Greek Religion

In our discussions about ancient Greece during class, I find that I am very interested in this culture. I am particularly drawn to the religious aspect of the culture more than anything else. I have always been interested in religions other than my own, so I always want to learn more.
As humans, we are always seeking something more, something bigger than what we have. This can be seen all the way back to the ancient Greeks. As one of the earlier civilizations, they had sense that there is more to life than what can be seen easily. They filled in what they did not know with their gods.
The Greeks built temples for their gods and goddesses; one of the most well known temples, Delphi, was built in honor of Apollo. Pericles built a temple for the goddess Athena, goddess of wisdom and war. These temples, along with others, were places for the ancient Greeks to go to perform sacrifices, ask for guide, and places of celebration.
So much of the life of the Greeks revolved around the gods and goddesses and their dichotomy. For the god Apollo, there was his brother Dionysus. Apollo represented rationality, amongst other things, where Dionysus was the god of irrationality. For everything in their world, there was an opposite. Everything had balance, and everything was important. The athletic ceremonies of the Greeks heavily involved a religious aspect. The competitions involved sacrifices with great praises to the gods. Winners of the competitions wore laurel on their heads. Laurel comes from Daphne, a human who was pursued by Apollo. She was intimidated by the god since she was only human, and wanted a way out. Daphne asked Zeus for a way to disappear, so he turned her into a laurel tree. It is myths like this that find their way into the daily lives of the Greeks.
Gods played such a huge role not only in private lives, but in politics as well. When citizens were thought to not believe in the gods, or to dishonor them, often they were put to death. Considering that the Greeks had the first democracy, it seems off that religion would play a role in the politics at all. In our world now there is a clear separation of religion and state, which works. I think that the only reason that the Greeks could depend heavily on their gods in politics is that the entire Greek population shared the same religion. If we tried to lean on religion now, there would be chaos due to the myriad of religions we have in this country.
Over time, the Greek gods and goddesses have been turned into myths and central roles for Disney movies. Something that was so important in the lives of the citizens of ancient Greece has now been turned into a means of entertainment in our modern lives.