{"id":2226976,"date":"2024-04-22T09:11:02","date_gmt":"2024-04-22T13:11:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/official-olympics-account-invokes-zeus-and-apollo-in-pagan-ritual-at-olympia-misses-key-point-about-jesus-christ\/"},"modified":"2024-04-22T09:15:42","modified_gmt":"2024-04-22T13:15:42","slug":"official-olympics-account-invokes-zeus-and-apollo-in-pagan-ritual-at-olympia-misses-key-point-about-jesus-christ","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/official-olympics-account-invokes-zeus-and-apollo-in-pagan-ritual-at-olympia-misses-key-point-about-jesus-christ\/","title":{"rendered":"Official Olympics Account Pays Homage to Zeus and Apollo in Pagan Ceremony at Olympia, Overlooks Reference to Jesus Christ"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">38<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fofficial-olympics-account-invokes-zeus-and-apollo-in-pagan-ritual-at-olympia-misses-key-point-about-jesus-christ%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2226976&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/top-house-democrat-demands-vote-on-gun-control-legislation-immediately-2\/\" title=\"Top House Democrat Demands Vote on Gun Control Legislation \u201cImmediately\u201d\">article delves<\/a> into\u2062 the Official Olympics Account \u200dinvoking Greek gods at Olympia while ignoring Jesus Christ. It emphasizes the absence of Zeus and Apollo during the torch-lighting ceremony and contrasts with the message of hope found in faith. The piece\u2064 explores the\u2062 implications of seeking hope from eternal sources versus mythological beliefs.\u2063 The article delves into the Official Olympics Account invoking Greek gods \u200bat\u2064 Olympia while \u2062overlooking Jesus Christ.\u200d It\u200d highlights the absence of Zeus and Apollo during the torch-lighting ceremony and contrasts it\u2064 with the\u200d message of hope derived from faith. The piece delves into \u200dthe implications of seeking hope from \u200deternal sources versus relying\u2064 on mythological beliefs.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<header> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/commentary\/\">  Commentary <\/a>  <\/p>\n<h2>Official Olympics Account Invokes Zeus and Apollo in Pagan Ritual at Olympia, Misses Key Point About Jesus Christ<\/h2>\n<p> <span> <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/author\/georgeupper\/\">  <\/a> <\/p>\n<p> <span>   By <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/author\/georgeupper\/%20\"><span>George C. Upper III<\/span><\/a> <\/span> <span>   April 22, 2024 at 5:12am <\/span> <\/span>  <\/header>\n<section>\n<p>The Olympic torch was lit Tuesday as an actress playing a Greek high priestess invoked the names of Zues and Apollo \u2014 neither of whom showed up for the ceremony, a reminder that neither of those famed Greek gods actually exists.<\/p>\n<p>Mary Mina called out to Apollo in Greek, according to a translation posts on X to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-continuous-media-covid-fear-mongering-may-backfire-and-diminish-democrat-voter-turnout\/\" title=\"The Continuous Media COVID Fear Mongering May BACKFIRE and Diminish Democrat Voter Turnout\">account<\/a> of The Olympic Games.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cApollo, God of sun, and the idea of light, send your rays and light the sacred torch for the hospitable city of Paris,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>However, that prayer was not answered, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/olympics-flame-lighting-greece-6ba355b34a5c6c8e4d037fa00f3b1321\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Associated Press<\/a>. (Shocking, I know.)<\/p>\n<p>\u201cInstead, she used a backup flame that had been lit on the same spot Monday, during the final rehearsal,\u201d the AP noted.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">\ud83d\udde3\ufe0f \u201cApollo, God of sun, and the idea of light, send your rays and light the sacred torch for the hospitable city of Paris. And you, Zeus, give peace to all peoples on earth and wreath the winners of the Sacred Race.\u201d<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Paris2024?src=hash&#038;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Paris2024<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Paris2024?\">@Paris2024<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/FHMEmJ134U\">pic.twitter.com\/FHMEmJ134U<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 The Olympic Games (@Olympics) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Olympics\/status\/1780179503857160307?\">April 16, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The AP also reported that, shortly after the torch-lighting ceremony, the sun broke out of the clouds. I\u2019ll let you make of that what you will.<\/p>\n<p>Whatever you make of it, it certainly didn\u2019t bode well for the second part of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/cry-america-prayer-rallies-take-place-state-capitols\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">prayer<\/a> recorded by the post to X.<\/p>\n<div id=\"firefly-poll-container\">\n<p>Will you be watching the Olympics this year?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\u201cAnd you, Zeus, give peace to all peoples on earth and wreath the winners of the Sacred Race,\u201d Mina said.<\/p>\n<p>Prayers for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/pro-ukraine-crowd-furious-elon-musk-suggesting-peaceful-way-end-war\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">peace<\/a> are a good idea, of course. But they\u2019re infinitely more productive when directed to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/diversity-inclusion-stops-black-woman-praises-god-oscars\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">God<\/a> who is Himself infinite, and not a figment of the fertile (and depraved) imaginations of a handful of dead <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/ap-greek-man-arrested-over-online-advert-for-ancient-coins\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Greeks<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s a good example of one such prayer, directly from Paul in his second letter to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=2%20Thessalonians%203&#038;version=ESV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Thessalonians<\/a>: \u201cNow may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Incidentally, that church, in the city of Thessaloniki (sometimes rendered Thessalonica), included a number of Greeks who knew nearly 2,000 years ago that the gods of Greece were not gods at all, and that Jesus Christ was Lord.<\/p>\n<p>The International Olympic Committee is, apparently, made up of slower learners.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cInternational Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach said the flame lighting combined \u2018a pilgrimage to our past in ancient Olympia, and an act of faith in our future,&#8217;\u201d according to the AP.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn these difficult times \u2026 with wars and conflicts on the rise, people are fed up with all the hate, the aggression and negative news,\u201d Bach added, according to the report. \u201cWe are longing for something which brings us together; something that is unifying; something that gives us hope.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Hope is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mccaul-i-will-put-a-hold-on-afghanistan-funds-until-assurances-it-is-not-going-to-taliban\/\" title=\"McCaul: No funds for Afghanistan until Taliban assurance.\">desperately needed today<\/a>; I couldn\u2019t agree more. But rather than turn to dead gods presiding over a dead religion, there is a source of hope available to everyone, just as Paul wrote to \u2014 you guessed it, the Greeks at Thessaloniki.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=1%20Thessalonians%204%3A13-18&#038;version=ESV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Paul wrote,<\/a> pointing to the Source of all Hope: the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, Lord of the universe.<\/p>\n<p>There is hope, my friends. For you, for me \u2014 even for Thomas Bach and Mary Mina, should they choose to avail themselves of it.<\/p>\n<p>But it\u2019s not going to be found through prayers to a dead god who can\u2019t even manage to get a fire going on a cloudy day.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<div>\n<p><em>A Note from Our Deputy Managing Editor:<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><span>I heard a chilling comment the other day: \u201cWe don\u2019t even know if an election will be held in 2024.\u201d <\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><span>That wasn\u2019t said by a conspiracy theorist or a doomsday prophet. No, former U.S. national security advisor Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn said that to the founder of The Western Journal, Floyd Brown.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><span>Gen. Flynn\u2019s warning means that the 2024 election is the most important election for every single living American. If we lose this one to the wealthy elites who hate us, hate God, and hate what America stands for, we can only assume that 248 years of American history and the values we hold dear to our hearts may soon vanish.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><span>The end game is here, and as Benjamin Franklin said, \u201cWe must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><span>All of this means that <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/subscribe\/?utm_source=site&#038;utm_medium=westernjournalism&#038;utm_campaign=authorpitch\"><span>without you<\/span><\/a><span>, it\u2019s over. We have the platform, the journalists, and the experience to fight back hard, but Big Tech is strangling us through advertising blacklists, shadow bans, and algorithms. Did you know that we\u2019ve been blacklisted by 90% of advertisers? Without direct support from you, our readers, we can\u2019t continue the fight.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><span>Can we count on <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/subscribe\/?utm_source=site&#038;utm_medium=westernjournalism&#038;utm_campaign=authorpitch\"><span>your support<\/span><\/a><span>? It may not seem like much, but a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/subscribe\/?utm_source=site&#038;utm_medium=westernjournalism&#038;utm_campaign=authorpitch\"><span>Western Journal Membership<\/span><\/a><span>  can make all the difference in the world because when you support us directly, you cut Big Tech out of the picture. They lose control. <\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><span>A monthly Western Journal Membership costs less than one coffee and breakfast sandwich each month, and it gets you access to ALL of our content \u2014 news, commentary, and premium articles. You\u2019ll experience a radically reduced number of ads, and most importantly you will be vitally supporting the fight for America\u2019s soul in 2024.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><span>We are literally counting on you because without our members, The Western Journal would cease to exist. Will you <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/subscribe\/?utm_source=site&#038;utm_medium=westernjournalism&#038;utm_campaign=authorpitch\"><span>join us<\/span><\/a><span>  in the fight? <\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><span>Sincerely,<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><span>Josh Manning<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><span>Deputy Managing Editor<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><span>The Western Journal<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"author-info-44802\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/author\/georgeupper\/\">  <\/a> <\/p>\n<div>\n<p><label for=\"summary-tab-radio-44802\">Summary<\/label><label for=\"more-info-tab-radio-44802\">More<span> Biographical Information<\/span><\/label><label for=\"posts-tab-radio-44802\">Recent<span> Posts<\/span><\/label><label for=\"contact-tab-radio-44802\" onclick=\"if( typeof grecaptcha=='undefined' ) { let cap_s=document.createElement( 'script' ); cap_s.src='https:\/\/www.google.com\/recaptcha\/api.js?render=6LeJFcsUAAAAAPsIEqvB1EebWbZfqRUe6ebMpGy7'; document.body.appendChild( cap_s ); }\">Contact<\/label><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>George Upper is the former Editor-in-Chief of The Western Journal and was a weekly co-host of &#8220;WJ Live,&#8221; powered by The Western Journal. He is currently a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/new-detailed-inventory-on-election-fraud-in-the-2020-election-by-deroy-murdock-provides-strong-evidence-on-president-trumps-performance-in-all-the-swing-states-and-overall-race\/\" title=\"New Detailed Inventory on Election Fraud in the 2020 Election by Deroy Murdock Provides Strong Evidence on President Trump\u2019s Performance in All the Swing States and Overall Race\">contributing editor<\/a> in the areas of faith, politics and culture. A former U.S. Army special operator, teacher and consultant, he is a lifetime member of the NRA and an active volunteer leader in his church. Born in Foxborough, Massachusetts, he has lived most of his life in central North Carolina.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<p>  George Upper, is the former editor-in-chief of The Western Journal and is now a contributing editor in the areas of faith, politics and culture. He currently serves as the connections pastor at Awestruck Church in Greensboro, North Carolina. He is a former U.S. Army special operator, teacher, manager and consultant. Born in Massachusetts, he graduated from Foxborough High School before joining the Army and spending most of the next three years at Fort Bragg. He holds bachelor&#8217;s and master&#8217;s degrees in English as well as a Master&#8217;s in Business Administration, all from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He and his wife life only a short drive from his three children, their spouses and his grandchildren. He is a lifetime member of the NRA and in his spare time he shoots, reads a lot of Lawrence Block and John D. MacDonald, and watches Bruce Campbell movies. He is a fan of individual freedom, Tommy Bahama, fine-point G-2 pens and the Oxford comma. <\/p>\n<p>  Birthplace <\/p>\n<p>  Foxborough, Massachusetts <\/p>\n<p>  Nationality <\/p>\n<p>  American <\/p>\n<p>  Honors\/Awards <\/p>\n<p>  Beta Gamma Sigma <\/p>\n<p>  Education <\/p>\n<p>  B.A., English, UNCG; M.A., English, UNCG; MBA, UNCG <\/p>\n<p>  Location <\/p>\n<p>  North Carolina <\/p>\n<p>  Languages Spoken <\/p>\n<p>  English <\/p>\n<p>  Topics of Expertise <\/p>\n<p>  Faith, Business, Leadership and Management, Military, Politics <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In his recent commentary titled &#8220;Official Olympics Account Invokes Zeus and Apollo in Pagan Ritual at Olympia, Misses Key Point About Jesus Christ,&#8221; George C. Upper III highlights the ceremony where the Olympic torch was lit with a portrayal of a Greek high priestess invoking Zeus and Apollo, overlooking any mention of Jesus Christ<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2010,"featured_media":2226977,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Mary-Mina.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[548],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2226976","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-conservative-news-daily"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Mary-Mina.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2226976","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2010"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2226976"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2226976\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2226977"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2226976"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2226976"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2226976"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}