In a book I discovered at a used bookstore (Grey Matter, which I strongly recommend) in New Haven a while back, I found something interesting about how people today and how Romans thought of the divine very differently. I think the discrepancy makes ancient religion so fundamentally unlike modern religion that ancient religion simply cannot be studied without acknowledging it. That is, many modern religions view the divine as a parental or father figure beyond our reach, whereas in ancient times, it was much closer to that of a friend, sometimes wise and sometimes foolish.

To the ancients, their pantheon of gods was closer to a group of supermen and superwomen who could help them with their daily lives. The gods were not above sin and not without flaws. In fact, the majority of ancient stories featured the misadventures and sins of the divine. An ancient Roman would indeed ask the divine for favors or assistance, but it was not dissimilar to asking a patron for a favor. And just like a patron, a god may choose to answer or not, and could subsequently be criticized for his decision, just like any man. 

In modern Christianity, for example, God isn’t so much of a direct member of our world as he is an all-powerful creator separate from this world. The attitude towards God is much more reverent and familiar to the modern viewer, but to the ancients, this was foreign. God is an entity above sin and wrongdoing who ought to be revered and worshipped. 

Though we translate the Latin and Greek as god, the ancient perception of gods is very unlike our modern views. Where we view divinity as more perfect, unquestionable, and worthy of reverence, the ancients only see a band of goofy superbeings. The distinction is significant; ancient gods were much more like super celebrities, weird and sinful but still important in daily life and able to make a major difference. As such, they were also not above criticism and were scrutinized just like any public figure.