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If Christianity failed in the West and we remained polytheistic, what would today be like?
- Thread starter Maponos
- Start date
My guess is it wouldn't be that different. Economic, civil and secular power seems to be the stronger driving forces.
The Emperor of Mankind
Currently the galaxy's spookiest paraplegic
"Y'all mother****ers need Mithras!"
Corthos
Great Old One
Mithras! A man's man... errr... God! (I still have no clue what's going on here...)
The Emperor of Mankind
Currently the galaxy's spookiest paraplegic
Like what?
I'm working on a novel (or series of short stories, not sure which, yet) that assumes that very thing as its premise: that the traditional polytheist traditions remained unbroken in Western Europe, leaving Christianity a fringe religion at its best, but with most other historical events either still happening, or similar things still happening. (Without all the alternate historical details being made clear; just assuming it was enough that by this same time, we have all the same technology we do, and the culture and language would be familiar enough to get around.)
I think in terms of real life (not my story), the key is whether or not Rome's legacy continued in the West. If so, things would probably look almost identical, just in a polytheist context rather than a monotheist one, and we wouldn't just be huge nerds for Greco-Roman myths; the Greco-Roman Gods would probably be the central focus of religious worship, with Celto-Germanic Gods probably regarded as "peasant/poor-people/barbarian" Gods.
I think in terms of real life (not my story), the key is whether or not Rome's legacy continued in the West. If so, things would probably look almost identical, just in a polytheist context rather than a monotheist one, and we wouldn't just be huge nerds for Greco-Roman myths; the Greco-Roman Gods would probably be the central focus of religious worship, with Celto-Germanic Gods probably regarded as "peasant/poor-people/barbarian" Gods.
Maponos
Welcome to the Opera
Certain moral attitudes; a greater knowledge of past mythologies (that would probably still be followed); we'd probably be more advanced without the church destroying previous technological advancements and not stifling others because they didn't conflict with a church that wouldn't exist.
Maponos
Welcome to the Opera
This makes me think a lot of Battlestar Galatica and Caprica. One thing I found so surreal about those two series was that they were a bit above our currently technology, but enough to be believable, but their civilization was a completely polytheistic one (well, except for the Soldiers of the One and their monotheistic cult). They'd reference the gods sometimes and, to me, it just felt so right.
Aupmanyav
Be your own guru
Yes, it would have been more or less the same. You can guess from the state of India today. We have remained polytheists and that has not made for any big change. Only perhaps there would have been fewer wars and no holocausts. The population would have already reached 10 billion. However, wars make science progress.
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Guy Threepwood
Mighty Pirate
having neighbors over for dinner would mean something totally different!
Sees
Dragonslayer
For India imagine the Brits and Muslims had failed.
It's very difficult to grasp the extent foreign ideologies have an effect. Politics and academia in India would be very different, I think.Unveiled Artist
Veteran Member
Countries get to keep their own culture and religious values without monotheism being a driving force for political gain. No "one man over all" deal.
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The world would be completely different. We probably would've developed space flight centuries ago, and we'd be colonizing the galaxy by now. There would not have been global cultural and physical genocide of many of the world's indigenous peoples. We would have access to vastly more knowledge and wisdom from ancient and indigenous cultures. The classical schools of the arts, philosophy, sciences, and the libraries wouldn't have been closed or destroyed, so academic knowledge would've continue to increase. Islam wouldn't have existed. The rights of women would've increased more and more. LGBT people would never have been demonized. We'd have a much more healthy view of nature (we would not be raping the planet like a commodity), the world, our bodies and our sexuality. Etc. Etc.
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SpeaksForTheTrees
Well-Known Member
The trinity are manifestations ? Or hierarchy within heaven
The Hindus have brahman
I think mono was unavoidable progressive line of thought.
Think we would have lots more history of genocide in a world with 1000 s of Gods all claiming to be better than the other ?
Aupmanyav
Be your own guru
Not just Islam but Zoroastrianism, Judaism and Christianity. No conquistadors. So too Bahai, Ahmadiyyas, Mormon, JWs and Rastafarians.
Brahman is the substrate, what exists and constitutes, and not a God. It is not really one unless you make everything (living and non-living) one.
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Zoroastrianism is older than Christianity. In many ways, Christianity is a rip-off of Zoroastrianism. Judaism probably would've survived, but people wouldn't care so much about it and the Jews wouldn't be seen as anything special (whether negatively or positively), I think.
The only thing I'd say for certain is to make the following observations. Religious exclusivism (aka, the one One True God/Religion thing) was, in large part, an invention of the monotheists. Additionally, decreeing that morality came from a singular deity was also, in large part, an invention of the monotheists. With the absence of these two things, it stands to reason that there would be less religious hegemony and more religious pluralism, and an absence of various nonsense like "you have no morals if you don't follow my one true religion." There would, however, still be plenty of war. Diversity and differences are breeding grounds for wars just as much as attempts at hegemony are.