The classic student question from Greek Mythology is always a question of "Why are we learning this and what does this old weird stuff have to do with us now?" I go into pretty good detail about how it connects but sometimes I think I would do the students a better service if I talked about how all religions have made an impact on the culture of the United States. 

My answer for now is: We are learning this because it is important to know where the ideas that we hold closest came from.

The truth is all religions affect everyone continuously. Elements that have their origin in religion are deeply embedded in the world.

This truth is independent of whatever religion or lack of religion a student is raised to experience.

Judeo-Christian Religion in the Names of Places in the United States

• • Visual Aid: Devil-Hell Map - Jonathan Hull - October 27, 2012 - (Site)

  • Visual Aid: Heavenly and Hellish Place Names in America - Jonathan Hull - December 23, 2013 - (Site)

  • Visual Aid: Saint-Heaven Map - Jonathan Hull - December 21, 2013 - (Site)

Religion in the Months of the Year

• 1. January - The month of Janus (Roman Mythology), the god of gates and doorways.

  2. February - The month of Februa, named after the Roman festival of purification.

  3. March - The month of Mars (Roman Mythology), god of war. The Greek equivalent is Ares, god of war.

  4. April - The month of Aphrodite (Greek Mythology), goddess of love and beauty. The Roman equivalent is Venus, goddess of love and beauty.

  5. May - The month of Maia (Roman Mythology), goddess of spring. Maia in Greek Mythology is the eldest of the Pleiades, daughter of the titan Atlas, and mother of Hermes with Zeus.

  6. June - The month of Juno (Roman Mythology), goddess of marriage and women. The Greek equivalent is Hera, goddess of marriage and women.

  7. July - The month of Julius [Caesar] who reformed the calendar in 46 BCE.

  8. August - The month of Augustus [Caesar] who also helped reform the calendar after Julius Caesar.

  9. September - The seventh month (before Julius Caesar changed the calendar). Septem means seven in Latin.

  10. October - The eighth month (before Julius Caesar changed the calendar). Octo means eight in Latin.

  11. November - The ninth month (before Julius Caesar changed the calendar). Novem means nine in Latin.

  12. December - The tenth month (before Julius Caesar changed the calendar). Decem means ten in Latin

Christian Religion in a Federal Holiday of the United States

There are ten federal holidays in the United States. Despite the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution, one of those federal holidays is the Christian festival of Christmas. 

To avoid religious endorsement, many government agencies avoid using the word Christmas in their decisions. Public schools will have a Winter Break. Many cities will say Happy Holidays and publicly display a Holiday Tree rather than say Merry Christmas and call it a Christmas Tree. 

This last avoidance is interesting because holiday is a combination of the words "holy" and "day", and the change does nothing to diminish the religious charge of the words used.

Religion/Mythological Characters in the Periodic Table

• 2 - Helium - Greek - Helios (Sun, God of the Sun)

• 22 - Titanium - Greek - The Titans, offspring of Gaia

• 23 - Vanadium - Norse - Vanadis (another name for Freyja)

• 34 - Selenium - Greek - Selene (Moon, Goddess of the Moon)

• 41 - Niobium - Greek - Niobe (daughter of Tantalus)

• 46 - Palladium - Greek - Pallas Athena (Goddess of Wisdom)

• 58 - Cerium - Roman - Ceres (Goddess of Agriculture)

• 61 - Promethium - Greek - Prometheus

• 62 - Europium - Greek - Europa (Mother of Minos, consorted with Zeus)

• 73 - Tantalum - Greek - Tantalus

• 80 - Mercury - Roman - Mercury (Messenger God)

• 90 - Thorium - Norse - Thor (God of Thunder)

• 92 - Uranium - Greek - Uranus (God of the sky, Father of Titans)

• 93 - Neptunium - Roman - Neptune (God of the sea)

• 94 - Pluto - Roman - Pluto (God of the underworld)