Conversation with God 6

Actually, with the Odyssey, the notion of sacrifice extended to the group. Odysseus, in order to establish autochony, literally killed off all the suitors, who were largely from the upperclass. Even with the Iliad, not only is Achilles to be sacrificed, but also the Trojans. Now the Trojans were not a bad people and the Iliad does not portray them as such. But what is really stressed is the need for a Pan-Greek culture. As I said before, the Greeks were a bunch of city-states with no real superstructure. War against a common enemy helped form a common culture. Agression-frustration dilemna is one of the causes of scapegoating as followers of Freud have stated. Now, I don't believe that Europe really Christianized themselves. Instead, they were really still very much pagan. The upperclasses in Medieval Europe could never accept a Christianity which stated that God was all-good, all-powerful, and all-knowing. European women and men have always had a problem with monogamy. When surveys are done in Europe, European women admit to having made so many affairs. Sexually, Christianity has never been a easy religion. American women prefer serially monogamous relationships or a one-night stand every once in a while. In Medieval times, "eros" was still very much alive. Hieronymous Bosch's paintings are interpreted didactically and his paintings are near the end of the Medieval period but I wouldn't be surprised if such orgies really happened out in public. Anyway, sexual libertation seems to have begun with the Arthurian legends. Is one loyal to one's lover or to one's husband? Sir Lancelot or KIng Arthur, Duty or Eros. So what was Christianity in the European sense? First, God gave authority to the King to do what the King thought was right. The King was basically a dictator trying to do the will of God. The King was in close contact with the Pope who supposedly knew the spiritual values. This is pretty much the setup of King David and Samuel.