Words for Board: Mystery Religion, Asclepius, Psychosomatic Cure

There is a rise in Mystery Religions now. Things are starting to slide downhill in Rome and religion usually rises during downhill slides. There was a new sense of humility in Rome. The senses of guilt came as Rome started failing, also known as the "sense of sin." Sin is something done when you know it's wrong. It's a deliberate action against the social mores. The old state religion of Rome had no way to get rid of the guilt. The state religion was where the gods were supposed to be looking after your state so it prospered. But a mystery religion gave you a way to get a glorious hereafter. You have to take more on faith with a mystery religion. Afer Marcus, Rome offered ways to get rid of sin and remove the guilt. They are personal religions -- that is they have a personal savior usually -- someone who saved you personally if you'll only believe.

There was a rise in the followers of Asclepius. He was an old Greek god of miracle healing. He was minor in the old days. His symbol was a snake wound around a pole (been in your doctor's office lately??). The snake was the symbol of immortality cuz it kept shedding its skins. There were lots of miracle cures in the time around now, especially blindness, paralysis, leprosy, etc. The cures of Asclepius and others were well-documented and reproduced by many healers. Even today there are faith healers that actually heal. Before you think I'm full of bologna, let me tell you what they cure. They perform Psychosomatic Cures. It's not hokey. People are similar to electro-chemical machines. Your mind can make you ill and start shutting down your body systems You are actually sick, but there is no physical cause - only that your subconscious is unhappy about something. If your brain refuses to acknowledge the signals your body system is sending, you won't see or feel or whatever your particular malady is. Your brain can also cause glands to secrete chemicals, etc. so things won't work right. It's not that you intentionally make yourself sick., But if the illness is caused by a mental block, the cure can happen by religion, especially if the religion convinces you that god loves you and you matter, which may be the problem in the first place.