If someone worships ancient gods today using reconstructed rituals, is that the same religion?

Aa a history teacher, personally, I think it is shocking and haunting at the same time. I mean the fact that entire civilizations once built temples, sang hymns, and offered sacrifices to gods like Enlil, Ishtar, Marduk, Chemosh, Ashur, Ninurta, Tishpak, Qos, or Resheph – deities who were as real to their followers as any modern religious figure. Today, most people wouldn’t recognize their names, let alone their stories. There’s something eerie about the idea that gods can “die.” To me, it raises further strange questions: Were they ever real in any sense? Do gods fade when their last worshipper forgets them? Or do they continue to exist in some cultural or metaphysical limbo? If we remember their names, do they awaken? Do these gods still hear prayers? Facebook Reddit Email Print