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Is Christianity polytheistic?
- Thread starter Remté
- Start date
Desert Snake
Veteran Member
There are two definitions of monotheism
• worship of only god
• believe there is only god
The Christian bible itself has 'gods', in the text. These are demigods, angels of the nations, so forth. Not worshipped as God, or considered the same as the one god.
If the aspects of god are considered different, or not god, regarding Jesus, JHVH, then yes that is polytheism.
No, except for Mormonism, which is clearly polytheistic. The closest Trinitarianism comes to polytheism is soft polytheism, which isn't polytheism at all really.
The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are three Persons united in one Essence in Trinitarianism, not the same Person.
MikeDwight
Well-Known Member
We were just talking about trinitarianism over here! Nicene Creed
I once heard Jesus is 7th of most prayed to in Italy. That is fairly some of your discussion, Catholics. The Commandment is no God is worshipped before God. That's the Commandment from a jealous God. Muslims attack Christianity as being Polytheistic, which is why Jesus is downgraded to a prophet. A prophet is those who hear from God, or a messenger like Mohammad, and mainly a cheerleader for Mohammad 600 years later. Now I didn't hear how all this is possible. It seems unlikely.
I'm seriously not that interested in the topic. The traditional polytheist you're interested in will have 100s of Gods in a comicbook fashion, lives in tents, lives for war, makes sacrifices of the harvest to particular gods. Jesus Christ seeking to fulfill every Commandment of God's more like everything had gone wrong with all the Jewish teachers. None of the teachers of the law had it right.
I once heard Jesus is 7th of most prayed to in Italy. That is fairly some of your discussion, Catholics. The Commandment is no God is worshipped before God. That's the Commandment from a jealous God. Muslims attack Christianity as being Polytheistic, which is why Jesus is downgraded to a prophet. A prophet is those who hear from God, or a messenger like Mohammad, and mainly a cheerleader for Mohammad 600 years later. Now I didn't hear how all this is possible. It seems unlikely.
I'm seriously not that interested in the topic. The traditional polytheist you're interested in will have 100s of Gods in a comicbook fashion, lives in tents, lives for war, makes sacrifices of the harvest to particular gods. Jesus Christ seeking to fulfill every Commandment of God's more like everything had gone wrong with all the Jewish teachers. None of the teachers of the law had it right.
What? No. Stop watching Marvel crap.
Desert Snake
Veteran Member
'God' without specification, means the Biblical God.
'god' used as a description, therefore contextually tells you which god is being referred to
• a foreign god= not the biblical god, as contextually the God of the Bible isn't 'foreign'
• false gods
• like a god
• as a god
So forth.
It is quite easy to tell thusly whether the Biblical God is being referred to, or, the word is being used as a description. Demigods or angels are also thusly specified.
'god' used as a description, therefore contextually tells you which god is being referred to
• a foreign god= not the biblical god, as contextually the God of the Bible isn't 'foreign'
• false gods
• like a god
• as a god
So forth.
It is quite easy to tell thusly whether the Biblical God is being referred to, or, the word is being used as a description. Demigods or angels are also thusly specified.
Desert Snake
Veteran Member
A common mistake is to believe that the word God, is only with one aspect of the Biblical God. This isn't helped by some modern versions of the bible doing this sort of thing, >>GOD in one verse, referring to the Tetragrammaton , and, God in another verse, referring to the Biblical God. It makes no sense as you even get contradictions thusly, so forth.
So, one needs to understand the way God is used, as a name, and a word, in the Bible, before believing that there is 'polytheism' going on.
Something else to understand, the Biblical God has more than one name.
El Shaddai
Jehovah
Yah
God of gods
God Almighty
Lord Almighty
JHVH
Jesus
Adonai
God of hosts
Lord of hosts
And other names
So, one needs to understand the way God is used, as a name, and a word, in the Bible, before believing that there is 'polytheism' going on.
Something else to understand, the Biblical God has more than one name.
El Shaddai
Jehovah
Yah
God of gods
God Almighty
Lord Almighty
JHVH
Jesus
Adonai
God of hosts
Lord of hosts
And other names
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Sand Dancer
Crazy Cat Lady
In copying the trinities of the religions around and before them, they wanted to adopt it, but since they wanted their god to be the only one, they had to somehow devise a way to make it seem like it was monotheistic. Same with the devil. The Bible says that Yahweh creates evil, but can we abide a deity that creates good and evil?
Desert Snake
Veteran Member
I'm pretty sure the Bible doesn't say that.
dianaiad
Well-Known Member
My very dear sir....you may be clear in your own mind about what the Trinity is, but I have to tell you that as many times as I have spoken to 'Trinitarians,' they almost always end up describing modalism.
In fact, your description of the Three as separate Persons but as all Three 'God,' is the way I, as LDS, would describe the Trinity. However, I've never met a Trinitarian yet who would agree that my view is the correct one. .....and then y'all go modalist on me.
So if you are an exception, wonderful!
Sand Dancer
Crazy Cat Lady
Don't be so sure.
Isaiah 45:7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things.
Desert Snake
Veteran Member
Sure, creating Hell, place of evil. Not really what you mean, though.
Sand Dancer
Crazy Cat Lady
Definitely evil in itself, but no, not what I meant.
The "names of God" generally aren't why people call Christianity polytheistic. That being said...
As @Samantha Rinne pointed out earlier with the diagram of the Trinity, The Father is not the Son, and neither of them is the Holy Spirit. Some of the names on your list refer to different persons of the Trinity (e.g. "Jehovah" for the Father vs. "Jesus" for the Son. If all three persons of the Trinity are each "God," but none of them are each other, then you have 3 gods.
- do you really think the term "God of gods" doesn't suggest polytheism?
Desert Snake
Veteran Member
That has to do with definitions. Monotheism has changed meaning, basically.The "names of God" generally aren't why people call Christianity polytheistic. That being said...
As @Samantha Rinne pointed out earlier with the diagram of the Trinity, The Father is not the Son, and neither of them is the Holy Spirit. Some of the names on your list refer to different persons of the Trinity (e.g. "Jehovah" for the Father vs. "Jesus" for the Son. If all three persons of the Trinity are each "God," but none of them are each other, then you have 3 gods.
- do you really think the term "God of gods" doesn't suggest polytheism?
Of course 'gods' is in scripture. It literally is, the word 'gods'.
Desert Snake
Veteran Member
They used evil, some bibles use calamity, so forth, might be a word study.
Wait - are you saying that the term "monotheism" now overlaps with "polytheism?"
Desert Snake
Veteran Member
No, it used to mean just worship of one god. Theistic to one deity. Now it is specific so that the Bible isn't monotheistic, basically. Abstractions to nonsense meanings, basically. Similar to 'atheism', became abstract.