-Caveat Lector- Greek Gods Group Threatens Plans By PATRICK QUINN ATHENS, Greece (AP) - Mythology recounts how the goddess Athena defeated the sea king Poseidon for possession of this city. The modern followers of the Greek gods are ready for another showdown. This time it's against a force that could make even Zeus quiver: the hype and pageantry of welcoming the millennium. A small but passionate group of devotees to the 12 Olympian gods claim it's sacrilegious to mix the ancient temples with celebrations marking 2,000 years of Christianity, and have threatened to take the Culture Ministry to court if it allows Christian hymns to be sung inside the Parthenon on New Year's Eve. ``The Parthenon, temple to Athena, is a sacred place of Greek religion,'' said Nikolaos Tziotis, secretary of the Committee for the Recognition of the Greek Religion of the 12 Gods. ``It is the greatest blasphemy for songs of another religion to be heard there and we will not allow it.'' Tziotis and others also have denounced plans for a light show that will include beams radiating from the 2,500-year-old Parthenon. ``It wants to turn the sacred temple of Athena into a Christmas tree,'' said screenwriter Manolis Tsamis, who drafted a protest letter. The Culture Ministry says it is aware of the objections, but does not plan to cancel or significantly alter the extravaganza. It did, however, shift plans for a Byzantine choir from outside the Parthenon to the entrance to the Acropolis. ``The decision satisfies us,'' Panaghiotis Marinis, president of the Greek Society of the Friends of the Ancients, said Friday. Christianity took hold in Greece in the 4th century after Roman Emperor Constantine's conversion. Emperor Theodosius wiped out the last vestige of the Olympian gods when he abolished the Olympic Games in 394. The revival of the Olympiad maintains a thin - albeit commercialized - link to ancient ceremonies. A core of about 1,000 people in Greece try to maintain a spiritual connection with the ancients. Modern followers say they seek to build a general outlook drawn from Greek philosophers and a love of nature. ``We don't walk down the street in togas,'' said Tsamis. ``We gather in philosophical companies and associations.'' But the powerful Greek Orthodox Christian Church dismisses them as a ``New Age'' clan. The government has put on hold their application to become an officially recognized religion because they don't have a formal place of worship. Ironically, the ancient ones won't do. ``They don't belong to us,'' Marinis said. ``They belong to the archeological service.'' DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance—not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
