Monday, 8 April 2013

What role do the gods play in Oedipus Rex? How does this compare to today's religious beliefs?

The gods
play a vitally important role in this play. In the Greek worldview, the worst sin a person could
commit was to violate the will of the gods. This is whatdoes when he attempts to defy the
prophecy from the gods that he will kill his father and marry his mother. His chief pride orlies
in believing he has successfully outsmarted the gods. What he learns during the course of the
play is that nobody can beat their destiny. A person cannot be other than a source of contagion
when he or she is opposing the gods.

If we think in terms of modern Judaism
and Christianity (remembering there are many other faith systems), Jews and Christians too,
believe strongly that it is centrally important to follow the will of God, However, Jews and
Christians believe the will of God is just and can be influenced in the
cause of justice, a profound theological shift, as religion scholar Huston Smith outlines, from
classical religions. Today's God would not simply capriciously decide on a...

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