do you think that non greek people should be allowed to follow hellenic polytheism? do you find it hard to take us seriously bc it's your culture? is it cultural appropriation? i don't mean to cause offence by asking i just saw some posts floating around and i'd like to know your opinion..just feeling kind of discouraged and awful about being in this religion but i'm trying my best to be respectful and learn and i just wanted to know what you thought
preface to these asks: I’m so sorry it took me so long to reply! I’ve been away from tumblr for a very long time!
In my personal opinion, and I don’t mean to be rude, I think that people who try to gatekeep the religion are not people that I would want to engage with or allow into my own personal communities. There’s is a difference between modern Greek culture and the surviving Greek Religion; around 98% of all Greeks are Greek Orthodox, and a lot of our traditions do follow Greek Orthodox cultures, even if you aren’t religious yourself. Not all of them, but many of them. I grew up around Greek kids and myself participating in Orthodox activities, Orthodox meals, Orthodox outfits, etc... (shoutout to all the fellow Greek kids who remember sleeping in sleeping bags on the floor of the church LOL)
Additionally, Hellenic polytheism has never been very strictly about bloodlines and passing down religion through the lineage through blood. Unlike other religions that are closed to this day, Greek polytheistic religion was often spread across the lands (see- how they would literally preach and share about it to other areas, such as when they went to Egypt, both parties took inspiration about the Apollo god and started sharing religious traditions, which would later become permanent in both religions. Also see - some shrines had open invitations to all passersbies that were travelling, regardless of social status or immigrant status)
Greeks, both modern and ancient, seem to be quite open about the religion, wanting the world to feel the “glory” of Greece and to have it spread. In my experience, people I’ve spoken to irl are more than happy to see people across the world practice. In fact, when I talked about American worshippers, I can sometimes see the light in people’s eyes because they feel like the Gods are not dead.
However, just a little note: I think it’s good to understand that the Gods in Hellenic Polytheism did come from Greece, and that Greece itself has a beautiful, big culture to learn about. To many of us in Greece who are practicing the religion, the Gods are not just toys to use; they’re a lifestyle to us. Greeks tend to be very reconstructionist in nature, in that they want the religion to be just like how it was back in the Ancient Days, lol. But it’s totally fine to be revivalist and encorporate the Gods in your practice in whatever way you like.
I think the bottom line is just: be respectful! Respect Greek people, and scholars who have studied ancient greek culture, language, and religion. Don’t try and act like you can speak for all the Gods and don’t act like there is one right or wrong way to practice. But the respect should go both ways; they should respect you, too.
and unpopular opinion: people who say only racial greeks can even talk to the gods and that greece is the only pure land are often racist/ethnofascists/etc and fail to regard the complex racial situations in both modern and ancient greece :x
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