"All Gods are One God"

[TheDisreputableDog]

LadyBanhammer

I don't even believe in deities ^^

So I'm really unappealing to the mainstream.

Not only do you not have deities, though, you have other Things, which makes you even worse than your average atheist. wink  

[patch99329]

maenad nuri

Deoridhe

"All gods are one god" is an appealing statement for pagans in a monotheistic society because it allows pagans to enfold within the larger culture.

Don't give in.

Resistance is Futile! You will be assimilated!

You just made a Borg reference. I love you right now blaugh  

[Recursive Paradox]

TheDisreputableDog

LadyBanhammer

I don't even believe in deities ^^

So I'm really unappealing to the mainstream.

Not only do you not have deities, though, you have other Things, which makes you even worse than your average atheist. wink

I'm not very well loved by our Christian mainstream. ^^  

[Ulfrikr inn Hrafn]

Heilsan Allir,

The statement "all gods are the one god" is a gross simplification of an idea which is relevant, and even understandable, but seems to become such an over-simplification, that it loses all meaning, and hence, those whom consider their gods and goddesses to be individuated entities get annoyed at least, or down right angry at the other end of the scale.

It's a bit interesting to attempt to inform me that say Loki and Heimdallr, whom in the Germanic Folkway will meet at Ragnarok and kill each other, are in fact just 'aspects' of the one god. It seems for all the world to me like a cop out that allows people to dabble in alternative spirituality, whilst still being buddy buddy with Monotheists, typically Christians.

Recognising that there is an underlying commonality to all things, e.g. matter and energy within the universe for example, only provides an underlying principle to that extent. To state that say Gold and Silver, which are pure elements on the Periodic Table, are the same, is simply ridiculous. Sure, we can say that they are both forms of matter, but that's a different statement entirely. How about the statement that all Elements are One Element. Yep, all the Elements are made up of a Nucleus of Protons and Neutrons, and a shell of Electrons, and therefore are Atoms, but to tell me that they are all the same...

This is the prime reason that anyone whom trots out the 'all gods are one god' statement is deemed to be a beginner, regardless of how many years they have been eclectic or what-ever. To my mind it shows an inability to apply oneself to the study of a particular cultural tradition and for the most part implies poor understanding on the part of that individual.

That said, there are people out there whom are very well read and studied, and have delved into many different traditions, having spent much time and effort to get their understanding right, and engaging within cultural context, even if they do work with many. Their capacity for reasoned and rational thought and discussion on these areas is not only commendable, but also refreshing from the usual responses one gets from those whom are challenged upon their statements. These are the people I not only have time for, but enjoy debating with, because they are capable of forming cogent arguments and one can often come out the other side of a discussion knowing far more than when one went into it.

Ver thu heil  

[TeaDidikai]

Ulfrikr inn Hrafn

Recognising that there is an underlying commonality to all things, e.g. matter and energy within the universe for example, only provides an underlying principle to that extent.

This would be where Soft Polytheism turns into Monistic Hard Polytheism.

Quote:

This is the prime reason that anyone whom trots out the 'all gods are one god' statement is deemed to be a beginner, regardless of how many years they have been eclectic or what-ever.

Not always. I don't automatically assume someone is a "beginner" if they're soft polytheistic- if they claim to be part of a religion that is hard polytheistic, that's a different story.  

[godhi]

patch99329

maenad nuri

Deoridhe

"All gods are one god" is an appealing statement for pagans in a monotheistic society because it allows pagans to enfold within the larger culture.

Don't give in.

Resistance is Futile! You will be assimilated!

You just made a Borg reference. I love you right now blaugh

Could be worse. Could be Borg on LSD...

"We are... the Borg? Yes, the Borg! Resistance is floor tile! Your a** will be simulated!" mrgreen  

[TeaDidikai]

godhi

Could be worse. Could be Borg on LSD...

"We are... the Borg? Yes, the Borg! Resistance is floor tile! Your a** will be simulated!" mrgreen

My dyslexia pwned me. I read that as "Borg on LDS" and I was thinking... "Yeah, I can see Mormons as the Borg..."  

[Sybil Unrest]

If I were to say that there is one divine essence which is incomprehensible but to which different cultures have reached with human understanding towards a limited knowledge of that divine essence reflecting a shadow of the fullness of that essence but not the fullness of it. Thus each understanding of the divinity would bring understanding and have merit without being the whole way and contradictions subsumed in the greater than human comprehension/more than human logic nature of the divinity.

I have heard a similar argument to that above before, what would that position be called? And I'm sorry if that wasn't all that clear, I don't have the right terms at my fingertips for what I was trying to express.  

[patch99329]

TeaDidikai

and I was thinking... "Yeah, I can see Mormons as the Borg..."

I'm sure they'd make very efficient drones...  

[TeaDidikai]

Sybil Unrest

If I were to say that there is one divine essence which is incomprehensible but to which different cultures have reached with human understanding towards a limited knowledge of that divine essence reflecting a shadow of the fullness of that essence but not the fullness of it. Thus each understanding of the divinity would bring understanding and have merit without being the whole way and contradictions subsumed in the greater than human comprehension/more than human logic nature of the divinity.

Which would work to explain soft polytheism across cultures- but what about the internal and dramatic conflicts within cultures?

Quote:

I have heard a similar argument to that above before, what would that position be called?

Soft polytheism.

The way that it plays out when you examine deities within their mytholoy is closer to Monistic Hard Polytheism (which is what Deo and I are- though I suspect that there are buttloads more than the two of us, we're just the ones I know of for sure).

Monistic Hard Polytheism says that all deity emanated from a single source, but became individualistic in a similar way that while all of humanity is human, we're still individuals- even if we are all made up of the same base elements.

People often will take that even further and develop opinions on Monism in general.

patch99329

I'm sure they'd make very efficient drones...

whee  

[maenad nuri]

I flirt with that Tea. Somedays you'll catch me in a monistic hp mood, and other days not so much.  

[TeaDidikai]

maenad nuri

I flirt with that Tea. Somedays you'll catch me in a monistic hp mood, and other days not so much.

Pish. MHP doesn't flirt. You're either in a relationship or you're SP's eye candy.  

[patch99329]

Yoyoyo. I'm also a monistic HP, to an extent anyway.

Somewhere between that and 'inclusive polytheism', I am unsure of it's exact name.  

[Recursive Paradox]

Didn't you say that Etherism struck you as monistic soft polytheism, Tea? Or similar at least? I can't remember now.  

[TeaDidikai]

Patch>> Care to describe the term in more detail?

Recursive Paradox

Didn't you say that Etherism struck you as monistic soft polytheism, Tea? Or similar at least? I can't remember now.

Can't remember. I'll take a look later.