Polytheism vs Monotheism...

[Javaman]

Okay, this maybe overly simplistic. I'm not religious at all, but I do find something very curious about the concept of modern religion based on a single god as opposed to "pagan" religions that are based on many gods.

Polytheism basically states that there is a god for all sorts of things, where as monotheism says there is one and only one god.

Okay, then, why is it that there are all these various saints that are patrons of various things ie: the hopeless, the lost, the animals, love, etc? One would think that in Monotheism, that god, the main being would take care of it all. Isn't god all seeing?, answers all prayers, etc? Then why does he need to farm out these various other things to saints?

Also, why in monotheism are various church's named after various saints? I would think that if there is one supreme being that is in charge of it all, and the "saint" do "gods work", wouldn't it be hypocritical to name these church's after these saints that are doing "gods work" anyway? Isn't that the sin of pride?

It's like saying, "well bob is a great guy, he helps old ladies across the road, let's name a church after him!" So it becomes Saint bob the helper of old ladies...

See my point?

I just don't get it. If anyone can explain this to me the difference between the two, I will listen...

Thanks in advance.

[Solon]

1. Interesting...

Well, to begin, as Christianity co-oped holidays like Yule/Solstice, or Easter/Eostre, they also co-opted Gods and Goddesses. An example I can give if the Goddess Brigit, who became St. Brigit, it is much easier to convert a people, when you take their symbols and holidays as well. Also, churches were routinely built on Pagan holy sites and many had 2 altars in them, one dedicated to the Gods of the area, and another to the Christian God.

[DireStrike]

2. The saint thing is decay of monotheism into polytheism

Just like the "trinity", IMO.

Carl Jung spoke of a "collective unconscious", kind of a group memory for mankind, or perhaps a characteristic of human consciousness. The point is that there are some symbols universally recognized by human consciousness.

Of course there's no out-and-out proof. I think it's pretty compelling though.

Monotheism is good at combatting polytheism in a focused matter. But polytheism is like a weed. Or an insurgency. It just keeps coming back.

And Solon is right too, Christianity is a cobbled-together religion if there ever was one.

[burythehatchet]

14. What a really interesting choice of words

"decay of monotheism into polytheism"

very interesting.

[DireStrike]

21. That was the idea I was trying to convey

Monotheism takes energy to maintain. It puts out energy also. It is like a fire. It needs something to feed on. It decays into polytheism, which is a more relaxed and natural belief system IMO.

[secedeeconomically]

3. You are attempting to rationalize the irrational

Religion isn’t meant to make perfect sense, it operates under a vale of mystery. They tell you just enough to get you hooked. That’s why they call it blind faith. Cause if you opened your eyes you would scream what the fu***?

[Anakin Skywalker]

5. *giggle*

[Must_B_Free]

6. I feel your pain

regarding the destructive mind pirate aspects of fundamental religions, but as I get older it is clear that religion serves some purpose - to transmit what was learned in the past into the future. So there are positives along with the negatives. it is just that they have come to oppose rational thought in their worst forms. We seem to have better technology to transmit the past to the future, but legacy technology sometimes regains its usefulness.

[burythehatchet]

15. Re-ligio

The root is latin for "linking to the past". I think that's how Joe Campbell explained it.

Do not think in linear terms. Linearity corrals the imagination.

[knight_of_the_star]

8. Depends on the faith

Any faith that is based on a series of writings can end up having that happen. Pagan forms of spirituality are based more on personal experience and personal interpretation, so you could argue the eyes are wide open there.

[secedeeconomically]

9. I will admit that i know absolutly nothing about pagans except

During my college years, I met this pagan chick at a bar and she had this bong well nevemind lolol

[Must_B_Free]

4. I have noticed the same point

my interpretation is that it has to do with wars, and power consolidation.

Monotheism is essentially a coup to polytheism ("All the gods are now under my one God")

But there is a funional need to fill that s served by polytheism which is the polygods are symbolic of "characteristics".

So Ganesh in Hindu culture symbolizes "Luck", as St. Anthony in Catholicism symbolized "Finding things". The Saints and Gods serve the same functional purpose. You even pray to St. Jude to drive the chaotic Cerrillos Road in Santa Fe, just like you would pray to the right Hindu god for that certain thing you would like.

Old structures are renamed but are not successfully reomved by the captors culture. Thus we still have the Pagan calender holiday associated with Christ, although not his actual birthday, we have pagan fertility symbols associated with Easter, etc.

They try to kill off our older cultures, but we find a way to keep transmitting them into the future, sometimes even coded in fairy tales.

[Warpy]

7. I sometimes suspect all relgious people are polytheistic, at heart

Monotheism doesn't seem to come naturally, especially when the big god is such a hands off kinda guy. We need lesser gods to intervene for us in our daily affairs while the big god's off holding the universe together or doing soemthing else that's more important than we are.

After all, the first commandment admitted the existence of all the other gods, but said this supposed big god was a jealous one who didn't want any of the others stealing his thunder.

The real problem with monotheism is that every religion that embraces some form of it becomes horribly intolerant of any other religion out there. They're not worshipping the "real" god, you see, and the "real" god finds that horribly insulting and that's why Aunt Myrtle had that heart attack last year and why it's snowing today, the "real" god threw a hissy fit and started smiting away.

Personally, I think the Taoists were onto something, that the universe is a living organism that doesn't know it's alive. Since that's too impersonal for most folks, and since it doesn't wear a human face with a human personality, I guess that's why it just never caught on...

[Solon]

18. Actually here is some more info for you....

http://www.bibleinterp.com/articles/MSmith_BiblicalMonotheism.htm

[DrWeird]

10. Modern U.S. "culture" is basically polytheistic.

Consider Santa. He's basically a god. As much as plenty of gods are in polytheistic societies. He's got his own holiday, he can perform miracles, he's got an expansive back story. No adults take him seriously but they get upset when people tell little kids that he doesn't really exist. We come up with whole stories about how he really exists.

Then there's God and Jesus. Two seperate entities. Both of whom are God(s). Jesus has a mom who isn't officially a god, but still works miracles. Jesus was a god, but dies, but is immortal anyway like so many polytheistic Gods. There's the saint, like you pointed out. All little gods. They perform their own miracles, they're essentially immortal, they have there own jobs, they're prayed too.

There's a whole pantheon of heroes. The founding fathers, Lincoln. We tell stories we know aren't true: Washington chopped down a cherry tree than confessed, Lincoln always intended to free the slaves, Jefferson wasn't a hypocrite who didn't rape his slaves; yet we tell them anyway. And people get upset when others point out the truth.

[muriel_volestrangler]

12. Santa has some aspects of Woden in him

SINTER CLAES
(1400?-1773, ecclesiastic trappings, syncretized with Woden, rotund Dutchman, not connected with Christmas)

The original Sant Nikolaas or St. Nicholas, just described, was the patron saint of sailors and navigators and, hence, admired at the Dutch maritime center of Amsterdam, who made him a hero. St. Nicholas and the Low German god Woden became syncretized as a single figure. Prior to this St. Nicholas was portrayed as a youth with black trimmed beard. The Dutch also celebrated Woden (better known as the Norse Odin) who wore a full white beard, had a magic cloak and dispensed gifts to children. Woden was an Iron Age Indo-European god who rode a horse. Children placed their shoes and hay (to feed the horse) near the fireplace. Eventually Woden merges into St. Nicholas, corrupted as Sinter Claes.

http://www.bsu.edu/web/01bkswartz/xmaspub.html

[Wilber_Stool]

11. A more fundamental description of monotheism is

there is only one God and he belongs to us. This is where the problems start.
If we were Greeks, we would never ask the question "Why do bad things happen to good people." We would know. The Gods are pricks. They're flawed. The monoteistic God has to be perfect, therfore very hard to understand. That's why you need a Priest.

[Disturbed]

13. Jesus the King of Kings

God is the father of Jesus yet Jesus is King over all Kings. It is obvious that Christianity after Jesus died was fashioned after other concepts and religions and imcorporated the trappings of miracles to boost the power of the group claiming this religion. The more one investigates and thinks about the Christian religion the more it becomes a fairy tale as are most of the events in the Old Testement. That millions are hooked on these fairy tales and have a strong desire to persuade or coerce others into believing them is what is objectionable to me and could become oppressive, as it has been in the past.

[LSdemocrat]

16. Many branches of Christianity verge on being polytheistic

Especially when compared to Islam and Judaism. Patron saints, which as far as I know are purely a Christian thing, and the belief in the Trinity really doesn't really indicate a purely monotheistic belief system.

[PaganPreacher]

20. Christianity IS polytheistic.

Monotheism is, literally and in use, "belief in one god."

Christianity has several, no matter how you slice it:
1-3: "God" (made up of 3 separate, yet joined entities, Father, Son, Holy Spirit.)
4: angels (supernatural beings with magic powers, and the ability to communicate with living people)
5: Satan (supernatural, can read our minds, can shapeshift, capable of acting on humans, "lord" of the underworld)
6: Mary, mother of Jesus, went to paradise body and all; can hear prayers and read our minds; can communicate with humans and cause actions in this world.
7: Saints: humans who have "been promoted", and have the ability to read our minds and provide physical and spiritual protection against danger.
8. Demons (Satan's asistants, with powers like that of Satan).

Add in the infinite number of gods in the Latter Day Saints' version of Christianity (every man becomes a god after his death, to put it in simplest terms), and the pantheon becomes downright crowded!

It's easier to be a Primal Pagan. THAT is true monotheism!

The Pagan Preacher
I don't turn the other cheek.

[UdoKier]

17. I don't get the need for either one.

35 years now with no religion and I've done just fine.

[bloom]

19. I was just reading about that - monotheism/polytheism

The book was linking monotheism with imperialism.



I wasn't raised Catholic - but I did always think all those Saints were interesting. (I rather wished I had a special Saint somebody). I think you are right about the aspects of Gods - seems very polytheistic. I'm sure they were inspired by the native religions.

And then protestants (that is what I was raised) had to come along and be all Biblical about it - and do away with Saints.

I know a couple polytheists who used to be Catholics - it was probably a fairly easy transition.