The masses, by assimilating the gods in every respect to their own moral qualities, accept deities similar to themselves and regard anything not of this sort as alien (Readings pg 91). With this statement you can see that Epicurus accused the people of creating the gods in their own image, so they created what we would call false gods. Epcicurus believed and taught that you should think of a deity as imperishable and blessed being, and you should not attribute to it anything foreign to its!.
immortality or inconsistent with its blessedness (Readings pg. 91). However, "it is the belief that good and evil are not the chance contributions of a deity, donated to mankind for the happy life, but rather that the initial circumstances for great good and evil are sometimes provided by chance" (Readings pg. 92). Since the soul dies with are bodies we have not to worry about living eternal, so the present should be concerned with pursuing the pleasant life, which includes "elimination of those false ideas about the gods and death which are the chief source of mental disturbances" (Readings pg.92). .
Both Socrates and Epicurus were philosophers that talked about the simplicity in ones life and warned that one should not strive to be wealthy with riches. Socrates asked questions of his students in order for the students to understand the concerns of the "true philosopher" "are not found in such pleasures, such as eating, drinking, pleasures of love, getting fine clothing and shoes and other bodily adornments"(Readings pg 75). Epicurus also believed in these things he tells that "the pleasant life is not the product of drinking, partying, sexual intercourse, food and other delicacies afforded by a luxurious table" (Readings pg. 92). Socrates preferred the simple life because he believes the soul immortal and therefore there is a constant search for truth. He says "the soul is imprisoned inside the body by the need for drink, sex, and sleep, with the result that it is kept from its true aim, the gaining of knowledge, thus, when we death releases the soul from its prison, its free to roam among the ideas that it dimly perceived while alive.