god. Yet, here as on earth, the god is made of parts – so which part is the true god? Or, if there are multiple gods to be found, which one reigns supreme, over the others?

Each of these seemingly independent parts is dependent on the others – none is god over all. The sun shines on the moon and also the earth; there is earth and air, heat and cold, wet and dry. The earth yields her crops only with the aid of rain, yet rain is dependent on clouds, and clouds on the air.

Conclusion

How can they all be gods when they are dependent one on another? Scripture unlocks this mystery: the heavens declare the glory of God…