Perspectives on Polytheism

[gsa]

Primitive peoples mythologized that which they did not understand, which was much. Dreams, storms, thunder, lightening -- all became the stuff of gods who, predictably, were a capricious, unruly, and highly hierarchical bunch. Most polytheists I've encountered today strike me as shallow dilettantes whose 'religion' is more an affectation and who appear to be far more interested in being different than in being informed.

And, yes, I'm fully aware that this is a bias, but it's offered in an honest effort to respond to the OP. If you would like to offer anything in the way of serious, modern, polytheistic scholarship that I should consider I will gladly do so.

Most monotheists seem to be shallow adherents of an ancestral religion with a persecution complex, whose 'religion' is more a reflection of ancient bias and who appear to be more interested in stubbornly adhering to a cult of reactionaries than in being informed.

 

[Bunyip]

I voted positive. Polytheism is a rich and glorious tradition. An infinite variety of wonderful legends, parables, myths and beliefs - we still name our planets after such deities.
My Dad used to recite the Greek myths on the way to and from church. I loved it.

 

[gsa]

As part of our cultural upbringing, we develop both conscious and subconscious associations with particular words, symbols, and ideas. This thread is mostly to satisfy my curiosity regarding the instinctual reaction people have to polytheism amongst the members of RF.

With respect to the poll, the idea here is not to overanalyze what you think about polytheism. What we're looking for is your off-the-cuff, gut-level reaction to that idea. Is your initial reaction to it pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral? Put another way, when thinking about polytheism, do mostly positive things come to mind, do mostly negative things come to mind, or is your instinctive feeling a bit of both or neither?

After you've answered the poll, where do you think these attitudes you hold came from? What are they based on? Are they something that was passed on to you from your parents? Friends? The overculture we live in? Are these attitudes based on personal research or exploration about this type of theism? Are you a polytheist yourself, perhaps? Have you always had this attitude, or has it changed over time?

Feel free to expand beyond this and discuss your perspective on polytheism. I put this in the debate section, so feel free to get messy.

Neutral. When I was younger, I had much more positive feelings about polytheism. It seemed more interesting than monotheism. My parents only became Christian when I was old enough to question, so there wasn't that hostility to the concept from day one. However, as I learned about actual polytheism, in practice, I came to regard it as much the same as monotheism, save that it is more tolerant on the whole of difference, be it racial, religious, sexual or other. I regard both as wrong, of course, but monotheism is more dangerous. At least now.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

Most monotheists seem to be ...

^ another bigoted tirade trying to sound clever.

 

[gsa]

^ another bigoted tirade trying to sound clever.

It was basically a cut and paste mock of your bigoted tirade against polytheism. I am glad that you recognize that what you posted was bigoted. Perhaps you can grow from that experience.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

It was basically a cut and paste mock of your bigoted tirade against polytheism.

No, in fact it was not. So, for example, the difference between "most polytheists I've encountered today strike me as" and "most monotheists seem to be" is telling.

 

[gsa]

No, in fact it was not. So, for example, the difference between "most polytheists I've encountered today strike me as" and "most monotheists seem to be" is telling.

If you want to play word games, I can edit to say "Most monotheists I've encountered today seem to be" or even "strike me as," and it will not change the meaning at all.

I am sorry that being confronted with your own bigoted language is uncomfortable. But we learn from dealing with these issues, I am sure you will agree.

 

[Leftimies]

For me, polytheism gives negative gut-feeling. Its not that I have anything against it, for my worldview it doesn't matter if you believe in no god, one god or a five thousand gods. I just don't see the point in it (personally, that is), and it gives me instinctive negative response. But after the instinctive response has come and gone, it doesn't bother me, no.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

I'm not sure, but I think I've always leaned towards having positive views of it since the Greek myths were the religious stories I fell in love with first and the most. To be honest, I read Edith Hamilton's Mythology multiple times as a kid, but I was never able to make it through the Bible once.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

No, it does not, but the descriptions of YHWH clearly reflect a primitive antecedent and context.

Oh, yes it does. Yahweh was originally a Canaanite deity of war and storms, who was a son of the high Canaanite deity, El. It was only after many reforms and redactions that Yahweh came to be viewed as the "one true" deity, and the rest of the pantheon was shoved out and made to be evil, an idea that the Jews likely based on the Egyptian Aten (they probably got circumcision from the Egyptians, too).