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Questions for Polytheists?

Animore

Active Member
In the limited experienced I have on polytheistic religions, I have a few questions.

1. Why must there be multiple Gods/Goddesses? What's the purpose for that? If the purpose for different Gods is for each of them to control different factors of nature/the world, why can't one God/Godess handle everything? Why do they have to break off portions?

2. Is there a God/Godess that is completely all-powerful? If so, why can't He/She handle things on their own?

3. Are these Gods/Godesses eternal? Can new deities/divine beings be created? If so, how?

4. Are there no Gods/Godesses that are all-powerful? Why are they considered God/Godess then, if they are simply higher beings of existence?

5. Is there such a thing as evil? Are there evil deities?

Thanks a bunch.
 

Unveiled Artist

Veteran Member
You will get different answers and a lot of us call gods by different names. I dont worship anyone; so, I dont believe in mutiple gods. I am a polytheist because I believe in multiple spirits. That out the way...
1. Why must there be multiple Gods/Goddesses? What's the purpose for that?

Life is always in multiples. We have a variety of different things like the rainbow. Each spirit has their own characteristics based on whether they are spirits of the earth (collectively speaking), obiects, and people in general. Its a fact of life. To mix everything onto one god is like squeezing a rainbow into one color.

As for purpose, answers vary. I find multiple spirits let me see the various different natures of life and people. They teach me that everyone is different in their own way. Many polytheist have one or two favorite god they focus on depending on pantheon.

If the purpose for different Gods is for each of them to control different factors of nature/the world, why can't one God/Godess handle everything?

Because nature isnt one thing. The sun is different then the moon. The moon different than the earth. Spirits, in my view, arent like the abrahamic god who is all powerful. Spirits of nature are the life of their individual part of nature and are unique in their own identity as I am different than you or John.

One god devalues the variety of life whether we believe in gods or not.

Why do they have to break off portions?

What do you mean?

Are these Gods/Godesses eternal? Can new deities/divine beings be created? If so, how?

We are all eternal spirit. Spirits included. Nothing disapears and nothing pops out of thin air. Spirits is anither wore for breathe and person of each individual and literal part of nature. I dont believe in a goddess so I cant comment.

Are there no Gods/Godesses that are all-powerful? Why are they considered God/Godess then, if they are simply higher beings of existence?

I define spirits as breathe of life and literal spirits of the earth and person. They cant be all powerful. They are nature and us. All powerful sounds more like egotism spiritualized. I havent talked with polytheist who see gods as above them. In my opinion, spirits are side by side. Least thats how I grew up.

Nothing "higher", all powerful, the best, etc. Thats ego talking in my opinion. Just there is more to life that meets the eye. I see it as a part of life. No separation. Just because its spirit-ual doesnt make it higher than us.

. Is there such a thing as evil? Are there evil deities?

For me, no. Others maybe.
 

Quintessence

Consults with Trees
Staff member
Premium Member
1. Why must there be multiple Gods/Goddesses? What's the purpose for that? If the purpose for different Gods is for each of them to control different factors of nature/the world, why can't one God/Godess handle everything? Why do they have to break off portions?

There is no "must be" of anything. It's simply how some people understand the world. I see a world populated by a large number of forces that seem pretty distinct to me. Those are the gods. It's important to remember that the gods are not like the one-god that is some supernatural transcendent force beyond nature. The gods are nature. So then, I suppose you could ask yourself why there isn't just one ecosystem, or one species of animal, or one species of plant, or something like that. It's just not the world we live in. :shrug:

2. Is there a God/Godess that is completely all-powerful?

No. Omnipotence (among other divine attributes) is an invention of classical monotheism, and is absent outside of that theological framework with the possible exception of certain forms of monotheistic pantheism/panentheism.

3. Are these Gods/Godesses eternal? Can new deities/divine beings be created? If so, how?

"Eternal" is another attribute that is an invention of classical monotheism and mostly absent outside of that framework. Transformations and deaths of various gods are pretty easy to find in the stories, as well as genesis of new gods. As for the how, you'd have get more specific, and there will always be multiple stories that can be told about it. It's all map of territory, after all.

4. Are there no Gods/Godesses that are all-powerful? Why are they considered God/Godess then, if they are simply higher beings of existence?

I'm not sure how to answer this question, because it's projecting a lot of classical monotheist expectations onto polytheistic theologies. To polytheists, our gods are gods. End of story.


5. Is there such a thing as evil? Are there evil deities?

It's important to remember that this sort of dualism was not a thing in polytheistic religions. It was, IIRC, developed by Zoroastrianism, which then had a significant influence on the Abrahamic religions that largely dominate human cultures today. So it would be a mistake to look at polytheistic religions with Western dualist assumptions.
 

Animore

Active Member
You will get different answers and a lot of us call gods by different names. I dont worship anyone; so, I dont believe in mutiple gods. I am a polytheist because I believe in multiple spirits. That out the way...


Life is always in multiples. We have a variety of different things like the rainbow. Each spirit has their own characteristics based on whether they are spirits of the earth (collectively speaking), obiects, and people in general. Its a fact of life. To mix everything onto one god is like squeezing a rainbow into one color.

As for purpose, answers vary. I find multiple spirits let me see the various different natures of life and people. They teach me that everyone is different in their own way. Many polytheist have one or two favorite god they focus on depending on pantheon.



Because nature isnt one thing. The sun is different then the moon. The moon different than the earth. Spirits, in my view, arent like the abrahamic god who is all powerful. Spirits of nature are the life of their individual part of nature and are unique in their own identity as I am different than you or John.

One god devalues the variety of life whether we believe in gods or not.



What do you mean?



We are all eternal spirit. Spirits included. Nothing disapears and nothing pops out of thin air. Spirits is anither wore for breathe and person of each individual and literal part of nature. I dont believe in a goddess so I cant comment.



I define spirits as breathe of life and literal spirits of the earth and person. They cant be all powerful. They are nature and us. All powerful sounds more like egotism spiritualized. I havent talked with polytheist who see gods as above them. In my opinion, spirits are side by side. Least thats how I grew up.

Nothing "higher", all powerful, the best, etc. Thats ego talking in my opinion. Just there is more to life that meets the eye. I see it as a part of life. No separation. Just because its spirit-ual doesnt make it higher than us.



For me, no. Others maybe.

Thanks for the answers.
 

Animore

Active Member
1. Why must there be multiple Gods/Goddesses? What's the purpose for that? If the purpose for different Gods is for each of them to control different factors of nature/the world, why can't one God/Godess handle everything? Why do they have to break off portions?

There is no "must be" of anything. It's simply how some people understand the world. I see a world populated by a large number of forces that seem pretty distinct to me. Those are the gods. It's important to remember that the gods are not like the one-god that is some supernatural transcendent force beyond nature. The gods are nature. So then, I suppose you could ask yourself why there isn't just one ecosystem, or one species of animal, or one species of plant, or something like that. It's just not the world we live in. :shrug:

2. Is there a God/Godess that is completely all-powerful?

No. Omnipotence (among other divine attributes) is an invention of classical monotheism, and is absent outside of that theological framework with the possible exception of certain forms of monotheistic pantheism/panentheism.

3. Are these Gods/Godesses eternal? Can new deities/divine beings be created? If so, how?

"Eternal" is another attribute that is an invention of classical monotheism and mostly absent outside of that framework. Transformations and deaths of various gods are pretty easy to find in the stories, as well as genesis of new gods. As for the how, you'd have get more specific, and there will always be multiple stories that can be told about it. It's all map of territory, after all.

4. Are there no Gods/Godesses that are all-powerful? Why are they considered God/Godess then, if they are simply higher beings of existence?

I'm not sure how to answer this question, because it's projecting a lot of classical monotheist expectations onto polytheistic theologies. To polytheists, our gods are gods. End of story.


5. Is there such a thing as evil? Are there evil deities?

It's important to remember that this sort of dualism was not a thing in polytheistic religions. It was, IIRC, developed by Zoroastrianism, which then had a significant influence on the Abrahamic religions that largely dominate human cultures today. So it would be a mistake to look at polytheistic religions with Western dualist assumptions.

Thanks for the answers.
 

NoGuru

Don't be serious. Seriously
I'm no Guru (no pun intended), but I'll attempt to answer these as best I can.

First, you have to change the way you think of "God." I grew in a fundamentalist Christian religion so am deeply familiar with the God idea from that perspective. An all powerful being that is separate from us. Something outside our universe or reality that is omnipotent and omnipresent.

From the perspective of Polytheism... how best to explain this...

Let's take your computer for example. Everything you see on your screen is distinct, all programs perform their own function, but are all made of the same electricity that courses through your PC. Every bit of information is powered by the same source. It's all energy, but every bit performs it's own function, whether it be a pixel on your screen or a number going through the CPU. With that in mind...

1. Why must there be multiple Gods/Goddesses? What's the purpose for that? If the purpose for different Gods is for each of them to control different factors of nature/the world, why can't one God/Godess handle everything? Why do they have to break off portions?

There is only one, still, per say. This of course differs depending on the school of thought. Some believe we are all part of that energy and there is no other, others believe we are all part of that energy and there are others, but outside of our universe. Other "Gods" that have nothing to do with our realm.

2. Is there a God/Godess that is completely all-powerful? If so, why can't He/She handle things on their own?

Yes and No. Schools of thought differ. The energy that you are (matter is only condensed energy) is part of a larger whole. That "whole" is all powerful, but our perception of what an all powerful God should do differs from person to person. Person A thinks God should not allow suffering at all. Person B sees suffering as a growth opportunity. The consciousness that is experiencing the suffering (the "watcher" behind your eyes) is having an experience. Much like you would if you went to sleep and had a lucid dream where you fought and lost against a dragon. You are not harmed, but in the dream the experience was quite riveting.

3. Are these Gods/Godesses eternal? Can new deities/divine beings be created? If so, how?

The universe wastes nothing. When you die, everything you are will be returned somehow to everything else. We humans like to think we can be ourselves forever... You can continue to be John Smith and that's eternal life. You are in a way eternal in that all the energy that makes up your current configuration will never cease to be, it will just cease to be John Smith.

If you had a glass of water and take a single drop to put under a microscope and label it "James," then later put the drop back into the glass, was it really "James?" If you could tell it that it was "James" would this change what it was? If you tried to pull James back out of the glass, would it be "James?"

4. Are there no Gods/Godesses that are all-powerful? Why are they considered God/Godess then, if they are simply higher beings of existence?

Again, it's a paradigm shift from thinking of individuals as unique or distinct. There is One. Within that One you have an unfathomable number of beings, each with their own talents and abilities. The One is "All powerful" but doesn't act so based on how you might think a Jehovah style God would act, being all powerful.

5. Is there such a thing as evil? Are there evil deities?

Which side of the magnet is evil, north or south? They are one in the same and without one you cannot have the other. If you cut the south pole off, it just starts right where you cut.

Again we think of Evil as these things that happen to us or others that are harmful, but through harm one grows. If you never burned yourself on the stove, would you really know not to touch it? Maybe you didn't burn yourself but got close enough to feel it's heat, so you didn't go all the way to the one polarity, but got close enough to conceptualize what might happen if you got closer.

There are men all around the world that would wish evil upon another, but IMHO, the view is more of a dance between two polarities, each necessary for the experience, and each necessary for the other to exist.

"No rain, no rainbows" ~ Kimo (Hawaiian rules to live by)
 

Quintessence

Consults with Trees
Staff member
Premium Member
Sorry, I'd intended to expand more on that last question before I posted, and then forgot to go back to it. One of the problems with asking if there are "evil gods" is that it assumes Western dualism, which polytheistic theologies do not. The other problem is that question comes from a culture who believes god must be good, as omnibenevolence is another one of those attributes assumed by classical monotheism. In polytheistic religions, the gods don't revolve around humans, and are not expected to play nice with us. They act in accord to that which is their nature, which has both good, neutral, and bad consequences for humans.

It's pretty much like asking "are there evil storms?" If it sounds like a silly question to you, it does to many polytheists too.
 

Saint Frankenstein

Wanderer From Afar
Premium Member
I believe in multiple Gods (I have a special fondness for the Greek pantheon, but also revere Gods of the Aztec and some other pantheons, etc.) but I also believe in an Ultimate Reality, which is Kali to me.

The Gods, imo, are the Divine Essences of given things in existence, such as Helios being the Divine Essence of the Sun, Athena being the Divine Essence of Wisdom, Courage and Intellectual Endeavor, etc. Like Quint pointed out, there's not just one species of animal or plant. Things have their own spheres of being and influence, but are woven together. How Kali fits into this, to my mind, is that She is the totality of all things. The Void that contains, births and consumes all, including the Gods and all else. So I'm a polytheistic, animist, monist, pantheist.

No, I don't believe in any moral dualism. I'm a moral nihilist but I strive for Virtue in my understanding of it. I'm a moral nihilist, because morals are subjective inventions and I have no reason to believe that any objective morality exists. Even the Gods have different moral views and expectations. We live how we choose to live, with no absolute "rights" or "wrongs". However, we have to accept the consequences of our choices.
 

Animore

Active Member
I'm no Guru (no pun intended), but I'll attempt to answer these as best I can.

First, you have to change the way you think of "God." I grew in a fundamentalist Christian religion so am deeply familiar with the God idea from that perspective. An all powerful being that is separate from us. Something outside our universe or reality that is omnipotent and omnipresent.

From the perspective of Polytheism... how best to explain this...

Let's take your computer for example. Everything you see on your screen is distinct, all programs perform their own function, but are all made of the same electricity that courses through your PC. Every bit of information is powered by the same source. It's all energy, but every bit performs it's own function, whether it be a pixel on your screen or a number going through the CPU. With that in mind...



There is only one, still, per say. This of course differs depending on the school of thought. Some believe we are all part of that energy and there is no other, others believe we are all part of that energy and there are others, but outside of our universe. Other "Gods" that have nothing to do with our realm.



Yes and No. Schools of thought differ. The energy that you are (matter is only condensed energy) is part of a larger whole. That "whole" is all powerful, but our perception of what an all powerful God should do differs from person to person. Person A thinks God should not allow suffering at all. Person B sees suffering as a growth opportunity. The consciousness that is experiencing the suffering (the "watcher" behind your eyes) is having an experience. Much like you would if you went to sleep and had a lucid dream where you fought and lost against a dragon. You are not harmed, but in the dream the experience was quite riveting.



The universe wastes nothing. When you die, everything you are will be returned somehow to everything else. We humans like to think we can be ourselves forever... You can continue to be John Smith and that's eternal life. You are in a way eternal in that all the energy that makes up your current configuration will never cease to be, it will just cease to be John Smith.

If you had a glass of water and take a single drop to put under a microscope and label it "James," then later put the drop back into the glass, was it really "James?" If you could tell it that it was "James" would this change what it was? If you tried to pull James back out of the glass, would it be "James?"



Again, it's a paradigm shift from thinking of individuals as unique or distinct. There is One. Within that One you have an unfathomable number of beings, each with their own talents and abilities. The One is "All powerful" but doesn't act so based on how you might think a Jehovah style God would act, being all powerful.



Which side of the magnet is evil, north or south? They are one in the same and without one you cannot have the other. If you cut the south pole off, it just starts right where you cut.

Again we think of Evil as these things that happen to us or others that are harmful, but through harm one grows. If you never burned yourself on the stove, would you really know not to touch it? Maybe you didn't burn yourself but got close enough to feel it's heat, so you didn't go all the way to the one polarity, but got close enough to conceptualize what might happen if you got closer.

There are men all around the world that would wish evil upon another, but IMHO, the view is more of a dance between two polarities, each necessary for the experience, and each necessary for the other to exist.

"No rain, no rainbows" ~ Kimo (Hawaiian rules to live by)

A lot to take in, ha ha. Thanks for the answers.
 

Animore

Active Member
Sorry, I'd intended to expand more on that last question before I posted, and then forgot to go back to it. One of the problems with asking if there are "evil gods" is that it assumes Western dualism, which polytheistic theologies do not. The other problem is that question comes from a culture who believes god must be good, as omnibenevolence is another one of those attributes assumed by classical monotheism. In polytheistic religions, the gods don't revolve around humans, and are not expected to play nice with us. They act in accord to that which is their nature, which has both good, neutral, and bad consequences for humans.

It's pretty much like asking "are there evil storms?" If it sounds like a silly question to you, it does to many polytheists too.

Ah, that makes more sense.
 

Animore

Active Member
I believe in multiple Gods (I have a special fondness for the Greek pantheon, but also revere Gods of the Aztec and some other pantheons, etc.) but I also believe in an Ultimate Reality, which is Kali to me.

The Gods, imo, are the Divine Essences of given things in existence, such as Helios being the Divine Essence of the Sun, Athena being the Divine Essence of Wisdom, Courage and Intellectual Endeavor, etc. Like Quint pointed out, there's not just one species of animal or plant. Things have their own spheres of being and influence, but are woven together. How Kali fits into this, to my mind, is that She is the totality of all things. The Void that contains, births and consumes all, including the Gods and all else. So I'm a polytheistic, animist, monist, pantheist.

No, I don't believe in any moral dualist. I'm a moral nihilist but I strive for Virtue in my understanding. I'm a moral nihilist, because morals are subjective inventions and I have no reason to believe that any objective morality exists. Even the Gods have different moral views and expectations. We live how we choose to live, with no absolute "rights" or "wrongs". However, we have to accept the consequences of our choices.

Ah, alright. Thanks for the answers.
 

buddhist

Well-Known Member
In the limited experienced I have on polytheistic religions, I have a few questions.

1. Why must there be multiple Gods/Goddesses? What's the purpose for that? If the purpose for different Gods is for each of them to control different factors of nature/the world, why can't one God/Godess handle everything? Why do they have to break off portions?
Why are there multiple humans? Or multiple animals? Or multiple anything?

2. Is there a God/Godess that is completely all-powerful? If so, why can't He/She handle things on their own?
From the perspective of early Buddhism ... it is said that the deities in the highest heavens are the most powerful, but they are also far more detached (not caring). The deities that are most involved in human existence are those in the lower heavens - the closest to the human realm.

3. Are these Gods/Godesses eternal? Can new deities/divine beings be created? If so, how?
No deity is eternal, just like no human is eternal. We can be considered deities in relationship to the lower realms (animals, ghosts, hells, etc.)

4. Are there no Gods/Godesses that are all-powerful? Why are they considered God/Godess then, if they are simply higher beings of existence?
Simply higher levels of existence.

5. Is there such a thing as evil? Are there evil deities?

Thanks a bunch.
Yes, there are evil deities, just like there are evil humans.
 

beenherebeforeagain

Rogue Animist
Premium Member
In the limited experienced I have on polytheistic religions, I have a few questions.

1. Why must there be multiple Gods/Goddesses? What's the purpose for that? If the purpose for different Gods is for each of them to control different factors of nature/the world, why can't one God/Godess handle everything? Why do they have to break off portions?

2. Is there a God/Godess that is completely all-powerful? If so, why can't He/She handle things on their own?

3. Are these Gods/Godesses eternal? Can new deities/divine beings be created? If so, how?

4. Are there no Gods/Godesses that are all-powerful? Why are they considered God/Godess then, if they are simply higher beings of existence?

5. Is there such a thing as evil? Are there evil deities?

Thanks a bunch.
I'll give my perspective...some of which has already been covered well by others...

1) I might ask, Why must there be ONE God, and not many? Personally, I don't do god/s right now (although I have in the past), but what I experience certainly appears to me to be plural in nature, not singular; therefore I recognize at least the possibility of a plurality of "gods."

2) If there is, He/She/It/Them is completely beyond my comprehension, because the universe itself is beyond comprehension. I think it much more likely that there are multiple levels/layers of powers and entities between us humans (near the bottom, it would appear) and the scale of the universe.

3) I don't know, and I'm not sure how humans would know this; we don't even know for certain that the "laws of nature" are constant...

4) Same as #2, I think; see answer above.

5) Yes. No. Depends? Most of the universe is indifferent to humans; some of the universe can and does harm humans; some of the universe can and does benefit humans. Some can and do fall partially into two or all three of those categories. Same applies to any of the powers that be in the universe.

I hope this, in combo with other replies, helps!
 

Animore

Active Member
I'll give my perspective...some of which has already been covered well by others...

1) I might ask, Why must there be ONE God, and not many? Personally, I don't do god/s right now (although I have in the past), but what I experience certainly appears to me to be plural in nature, not singular; therefore I recognize at least the possibility of a plurality of "gods."

2) If there is, He/She/It/Them is completely beyond my comprehension, because the universe itself is beyond comprehension. I think it much more likely that there are multiple levels/layers of powers and entities between us humans (near the bottom, it would appear) and the scale of the universe.

3) I don't know, and I'm not sure how humans would know this; we don't even know for certain that the "laws of nature" are constant...

4) Same as #2, I think; see answer above.

5) Yes. No. Depends? Most of the universe is indifferent to humans; some of the universe can and does harm humans; some of the universe can and does benefit humans. Some can and do fall partially into two or all three of those categories. Same applies to any of the powers that be in the universe.

I hope this, in combo with other replies, helps!

It did, yeah. Thanks!
 

The Emperor of Mankind

Currently the galaxy's spookiest paraplegic
In the limited experienced I have on polytheistic religions, I have a few questions.

1. Why must there be multiple Gods/Goddesses? What's the purpose for that? If the purpose for different Gods is for each of them to control different factors of nature/the world, why can't one God/Godess handle everything? Why do they have to break off portions?

Polytheism makes sense because it fits how the natural world works. There's no one thing that controls everything else - there are all manner of forces at work in nature - not just a single Force. Stars are kept in their shape as a result of both pressure & gravity; fire can only burn as a result of applying energy to fuel and adding oxygen; even space as we know it is actually two things: space & time. There are more examples but I'm sure you get what I'm trying to say. I believe that polytheism better reflects the nature of reality than, say, monotheism or deism.


2. Is there a God/Godess that is completely all-powerful? If so, why can't He/She handle things on their own?

That depends on whom you ask. Some polytheists believed that the heads of certain pantheons such as Jupiter or Zeus were all-powerful and that they delegated control of aspects of reality to other deities. Myself, I don't subscribe to the notion of an all-powerful deity because it raises serious problems regarding free will and that deity's claims to moral authority (if there are any).


3. Are these Gods/Godesses eternal? Can new deities/divine beings be created? If so, how?

Again, that depends on whom you ask. Myself, I would say the gods are not eternal. They had a beginning just as our Universe did. For most polytheists the gods are immanent in nature, not separate from it.


4. Are there no Gods/Godesses that are all-powerful? Why are they considered God/Godess then, if they are simply higher beings of existence?

I don't think so. I consider the gods to be such because they are older, far more powerful than us and are far more intelligent. While being non-corporeal, I believe they have the option to manifest in whichever way they choose.


5. Is there such a thing as evil? Are there evil deities?

I believe the gods are like people (well, people are like the gods, I suppose) - they can be kind or cruel or even indifferent - depending on how they feel and how they think. I'm not sure that evil makes sense outside of a dualistic system of morality with clearly defined parameters of what is 'good' and 'evil'.
 

Animore

Active Member
Polytheism makes sense because it fits how the natural world works. There's no one thing that controls everything else - there are all manner of forces at work in nature - not just a single Force. Stars are kept in their shape as a result of both pressure & gravity; fire can only burn as a result of applying energy to fuel and adding oxygen; even space as we know it is actually two things: space & time. There are more examples but I'm sure you get what I'm trying to say. I believe that polytheism better reflects the nature of reality than, say, monotheism or deism.




That depends on whom you ask. Some polytheists believed that the heads of certain pantheons such as Jupiter or Zeus were all-powerful and that they delegated control of aspects of reality to other deities. Myself, I don't subscribe to the notion of an all-powerful deity because it raises serious problems regarding free will and that deity's claims to moral authority (if there are any).




Again, that depends on whom you ask. Myself, I would say the gods are not eternal. They had a beginning just as our Universe did. For most polytheists the gods are immanent in nature, not separate from it.




I don't think so. I consider the gods to be such because they are older, far more powerful than us and are far more intelligent. While being non-corporeal, I believe they have the option to manifest in whichever way they choose.




I believe the gods are like people (well, people are like the gods, I suppose) - they can be kind or cruel or even indifferent - depending on how they feel and how they think. I'm not sure that evil makes sense outside of a dualistic system of morality with clearly defined parameters of what is 'good' and 'evil'.

Thanks for the response.
 

The Emperor of Mankind

Currently the galaxy's spookiest paraplegic
Thanks for the response.

No problemo! If you have any questions about what I said then feel free to ask me.

Oh, I feel I should expand on my final point. While I believe in the possibility of malevolent deities, I'm not so sure they're 'evil' as such a concept doesn't make sense outside of a dualistic moral framework.
 

Animore

Active Member
No problemo! If you have any questions about what I said then feel free to ask me.

Oh, I feel I should expand on my final point. While I believe in the possibility of malevolent deities, I'm not so sure they're 'evil' as such a concept doesn't make sense outside of a dualistic moral framework.

Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. :)
 

Abrasax

New Member
In the limited experienced I have on polytheistic religions, I have a few questions.

1. Why must there be multiple Gods/Goddesses? What's the purpose for that? If the purpose for different Gods is for each of them to control different factors of nature/the world, why can't one God/Godess handle everything? Why do they have to break off portions?

2. Is there a God/Godess that is completely all-powerful? If so, why can't He/She handle things on their own?

3. Are these Gods/Godesses eternal? Can new deities/divine beings be created? If so, how?

4. Are there no Gods/Godesses that are all-powerful? Why are they considered God/Godess then, if they are simply higher beings of existence?

5. Is there such a thing as evil? Are there evil deities?

Thanks a bunch.

1) I don't think that it is necessary that there be more than one god, I just believe there are more than one. The reason more than one god is a good thing, for my particular view, is that there is no such thing as a perfect being or perfection in any form - so it makes sense that more than one divine actor is needed.

2) No, there aren't. The closest thing that comes to that, which is the sum of everything, is not a god.

3) They are not eternal, but they will live as long as their name is known, or else if what they control is still happening. They can also be recreated, and yes, they can be created, also.

4) What exactly is a god, if not a higher being? Names for the same thing. Gods exist is a higher world than us, on a more archetypical and subjective level than do.

5) There is no such thing as objective evil, because morality is an animal construct. Within the framework of human morality, a god could be "evil", I suppose, but that would be a subjective thing.
 

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In the limited experienced I have on polytheistic religions, I have a few questions.

1. Why must there be multiple Gods/Goddesses? What's the purpose for that? If the purpose for different Gods is for each of them to control different factors of nature/the world, why can't one God/Godess handle everything? Why do they have to break off portions?

Well it's more a matter of how things are, rather than how they must be. When we look at the world around us we see multiplicity, not unity, and we see many different interacting pieces.

2. Is there a God/Godess that is completely all-powerful? If so, why can't He/She handle things on their own?

Hmmm, there is the Form of power, but it is not capable of acting or though. It is simply power. Power is one of many things acting within the universe, in fact just by the existence of power there is also weakness. The form of power cannot be weak, and thus there are at least 2.

3. Are these Gods/Godesses eternal? Can new deities/divine beings be created? If so, how?

I don't know if the gods are eternal actually. New one's certainly can be created, such as when consciousness evolved the Form of consciousness came into being as well.

[quote[4. Are there no Gods/Godesses that are all-powerful? Why are they considered God/Godess then, if they are simply higher beings of existence?[/quote]

Gods have certain characteristics including immateriality, necessity, and fundamental existence. They are not "higher beings" because they do not exist "within" the universe.

5. Is there such a thing as evil? Are there evil deities?
.

Of course, have you seen the history of religion.
 
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