Many followers of Ancient Greek religion have experienced persecution, mainly from Christians. Persecution may refer to unwarranted arrest, imprisonment, beating, torture, or execution. It also may refer to the confiscation or destruction of property, or incitement to hate those who practice Ancient Greek religion. This article may contain original research or unverified claims. ... Conflicts between Christians and non-Christians have at times resulted in the persecution by Christians of non-Christians. ... This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims. ... Many followers of Ancient Greek religion have experienced persecution, mainly from Christians. ... Many atheists have experienced persecution, mainly from Christians and Muslims. ... The persecution of Baháís refers to the religious persecution of Baháís in various countries, especially in Iran, the nation of origin of the Baháí Faith, Irans largest religious minority and the location of one of the largest Baháí populations in the world. ... Many Buddhists have experienced persecution from non-Buddhists during the history of Buddhism. ... Many Christians have experienced persecution from both non-Christians and from other Christians during the history of Christianity. ... Many adherents of Germanic paganism have been persecuted, mainly by Christians. ... Many adherents of historical Germanic paganism and Germanic Neopaganism (Asatru, Odinism) have been persecuted, mainly by Christians. ... Persecution of Hindus refers to the religious persecution inflicted upon Hindus. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Conflicts between Muslims and non-Muslims made the persecution of both Muslims and non-Muslims a recurring phenomenon during the history of Islam. ... Persecution of Pagans includes the loss of human rights under the law or through individual hate crimes for people who practise or who might be thought to practise paganism. ... Many adherents of Roman religion have been persecuted, mainly by Christians. ... The pentagram within a circle, is a symbol of faith used by many Wiccans, who often call it a pentacle. ...

Ancient times

During the Christianization of ancient Greece, many followers of the Hellenistic gods were punished and slain by Christian governors, and were wildly persecuted by the early Christian citizens. Historically those caught worshipping or making sacrifices to their gods were often imprisoned, tortured, and then killed. Sometimes the methods of execution included the forced drinking of poison in the public square, or public dismemberment, though they were more often cut down by early Christian fanatics. Hypatia of Alexandria (in Egypt) is a famous example. It's only fair to call to attention that much of the persecution that the Greeks suffered occurred due to a mistaken association between Greek and Roman practice. Because of Roman atrocities against early Christians before the rise of the Roman Emperor Constantine, early Christians sometimes sought revenge on those they saw as Pagans. Much of the persecution by Christians against the Hellenistic Pagans of Greece was actually inspired by the persecution of Christians in Rome. St Francis Xavier converting the Paravas: a 19th-century image of the docile heathen Ansgar, the 9th century apostle of the North in an 1830 drawing. ... The term Hellenistic (derived from Héllēn, the Greeks traditional self-described ethnic name) was established by the German historian Johann Gustav Droysen to refer to the spreading of Greek culture over the non-Greek peoples that were conquered by Alexander the Great. ... An imagined portrait of Hypatia of Alexandria Hypatia of Alexandria (in Greek: Υπατία) (c. ... Head of Constantines colossal statue at Musei Capitolini Gaius Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constantinus[1] (February 27, 272–May 22, 337), commonly known as Constantine I, Constantine the Great, or (among Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic[2] Christians) Saint Constantine, was a Roman Emperor, proclaimed Augustus by his troops on...

It's important to note that contrary to popular Christian belief sacrifices to the Greek gods were typically in the forms of wealth (particularly currency, precious metals, crafted ornaments, and gemstones), incense, and food or drink. Some of the most famous sacrifices were in the form of statues, busts, and other works of art, some of which remain in good condition today. Human blood sacrifices were exceedingly rare and, in most Greek cities they were illegal. Under the rule of Philip II of Macedon however, the so called "barbarians" of Thrace often carried out the blood sacrifice of war slaves. Most legal human sacrifices, sanctioned in Athens and Sparta, were in the form of property rights to slaves. Historically, slaves could be donated to various temples, which would then distribute them to bath houses or put them to chores and menial labor, and because most slaves in Greece were indentured servants and criminals, adequate performance in their duties could sometimes earn their freedom. Animal sacrifices to the Greek gods were typically given by those who reared animals, which were either slaughtered for food by the temple, or burned as a gift for the gods. Philip II of Macedon: victory medal (niketerion) struck in Tarsus, 2nd c. ... Thrace (Bulgarian: , Greek: , Latin: , Turkish: ) is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. ...

When the Christianization of Greece occurred, there was an attempt to portray all sacrifices as blood sacrifices, partly due to the commonality of blood sacrifices in Rome. Early Christians spread beliefs about Christian children being abducted and having their throats slit in various temples. Such myths are similar to the blood libel accusations against Jews. Human blood sacrifices were seen by the Greek people as barbaric and laws against them were believed to be part of what separated the Greeks from those they considered barbarians, even after Romanization occurred. St Francis Xavier converting the Paravas: a 19th-century image of the docile heathen Ansgar, the 9th century apostle of the North in an 1830 drawing. ... Blood libels are allegations that a particular group kills people as a form of human sacrifice, and uses their blood in various rituals. ...

However, more research is needed on this topic due to the fact that Greece was enslaved for almost 400 years by the Turkish Empire. During this time alot of propaganda has been made about Greece - whether it is true or not, we do not know for sure yet. Imperial motto: unknown The Ottoman Empire at the height of its power Official language Ottoman Turkish Capital İstanbul (Constantinople) Sovereigns Sultans of the Osmanli Dynasty Population ca 40 million (at most) Area (1683) 11 955 000 km² Establishment 1281 Dissolution October 29, 1923 Currency Akçe The flag of...

Modern day

In modern day Greece, the ancient beliefs are not given equal rights to other religions and followers are often afraid to show their religion openly. [1] The separation of church and state is a political doctrine which states that the institutions of the state or national government should be kept separate from those of religious institutions. ...

According to Greek Law No 1363/38, with amendment Law No. 1672/39: "Anyone engaging in proselytism shall be liable to imprisonment and a fine between 1,000 and 50,000 drachmas; he shall, moreover be subject to police supervision for a period of between six months and one year to be fixed by the court when convicting the offender." The second law requires anybody that is not an Orthodox Christian to obtain a "church license" from both the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs and the local Orthodox bishops, but only the Orthodox Church, Judaism and Islam are recognized as "legal persons of public law". According to a press release from The Supreme Council of Gentile Hellenes there have been threats against the life of its members and a bookstore burning [2]. The English language word proselytism is derived ultimately from the Greek language prefix pros (towards) and the verb erchomai (to come). ... Drachma, pl. ... Separate articles treat Eastern Orthodox Christianity and Orthodox Judaism. ... Judaism is the religion of the Jewish people. ... Islam (Arabic:  ) is a monotheistic religion based upon the Quran, its principal scripture, whose followers, known as Muslims (مسلم), believe God (Arabic: الله ) sent through revelations to Muhammad. ...

The Greek Society of Attic Friends, who claim 40,000 members, have been unsuccessful when they asked for recognition as a legal religion and were denied the right to build a temple in Athens. [3] Athens (Greek: Αθήνα, Athína IPA: ) is the capital and largest city of Greece and the birthplace of democracy. ...

In 2006 an Athens court ordered the worship of the old Greek gods to be unbanned. Father Eustathios Kollas, head of the community of Greek priests, said: "They are a handful of miserable resuscitators of a degenerate dead religion who wish to return to the monstrous dark delusions of the past." The followers of Ancient Greek religion now prepares to push for full recognition.[4] 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Christian Persecutions Against The Hellenes
• Campaign to De-Criminalize the Worship of the Greek Gods in Greece