I’m investigating the enduring relationship between warfare and worship by following the ancient god of war – Mars. Bettany Hughes: Mars Uncovered: Ancient God of War, BBC 2019
For the Romans he was a vital force in their drive to win and exploit an empire. ibid.
The Greek god of war was called Ares and he has prehistoric roots. ibid.
So long as the people do not care to exercise their freedom, those who wish to tyrannise will do so; for tyrants are active and ardent, and will devote themselves in the name of any number of gods, religious or otherwise, to put shackles on sleeping men. Voltaire
Celestial beings coming down to Earth, gods descending from the sky ... Do similar accounts exist in other cultures and other religions across the world? And if so, what is the explanation? Ancient Aliens s1e2: The Visitors, History 2010
Why might these images resemble modern astronauts? If they are aliens, is it possible they are similar to humans with similar limitations? And could they have come from a planet something like Earth? ibid.
For thousands of years ancient myths have told of gods who came down from the heavens. Who were these mystical beings who ruled the skies with their supernatural powers? Ancient Aliens s2e2: Gods & Aliens
If Mount Olympus was home to alien visitors, was Zeus their leader? ibid.
One of the most important Greek gods is Apollo who rode the skies in his chariot of fire. ibid.
Norse legends record the triumphs of great warriors with advanced weaponry, sophisticated combat techniques and navigational prowess. Like the Greeks, Norse mythology recounts supernatural beings, other worlds and powerful gods. ibid.
Such similarities are not limited to the Greek and Norse myths. In India the ancient epic of the Mahabharata describes visitations from God who possesses the advanced technology of space travel. ibid.
But technology was not the only characteristic these ancient deities had in common. According to legends the gods enjoyed intimate relations with humans. If aliens chose human women as their sexual partners, what was their motivations? And what was the outcome of these very close encounters? ibid.
Some of the oldest accounts of gods and humans interbreeding can be found in ancient Hindu texts. ibid.
In the early 1800s local legends passed down by the Paiute Indians told of a race of Giants who were exterminated by their tribe. ibid.
Are the Nevada bones evidence of a race of Giants? ibid.
Gods descending to Earth, converging on the same haloed ground. A holy shrine built to mark the landing of a meteorite. And sacred caves where walls are lined with images of strange half-human creatures. Ancient Aliens s3e3: Aliens and Sacred Places, History Channel 2013
The result of contact with ancient space travellers? ibid.
The Temple was said to house the Ark of the Covenant ... Could an advanced energy source within the Ark of the Covenant have allowed King Solomon to wield immense power? ibid.
The Dome of the Rock: known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary. ibid.
Mass suicide. Human sacrifice. Unholy rituals. Throughout history there are those who have claimed to have other-worldly knowledge and have led their followers to commit horrific acts of violence ... Could they be behind some of mankind’s deadliest cults? Ancient Aliens s3e12: Aliens and Deadly Cults
The Brotherhood of the Snake: the gods infiltrated the Brotherhood of the Snake. ibid.
Is it possible that extraterrestrials posed as false gods in order to keep humans under their control? ibid.
‘The idea of a council of gods, especially nine gods, occurs over and over again throughout history. People today claim that they are in contact with a divine council.’ Ancient Aliens s9e9: The Mysterious Nine, William Henry
Might planet Earth be under the watchful eye of what some people refer to only as the Mysterious Nine? ibid.
One day these gods will return. Giorgio A Tsoukalos, editor Legendary Times magazine
Our ancestors misinterpreted extraterrestrials as gods because that was the only way they could explain away what they had witnessed. Giorgio A Tsoukalos
The whole pantheon of gods that we have in ancient Greece consists of nothing else but flesh and blood extraterrestrials who were misinterpreted as being these divine creatures by our ancestors. Giorgio Tsoukalos
I do see a similarity across the globe from megalithic sites where these past cultures explain that they were built by the gods. But were they really gods or extraterrestrials? Jason Martell, author Knowledge Apocalypse
We worship the god, but it is the god that one adores without superstition. To you, Sovereign Grand Inspectors General, we say this: that ye may repeat it to the brethren of the 30th, 31st and 32nd degrees – the Masonic religion should be the Luciferian doctrine. Lucifer is God. The true and pure philosophic religion is the belief in Lucifer. Albert Pike’s Instructions to twenty-three Scottish Rites Supreme Councils throughout the world 14th July 1889
In a way, it’s nice to know that there are Greek gods out there, because you have somebody to blame when things go wrong. For instance, when you’re walking away from a bus that’s just been attacked by monster hags and blown up by lightning, and it’s raining on top of everything else, most people might think that’s just really bad luck; when you’re a half-blood, you understand that some divine force is really trying to mess up your day. Rick Riordan, The Titan’s Curse
What gods? You prophets and priests made the gods that you may prey upon the fears of men. The Ten Commandments 1956 starring Yul Brynner & Anne Baxter & Charlton Heston & Edward G Robinson & Yvonne De Carlo & Debra Paget & John Derek & Sir Cedric Hardwicke & Vincent Price et al, producer & director Cecil B DeMille, Pharaoh
Who made the gods? The Ten Commandments mini-series starring Dougray Scott & Naveen Andrews & Omar Sharif & Linus Roache & Paul Rhys, director Robert Dornhelm, music Randy Edelman, Inchoate Moses, ABC 2006
Far better that there should be as many gods as there are men. If only to keep us priests employed. ibid. old man
The Book of Deuteronomy banned the worship of Asherah and other pagan gods. Empires Special: Kingdom of David: The Saga of the Israelites: By the Rivers of Babylon, PBS 2003
After Josiah’s death the kings that followed him re-established the worship of Asharah and other gods. ibid.
Even supposing some Greeks are so foolish as to think that the gods dwell in the statues, even that would be a much purer concept (of religion) than to admit that the Divine Power should descend into the womb of the Virgin Mary, that it became an embryo, and after birth was wrapped in rags, soiled with blood and bile, and even worse. Porphyry of Tyre, Against the Christians
And the Catholic Church just took this position that we have to be the one faith. We can’t have anybody else believing in these other gods, or polytheism. Devon Jackson, interview Illuminating Angels & Demons, author ‘Conspiranoia: The Mother of All Conspiracy Theories’
Do not mock the gods. Troy 2004 starring Brad Pitt & Eric Bana & Orlando Bloom & Rose Byrne & Peter O’Toole & Diane Kruger & Brian Cox & Sean Bean & Julie Christie & Saffron Burrows et al, director Wolfgang Petersen, Priam to Hector
The gods envy us. They envy us because we’re mortal. ibid. Achilles to Briseis
You will enjoy being a god, Elizabeth. Star Trek s1e3: Where No Man Has Gone Before [second pilot episode, broadcast third in sequence; alternative pilot version Where No Fan Has Gone Before] Mitchell to Dehner
Mankind has no need for gods. We find the one quite adequate. Star Trek s2e2: Who Mourns For Adonais? Kirk
Behold a god who bleeds! Star Trek s3e3: The Paradise Syndrome, tribal bloke
No-one has ever offered to turn me into a god before. Star Trek: The Next Generation s1e10: Hide & Q, Riker to Picard
They’re treating us like gods. Star Trek: The Next Generation s1e17: When the Bough Breaks, Wesley to mother
The Mintarkans are beginning to believe in a god; the one they have chosen is you. Star Trek: The Next Generation s3e4: Who Watches the Watchers? Riker to Picard
They call them gods. The Founders are like gods to the Jem’Hadar. But our gods never talk to us. And they don’t wait for us after death. They only want us to fight for them. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine s4e4: Hippocratic Oath, Jem'Hadar boss
Our gods are dead. Ancient Klingon warriors slew them millennia ago. They were more trouble than they were worth. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine s4e11: Homefront, Worf
Founder, we are honoured by your decision to remain with us. Whatever you say, nevertheless having a god walk amongst us is most gratifying. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine s5e26: A Call to Arms ***** Weyoun
Bashir: We’re not gods.
Jack: Maybe not, but we’re the next best thing. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine s6e9: Statistical Probabilities