Polytheism

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(New page: Polytheism is the belief that there is more than one God/Goddess this belief is held mostly by older religions, such as those of ancient Rome, Greece, and Egypt.)
 
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Polytheism is the belief that there is more than one God/Goddess this belief is held mostly by older religions, such as those of ancient Rome, Greece, and Egypt.
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Polytheism is the belief that there is more than one god/goddess. This belief is held mostly by older religions, such as those of ancient Rome, Greece, and Egypt, and survives to modern times most notably in the [[Hindu]] and [[Shinto]] faiths as well as [[neopagan]] religions such as [[Wicca]] and [[Asatru]].
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The [[Abrahamic]] religions developed largely among polytheistic religions (Canaanite, Roman, and Arab belief systems preceding Judaism, Christianity, and Islam), and the initial ancestor of [[Judaism]] may have been polytheistic up until the Deutoronomic reforms under King Josiah. Some Christian denominations, most notably Roman Catholicism, preserve a memory of polytheism in the veneration of the Saints, while syncretistic religions with Catholic roots such as [[Santeria]] and [[Vodoun]] are essentially polytheistic religions (African-derived, in the case of the above two) combined with Christian names and worship forms.
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Numerous authorities, many based on questionable historical research, have related the gods of ancient mythology to presumed-real [[alien life form]]s or [[paranormal]] beings. Such theories have informed the works of historian/huckster [[Erich Von Däniken]], as well as the [http://www.memory-alpha.com Star Trek] episode "Who Mourns for Adonais?".
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Revision as of 06:45, 24 July 2007

Polytheism is the belief that there is more than one god/goddess. This belief is held mostly by older religions, such as those of ancient Rome, Greece, and Egypt, and survives to modern times most notably in the Hindu and Shinto faiths as well as neopagan religions such as Wicca and Asatru.

The Abrahamic religions developed largely among polytheistic religions (Canaanite, Roman, and Arab belief systems preceding Judaism, Christianity, and Islam), and the initial ancestor of Judaism may have been polytheistic up until the Deutoronomic reforms under King Josiah. Some Christian denominations, most notably Roman Catholicism, preserve a memory of polytheism in the veneration of the Saints, while syncretistic religions with Catholic roots such as Santeria and Vodoun are essentially polytheistic religions (African-derived, in the case of the above two) combined with Christian names and worship forms.

Numerous authorities, many based on questionable historical research, have related the gods of ancient mythology to presumed-real alien life forms or paranormal beings. Such theories have informed the works of historian/huckster Erich Von Däniken, as well as the Star Trek episode "Who Mourns for Adonais?".

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