The long road to the pageantry of todays Olympics reads like a brutal soap opera of sorts of unimaginable depravity. Blood-soaked, naked, and deadly, the first games were brutal pagan rituals honoring Zeus and a host of other gods, where victory or survival was never guaranteed.
by Jennifer Rae Vliet
The Olympic Games did not begin as a neutral celebration of sport. Traditionally dating back to 776 BC, they were founded in Ancient Greece at Olympia as a religious pagan festival honoring Zeus, the chief Greek god. According to legend, the games were established by Heracles aka, Hercules, though historically they were organized by the city-state of Elis. Athletics, sacrifice and worship were inseparable.
The massive statue of Zeus at Olympia made of ivory and gold, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, dominated the grounds and made clear who the games were truly for.
The games were barbaric and deeply immodest. Events like pankration, a near no-rules combo of boxing and wrestling resulted in permanent disfigurement and even death. All competitors were conducted completely naked; the male physique was intentionally displayed and glorified…the human body was celebrated as an object of admiration and sexualization rather than modesty.
Central to the festival were animal sacrifices reinforcing its pagan identity and there was no single “logo” like today, but the ancient Olympic symbol was the olive wreath, cut from a “sacred tree” believed to be planted by Heracles himself.
As Christianity spread through the Roman Empire, the Olympics came under sharp criticism. Early Christians rejected them as idolatrous, violent, pride driven and morally corrupt. In AD 393-394, the Christian emperor Theodosius I officially banned the games along with other pagan festivals, disappearing them for nearly 1,500 years!
The modern Olympic games were revied in 1896 by Pierre de Coubertin, a French educator who admired ancient athletics but removed explicit pagan worship. Today’s Olympics present themselves as ‘secular and global’. The modern Olympic symbol, the five interlocking rings represents unity among the continents and peaceful international competition. This is a sharp contrast to all of the depravity and devotion to false gods however, there is no denying that the name, imagery and ceremonial inspiration are deliberately drawn from a pagan past.
While the ancient Olympics were rooted in pagan rituals, naked brutality and were a deadly spectacle, Scripture reminds us that we are called to discernment in what we honor and participate in. God’s Word warns us against adopting the practices of pagan worship, urging believers to seek His truth and honor Him in all things. See Corinthians 10:20-21
Scripture is clear about God’s command regarding pagan worship and its practices:
“Take care that you are not ensnared… asking about their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods?’…that I also may do the same. You shall not worship the LORD your God in that way.”
Deuteronomy 12:30–31
“What agreement has the temple of God with idols? … ‘Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them,’ says the Lord.” 2 Corinthians 6:16–17
Our God does not merely call His children away from false worship, but He calls us toward obedience and blessing.
“If you love Me you will keep My commandments”. John 14:15. “If you faithfully obey the voice of the LORD your God… all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you.”
Deuteronomy 28:1–2
The history of the Olympics serves as a reminder that what the world celebrates is not always what honors God. Scripture repeatedly calls us as believers to reject pagan influence. We are to embrace modesty as well as humility and find ourselves walking in obedience where true blessing and life are found.
The Plain Truth will always point our readership to God’s actual Word so you can hear directly from Him and choose to respond accordingly! May you continue on with new eyes regarding the origins of the Olympic Games as you learn why we do what we do. May you also have a spring in your step because of how much He loves you and wanted you to know the very truth and scripture presented to you today!