Why was the cult of Dionysus(sp?) banned?
Take all of this with a grain of salt and do your own research as it’s been a few years since I studied it but from what I remember
in the peak(?) of Roman times the cult of Dionysus became very popular. Dionysus was the Greek god of wine, fertility, and basically religious fanaticism, and when the Romans were strong, their power was mainly due to the fact that the government was law. The cult of Dionysus seriously threatened this power, at least in the minds of ancient Roman politicians.
Gatherings and festivals of this cult greatly revolved around serious social faux pas of the time. They were generally known to involve copious drinking and eating (to the point where members would throw up simply so they could keep partying) and orgies. Members of the cult during celebrations were known to become ‘possessed’ and act erratically and speak in tongues.
During the time that Roman citizens adopted the cult of Dionysus, it basically proved to be an unnerving display of disruption to the way of things, and the Roman government feared, much like with the cult of the Egyptian goddess Isis, that it would cause the dissolution (or at least incredible disruption) of their way of life. It was banned to discourage acts of rebellion (in the form of hysteria) as the higher ups of the ancient Roman government couldn’t predict what the actions or attitudes of this cult would cause to their way of life. This didn’t stop the cult, and gatherings continued to party and worship in secret.
