mono vs poly

[Peter]

It seems most theists assume that monotheism is superior to polytheism. Why? It's not so obvious to me.

I suppose one god is a little easier to handle. One set of rituals, rules, etc. but it put's a bunch of pressure on that one god and makes them kind of schizophrenic. I mean they have to be the angry destroyer of entire civilizations one minute and then turn their cheek the next. That would drive anybody batshit crazy.

With multiple gods they can each have their own personalities. God of war, god of love, god of the sun, god of the moon, etc. You can sort of pick the one that matches your mood, yeah like mood gods.

I suppose the catholics have multiple gods, well at least mini gods, all those saints. I think there's over a thousand of them. That's typical, the religious over do everything. No sense of moderation or proportion.

Anyway, what's the official line on single gods and their supposed superiority to a pack of em?

[Peter]

I suppose the compete lack of responses means that my question is either really difficult or totally obvious.

Surely, some of you monotheists have an answer as to why one god trumps multiple gods. Please share.

[arX]

I've only studied polytheism from an Arab (pre-Islamic) perspective (of which it is understood under the Arabic term "shirk").

Polytheism, in my opinion, has been shown to be humanistically superior. Historically speaking, monotheism has often shown itself to be ferociously intolerant, in contrast to polytheism on behalf of which religious wars have never been waged. This intolerance follows logically from monotheistic ideology.

Gore Vidal once commented:

The great unmentionable evil at the centre of our culture is monotheism. From a barbaric Bronze Age text known as the Old Testament, three anti-human religions have evolved—Judaism, Christianity and Islam. These are sky-god religions. They are patriarchal—God is the omnipotent father—hence the loathing of women for 2,000 years in those countries afflicted by the sky-god and his male delegates. The sky-god is jealous. He requires total obedience. Those who would reject him must be converted or killed. Totalitarianism is the only politics that can truly serve the sky-god's purpose. Any movement of a liberal nature endangers his authority. One God, one King, one Pope, one master in the factory, one father-leader in the family.

[Angry Citizen]

I believe it is simply the result of cultures, arX. The monotheistic religions originated from the middle east -- a barbaric patriarchal culture that subjugated women and was extremely warlike. The polytheistic and spiritualistic religions originated in the east, with its rigid codes of conduct, and essentially alien culture. The religions clearly reflect this.

[Ken Carman]

It seems most theists assume that monotheism is superior to polytheism. Why? It's not so obvious to me.

I suppose one god is a little easier to handle. One set of rituals, rules, etc. but it put's a bunch of pressure on that one god and makes them kind of schizophrenic. I mean they have to be the angry destroyer of entire civilizations one minute and then turn their cheek the next. That would drive anybody batshit crazy.

With multiple gods they can each have their own personalities. God of war, god of love, god of the sun, god of the moon, etc. You can sort of pick the one that matches your mood, yeah like mood gods.

I suppose the catholics have multiple gods, well at least mini gods, all those saints. I think there's over a thousand of them. That's typical, the religious over do everything. No sense of moderation or proportion.

Anyway, what's the official line on single gods and their supposed superiority to a pack of em?

I got mono once. Anyone see Polly? She needs to know.

Sorry.

On a more serious note. (Bb?) This is a good question. I remember one thread here where a theist who described himself as a Christian claimed Satan was a God. Of course the question must be asked, if he is such a challenge to "the one God," wouldn't powers alone qualify him as a god? Or a Demi God? Or at least Demi Moore's God? (Damn, I can't resist!)

Having married into a Catholic family I can tell you they don't consider the Saints or Mary "Gods." However sometimes it borders on poly in the manner it's practiced. And even a bit witch doctery with the old practice of using relics to encourage miracles. Poly is not the intent, nor witch doc like beliefs, but the mysticism: especially amongst some of the older Catholics can approach such without intent. Magical thinking abounds, even more so than under some versions of Christianity.

I think monotheism gives believers the illusion of superiority, you know "My God is so much more powerful that 'one God' is all that's needed?" Tis simpler too, as you mentioned. Then you have wars and conflicts between Gods. I think polytheism gets confusing and messy. If you wish to motivate people simplicity is the answer. Unfortunately "motivated to..." is often the frightening part. But the Romans had no problem being motivated to be violent with their poly approach, at least until Constantine let the mono in the door of the Empire.


The power behind mono is that now you're on a holy mission assigned by the one and only: far too often to slice and dice your way through the heretics who could be considered less worthy of life than those who follow. As violent as they were the Romans were marginally tolerant of different religions as long as it didn't disturb the peace, as Jesus found out with the help of the Jewish hierarchy.

[thevoiceofgod]

I suppose the compete lack of responses means that my question is either really difficult or totally obvious.

Surely, some of you monotheists have an answer as to why one god trumps multiple gods. Please share.

Since I started preaching the gospel, I haven't found anyone who believes in God. They believe in their holy books, churches, idols, teachers, pastors and other false prophets, and the religious works they do. They don't have a clue who the true God is.

[Peter]

Since I started preaching the gospel, I haven't found anyone who believes in God. They believe in their holy books, churches, idols, teachers, pastors and other false prophets, and the religious works they do. They don't have a clue who the true God is.

Yeah Voice, I think we all get it. You're the one true prophet of the one true god and nobody has a clue about what you're talking about. Check.

[arX]

AC, no doubting the cultural differences. However, a good argument can be made based on the intrinsic properties of the two religious types.

In a way, superstitions are not reduced in monotheism but concentrated into the one god or his apostle. From that, I can see how the jealousy of a typical monotheistic tyrant god bully doesn't translate as such in polytheism. And following on from that still, intolerance wouldn't be quite the same.

Arthur Schopenhauer said this on that specific difference:

Indeed, intolerance is essential only to monotheism; an only God is by nature a jealous God who will not allow another to live. On the other hand, polytheistic gods are naturally tolerant; they live and let live. In the first place, they gladly tolerate their colleagues, the gods of the same religion, and this tolerance is afterwards extended even to foreign gods who are accordingly, hospitably received and later admitted, in some cases, even to an equality of rights. An instance of this is seen in the Romans who willingly admitted and respected Phrygian, Egyptian and other foreign gods. Thus it is only the monotheistic religions that furnish us with the spectacle of religious wars, religious persecutions, courts for trying heretics, and also with that of iconoclasm, the destruction of the images of foreign gods, the demolition of Indian temples and Egyptian colossi that had looked at the sun for three thousand years; all this because their jealous God had said: "Thou shall make no graven image" and so on.

[Peter]

I'm struck by how much the evolution of religion is like the evolution of life. We have aggressive religion (monotheism) dominating more moderate religion (polytheism). There's inbreeding (christianity and pagan religions) and mutations (scientology). Here's hoping for an extinction event!

[thevoiceofgod]

Yeah Voice, I think we all get it. You're the one true prophet of the one true god and nobody has a clue about what you're talking about. Check.

It takes a few years of listening and obeying the gospel to know what I know.

[thevoiceofgod]

I'm struck by how much the evolution of religion is like the evolution of life. We have aggressive religion (monotheism) dominating more moderate religion (polytheism). There's inbreeding (christianity and pagan religions) and mutations (scientology). Here's hoping for an extinction event!

Religion has nothing to do with God and that's why it evolves along with everyone else. The truth stays the same at all times.