A Collection of Understanding

[ShadowCatSoul]

Hmm, I love the definitions you put out. Gave me much to consider. I believe I am polytheistic. I believe in the possibility of the existance of many gods and respect each of them equally, but haven't really felt the right pull yet, I don't think. Then again, sometimes I miss signs even when they whack me in the face. I also believe that the gods (or maybe spirits) are apart of everything natural. That everything living has a soul and is sentient.  

[TeaDidikai]

SlaineWildfire

I think it's a little tiny bit misleading to say that only one god is "deserving" of being worshiped.

No. It really isn't. The word you're thinking of is Kathenotheism.

Quote:

I choose to actively worship only one Goddess or God at a time in order to learn their lessons and gain their knowledge.

Wow... kinda the Wham-Bam-Thank-You-Man of theology. confused

ShadowCat- Glad it was useful.  

[Recursive Paradox]

Ah... crap.

Taking into consideration the philosophical ban on worship and the refusal of my path to recognize deity status in any higher being due to that...

...I have no clue which of the -theism based words apply. Atheism? Nontheism? Soft Polytheism (due to the Aspects?)

x_x  

[TeaDidikai]

Recursive Paradox

Ah... crap.

Taking into consideration the philosophical ban on worship and the refusal of my path to recognize deity status in any higher being due to that...

...I have no clue which of the -theism based words apply. Atheism? Nontheism? Soft Polytheism (due to the Aspects?)

x_x

It'd likely be a function of testing some of the prohibitions of your path.  

[Recursive Paradox]

TeaDidikai

Recursive Paradox

Ah... crap.

Taking into consideration the philosophical ban on worship and the refusal of my path to recognize deity status in any higher being due to that...

...I have no clue which of the -theism based words apply. Atheism? Nontheism? Soft Polytheism (due to the Aspects?)

x_x

It'd likely be a function of testing some of the prohibitions of your path.

It might be because it's 1:16am, but I'm confused by this sentence. x_x  

[SlaineWildfire]

TeaDidikai

SlaineWildfire

I think it's a little tiny bit misleading to say that only one god is "deserving" of being worshiped.

No. It really isn't. The word you're thinking of is Kathenotheism.

This is just a random question... Why isn't that word in the dictionary? *is confused* I found it in encyclopedia.com but not dictionary.com. Weirdness.  

[Recursive Paradox]

Recursive Paradox

TeaDidikai

Recursive Paradox

Ah... crap.

Taking into consideration the philosophical ban on worship and the refusal of my path to recognize deity status in any higher being due to that...

...I have no clue which of the -theism based words apply. Atheism? Nontheism? Soft Polytheism (due to the Aspects?)

x_x

It'd likely be a function of testing some of the prohibitions of your path.

It might be because it's 1:16am, but I'm confused by this sentence. x_x

Okies, I'm more awake now.

So I'd basically need to see where the prohibitions go to, that fine fuzzy line between worship and respect and the line between deification and acknowledgment of power and then figure out whether that would make me a form of polytheist, a form of atheist or a form of nontheist.

Or even something brand new x_x  

[error-dot-tar]

Recursive Paradox

Recursive Paradox

TeaDidikai

Recursive Paradox

Ah... crap.

Taking into consideration the philosophical ban on worship and the refusal of my path to recognize deity status in any higher being due to that...

...I have no clue which of the -theism based words apply. Atheism? Nontheism? Soft Polytheism (due to the Aspects?)

x_x

It'd likely be a function of testing some of the prohibitions of your path.

It might be because it's 1:16am, but I'm confused by this sentence. x_x

Okies, I'm more awake now.

So I'd basically need to see where the prohibitions go to, that fine fuzzy line between worship and respect and the line between deification and acknowledgment of power and then figure out whether that would make me a form of polytheist, a form of atheist or a form of nontheist.

Or even something brand new x_x

If they're not deities, how would be it be any form of theism?  

[Recursive Paradox]

error-dot-tar

If they're not deities, how would be it be any form of theism?

Well I often use the word deity to mean a more evolved being whom others worship or believe is worthy or deserving of worship.

So my attempts to make communication easier means that deities would "exist" to me. Just in a slightly different context and not worshiped or praised.

Which just makes things more confusing for me in the end x_x  

[error-dot-tar]

Recursive Paradox

error-dot-tar

If they're not deities, how would be it be any form of theism?

Well I often use the word deity to mean a more evolved being whom others worship or believe is worthy or deserving of worship.

So my attempts to make communication easier means that deities would "exist" to me. Just in a slightly different context and not worshiped or praised.

Which just makes things more confusing for me in the end x_x

I'm not sure I understand your train of thought of how deities would "exist" for you, when your use of the term doesn't match up with it. If your path doesn't perceive them as a more evolved being that people worship or is worthy/deserving of worship, how can they be perceived as deities by that definition? You point out on numerous occasions that the idea of worshiping them impedes growth because it pulls you away from the growth of the self in favor of satisfying another being.  

[Recursive Paradox]

error-dot-tar

I'm not sure I understand your train of thought of how deities would "exist" for you, when your use of the term doesn't match up with it. If your path doesn't perceive them as a more evolved being that people worship or is worthy/deserving of worship, how can they be perceived as deities by that definition?

Well, my path perceives them as more evolved beings that people wrongfully worship or wrongfully regard as deserving of worship (because of how I view worship).

So it's iffy. Or maybe it isn't and I'm just confusing myself.  

[ShadowCatSoul]

TeaDidikai

SlaineWildfire

I think it's a little tiny bit misleading to say that only one god is "deserving" of being worshiped.

No. It really isn't. The word you're thinking of is Kathenotheism.

Quote:

I choose to actively worship only one Goddess or God at a time in order to learn their lessons and gain their knowledge.

Wow... kinda the Wham-Bam-Thank-You-Man of theology. confused

ShadowCat- Glad it was useful.

Please, call me Shadow. It's less to type out and it's one of my nicknames in the world outside of computers.  

[Bastemhet]

I'm pretty sure you have monolatry and henotheism switched around, Tea.

My understanding is that monolatry is when all gods are facets of one overarching "hidden" deity. This is the Egyptian application, or at least the Egyptological misunderstanding until Hornung wrote "Conceptions of God in Ancient Egypt" to show how they were henotheistic in that at the time of worship, the subject of the cult in question viewed that god as the highest and greatest of all the gods, while not denying that other gods existed and may be worthy of worship as well. The deity's status was then lowered again to be the most important of that cult, but other deities were worshiped too, as was clear from the many different shrines to other deities existing within a specific cult's temple. The Reversion Offering Formula as well attested to the importance of other gods in that the offerings first made to the cult subject deity was then reverted to offer to other Netjeru residing in the temple, then before images of deceased Pharaohs, then to statues or images of other deceased people who were honored by having their image reside in the temple, and finally the food was dispersed to the priests and their dependents of that temple.  

[TeaDidikai]

Bastemhet

I'm pretty sure you have monolatry and henotheism switched around, Tea.

Nope. But these two along with Kathenotheism are often confusing. I blame Müller.
At times, Henotheism is seen as a type, with kathenotheism and monolatry as subgroups.

Quote:

My understanding is that monolatry is when all gods are facets of one overarching "hidden" deity.

This in and of itself would actually be Soft Polytheism.  

[Bastemhet]

TeaDidikai

Bastemhet

I'm pretty sure you have monolatry and henotheism switched around, Tea.

Nope. But these two along with Kathenotheism are often confusing. I blame Müller.
At times, Henotheism is seen as a type, with kathenotheism and monolatry as subgroups.

Do you have an online source you can point me to that would break it down including etymology? This would mean that the way KO defines monolatry is incorrect.