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holonics |
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PolytheismPolytheism is the belief in many gods and characterises most religions other than Christianity, Islam and Judaism, which are monotheistic, believing in one god to the exclusion of others. The many gods may be distinct, part of a supreme god, have one of the many as creator of the others, have the gods subordinate to a higher objective or state (e.g. Buddhism), have one as more powerful than the others but not most powerful (e.g.Graeco-Roman pantheon). Often polytheism also allows for evil deities or forces. Polytheism has been widespread in human cultures. Analysis has posed a number of evolutionary routes none of which appear to be entirely verifiable. Animism has been postulated as the basis from which the deities in a polytheistic culture evolved, but deity and object (animal/totem) have usually coexisted. Alternatively an original monotheism which evolved into polytheism has been postulated but this is unverifiable. However, generally it is agreed that there has been a drift towards a commonality or unification of polytheisms, for example the incorporation of gods as saints in Mexican Catholicism. Attempts to interpret the drift is useful in social and cultural analysis but requires co-analysis of the role of myth in culture which is a contentious topic in anthropolgy and religion. Polytheistic doctrines generally adopt a common framework. The divinification of natural phenomena is widespread and a common classification of the deities is heavenly/celestial, atmospheric and earthly. Heavenly bodies are typically interpreted as more powerful, supreme, controlling or influential. For example, the sun god would be supreme. Heavenly bodies may use atmospheric objects or gods to implement their will. Heavenly bodies have had a significant and lasting effect on the development of astrology and are the influence of these belief systems are seen industry today, for example in biodynamic farming practices. The three levels of deities are often connected or interwoven by marriages of deities and by the role of their offspring or by the personification of similar natural forces at different levels, e.g. sun and fire, or by the coexistence of heavenly, atmospheric and/or earthly deities e.g the spirits inhabiting sacred trees or deities transforming in to animal forms. The environemntal proximity of deities and humans has naturally led to the anthromoporphic representation of divinities. Deities are modelled on humans and representations of deities are then often considered to be divine themselves. Similarly humans may be considered to have deific powers or be descended from deities, e.g. emperors etc (including the Emperor of Japan in early 20th century). These traditions have continued into monotheistic and monistic religions, such as Christianity in which a crucifix may be believed to have supernatural powers, or a saint may be considered to be more god-like than other humans. As well as objects representing deities, functional deities are common. Examples include gods of war, healing agriculture etc. This wide variety of entities and relationships reflects the mythological style of thinking in which social conventions and natural phenomena are not clearly distinguished. The deities explain uncertain natural phenomena, of which death is perhaps the most important socially. The various deities are often the highest level in a vast spectrum of spirits, demons and supernatural forces perceived in pastoral/agricultural systems. And the evolution may be highly complex as one group begets another which destroys its ancestors and so on (such as Graeco-Roman myth) and the creation of humans may even be interwoven. Principal polytheistic traditions are:
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