Polytheism

=Polytheism =

Polytheistic belief-systems/religions are wordviews that hold that there are many gods that exist in reality. Understand that polytheism is a broad overarching worldview category that exists in many other specific worldviews and religions. The most prominent polytheistic belief-systems that exist (or have existed) are as follows: Greco-Roman religion, some forms of Buddhism, some forms of Hinduism, some believe Mormonism, and Pagan belief-systems (i.e.: Wiccans). On this page however, I am going to briefly discuss the general outline of beliefs that polytheistic believers hold when it comes to: God, Humanity, Salvation, Authority, Time and Jesus Christ. If you desire a more indepth understanding of the abovementioned religions and their views on these maor points, then go to their respectable pages.
 * **__//God://__** Polytheism (“many” [poly] “gods” [theism]) is the worldview that affirms that there is no one God (monotheism) who is infinite and exists in the world, rather there are many finite gods that exist in the world. These many finite gods have different personalities, powers and even levels or jurisdictions of authority over humanity.[1]


 * **__//Humanity://__** Humans, in a polytheist worldview, are simply “the playground” of the gods. The gods parade “through [humans] thoughts without [their] control and even against [their] will” at times. Considering there are so many gods (a god for every emotion, deed, object and so forth), only one god at a time can “possess” us and as a result they “play out their stories” through us. “The purpose of humankind is to incarnate the gods, to become aware of their presence, to acknowledge and celebrate them. This can occur only when we begin to see our world through polytheistic, mythological glasses.”[2]


 * **//__Salvation:__//** In ancient times, to appease the gods and garner a place in “heaven” (salvation you could say) people would sacrifice objects (from plants, to animals, to people) to the gods. Then and now, polytheists take a relativistic approach to values and personal moral duties.[3] Simply put, we can worship what god we want, and whatever makes us happy to appease that god is good enough – in a sense we work out our own salvation.


 * **//__Authority:__//** This is too broad to determine considering there are dozens of various polytheistic belief systems that have their own forms of authority – some lying with rulers of the gods; others with holy scriptures; and still others with nature itself and the cosmos.


 * **//__Time:__//** This is also very broad to determine. Some polytheists consider time to be eternal (that is time has always been and will always be). Others see time as linear in that we are progressing towards and end goal. Others see time as circular (like in some polytheistic versions of Hinduism) in which time continually recycles over and over again.

 
 * **//__Jesus Christ:__//** To polytheists, Jesus was either not a real person or He was a real person and nothing more. He was not God’s Son – rather He could have been a finite god like all the other gods, or else He was just a regular Jewish rabbi who lived and died in 1st Century Judea. Jesus does not or can not save all because in the end there is no real SINGLE salvation method.

[1] Information in this paragraph comes from: Geisler, Norman. //__Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics__//. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1999) pg 604 [2] Ibid 604-605 [3] Ibid 605