Did you mean | Travel | Economics | Finance | Marketing | Business | Culture | Geography | History | Life | Mathematics | Science | Society | Technology | New site added |
Polytheism is belief in, or worship of, multiple gods or divinities. The word comes from the Greek words poly+theoi, literally "many gods." Most ancient religions were polytheistic, holding to pantheons of traditional deities, often accumulated over centuries of cultural interchange and experience. The belief in many gods does not preclude the belief in an all- powerful all-knowing supreme being. Present-day polytheistic religions include Hellenismos, Shinto, some forms of Wicca, Vodun, and Ásatrú. Some Jewish and Islamic scholars regard the Christian doctrine of the trinity as bordering on polytheism, a view that Christians in general strongly reject.
Ancient polytheismWell-known polytheistic pantheons in history include the Sumerian gods, the Egyptian gods, the Greek religion, Norse Æsir and Vanir, the Yoruba Orisha, the Aztec gods, and many others. Today, most historical polytheistic religions are referred to as "mythology", though the stories cultures tell about their gods should be distinguished from their cultus or religious practice. Few ancient religions, indeed, were not polytheistic. Those that weren't include early Vedic Hinduism (which has been termed at the most henotheistic with groundings of monistic, monotheistic and naturalist polytheistic philosophy), henotheistic Greek and the Roman Classical Pantheon of gods, the Abrahamic religions, dualistic Zoroastrianism and Mithraism, and possibly the short-lived Atenism promulgated by Akhenaton in Egypt in the 1350s BC. In many civilizations, pantheons tended to grow over time. Deities first worshipped as the patrons of cities or places came to be collected together as empires extended over larger territories. Conquests could lead to the subordination of the elder culture's pantheon to a newer one, as in the Greek Titanomachia, and possibly also the case of the Æsir and Vanir in the Norse mythos. Cultural exchange could lead to "the same" deity being renowned in two places under different names, as with the Greeks, Etruscans, and Romans, and also to the introduction of elements of a "foreign" religion into a local cult, as with Egyptian Osiris worship brought to ancient Greece. Gods and divinityHard polytheists believe that the gods are distinct and separate beings. Hard polytheists may believe in a unifying principle such as the One of the Platonists. Soft polytheists regard their multiplicity of gods as simply representing different aspects or facets of a single god, as many modern neopagan groups and Hinduism. The Greek gods provide an example. The ancient Greeks believed that their gods were independent deities who weren't aspects of a great deity and did stand on their own. Soft polytheism means that the person practicing a polytheistic religion believes that their gods are aspects of another god or goddess and it usually comes in the form of triads or triple gods or goddesses. This was the case with the Ancient Egyptians. They believed that certain Gods were aspects of a great God like Amon was an aspect of Ra and was usually known as Amon-Ra. The triple gods Ptaha href="Sokar.html" title="Sokar">Sokara href="Osiris.html" title="Osiris">Osiris to give an example shows that even though their Gods may have distinct personalities and traits, they are considered to be aspects of an another deity. The Indic TraditionsBuddhism and Hinduism are regarded by some non-practitioners as polytheistic although this view of the religion is rejected by most Hindus and Buddhists themselves. The system prevalent in Hinduism is defined by the Smartha philosophy; this theory allows for the veneration of numberless deities, but on the understanding that all of them are but manifestation of the ONE divine power. That ultimate power is termed Brahman or Atman, and is believed to have no specific form, name or attribute. Only a Smartha, or follower of the Advaita philosophy, would have no problem worshiping every imaginable deity with equal veneration; he views these different deities as being manifestations of the same God. Other (somewhat peripheral) Hindu sects, such as Vaishnavism and Shaivism conform more closely to a Western understanding of what a monotheistic faith is. For instance, a Vaishnavite considers Vishnu as being the one and only true God, an attitude that resonates with that of the semitic religions. However, the Smartha philosophy defines the mainstream of Hinduism, and imparts to Indic spiritual and religious traditions their renowned liberalism. In Buddhism the gods, devas, though powerful beings in their own right, are still mortal. Therefore, their worship is held to be unnecessary. See also
External links
What does Polytheism mean ? Search with Google !Article on Polytheism, category, different spelling or sense |
|
Did you mean: Culture | Geography | History | Life | Mathematics | Science | Society | Technology Economy finance business money economy: Economics | Finance | Marketing | Business | Money | Real Estate | Insurance | Retirement | Microeconomics | Economics Top Search: Kazaa | Sex | Pornography | Games | MySpace | Google | Ebay | Paris Hilton | Carmen Electra | Jessica Simpson | Eminem | MapQuest | Dogs | Jokes | Obituaries | MSN Messenger | Splogs | Ringtones | Casino | Poker | Gambling | Lyrics | Anime | Continents and countries in the world: Japan | United Kingdom | Canada | France | Amsterdam | Monaco | Spain | Capitals Cities | Continents | World | Americas | North America | South America | Europe | Africa | Eurasia | Oceania | Antarctica | Asia | Australia A web travel guide for your holidays, hotel and plane tickets: Travel guide and holidays French Version, guide de voyage dans le monde: Voyage et vacances Visit partners of Did you mean Travel: Partners Site Map articles begining from 0 to 9 and A to Z: Site Map 0 to A | Site Map B to C | Site Map D to Z Cours d'anglais, cours de langues pour debutant: Cours d'anglais Annuaire france regions et tourisme: Annuaire OuiX Sexe sur AbSexe, videos porno et annuaire sexe: Ab Sexe Url Rewriting by Atuvu Referencement This work is licensed under a GNU Free Documentation License. Texts derived from WikiPedia Polytheism ©2006 Did you mean Copyright Notice Page Polytheism cached on Friday 05th of September 2008 10:41:44 AM |