How Paganism (Hellenism) saved me

 Greetings!

Today, I decided to write something more personal about how Hellenism saved me. The idea came to me when I realized that we have heard countless stories about how Christianity saved someone, but rarely—or almost never—how an ethnic religion saved a Christian. So, this is my story.

From a young age, I didn't have much contact with Christianity. My parents weren't devout; in fact, my father was an atheist and my mother was Christian. However, they never imposed any religion or ideology on me—they simply followed customs. This continued until I was about 13, when I began to wonder what I should do with my life and what its meaning was. Christianity didn’t fulfill me, nor did it convince me. In truth, I had lost my faith several years before that.

Near the end of my second year of middle school, YouTube suddenly recommended a video about Hellenism. It spoke about things I had never heard before in my life. By the way, I should mention that I hadn't been subjected to historical or religious propaganda in school, because, fortunately, I didn’t pay attention in class.

From the moment I saw that video, I began watching more. It sparked something in me—it gave meaning to my life. It spoke of becoming a better person, of acquiring values, virtues, ideals, and of stepping out of my comfort zone. It spoke of Greek history in a way I had never heard before. Through it, I truly discovered real Greek civilization.

That summer, I decided to become an ethnic Hellenist and officially leave Christianity behind, changing my life in practice. I stopped using Christian expressions, stopped praying in that way, stopped making the sign of the cross or keeping icons. I filled my room with Greek statues and began reading Greek literature. As you can understand, I tried to make real, practical changes—not just go to a registrar’s office (which I couldn’t do before turning 18 anyway).

 Since then, as I said, my life changed. My parents thought it was just a teenage phase—but clearly, it wasn’t. I’ve been an ethnic Hellenist for four years now, and each year, my passion for Hellenism only grows stronger. One remarkable book that helped me immensely is titled “Reality – The Structure of Thought” by Nikos Koundourakis. Unfortunately, there’s no English translation available yet.

Nevertheless, Hellenism saved me. Before I became an ethnic Hellenist, I felt lost. I had no purpose in life—truly, none. I was merely existing. I didn’t think about my future or myself; I didn’t take care of myself. I’d say I had a mild, passing depression. But Hellenism saved me by giving my life meaning.

Every day I strive to improve and to learn. My life changed radically. Hellenism also taught me about Christianity, but from the other side—from the perspective of ethnic religions—whereas in school I had only seen the opposite. Of course, by that point, Hellenism had already won me over.

I came to see the flaws in Christianity—how it contradicts itself, how it’s used as a political tool, how it says things that don’t add up. None of that sat right with me. For me, reason is above all, and Hellenism is reason.

I’ve also experienced contact with the gods, just as Christians do with Christ. I don’t believe that’s strange. It happens because each person has a different image of the divine—but the divine itself is one. So for me, the argument “I saw Christ in a vision or a dream” doesn’t carry much weight—because it’s shaped by personal perception.

Hellenism did not just give me gods to believe in—it gave me myself. It awakened a fire inside me that I never knew was there. Through it, I learned to live with purpose, to think with clarity, and to act with honor. For anyone feeling lost, like I once was, I say this: look to your roots. In the ruins of the past, you may find the temple of your future.