Monotheistic beliefs seem to be more organized and strict. It has also encouraged people to fight against their oppressors. Like birth of christianity against roman rule and creation of islam and conversion among arabs to defeat jews. However they followed violence and blood baths. Coming to the point, polytheism is given less importance due to false propaganda.
The next time someone laughs at your polytheism, ask him to pray to some Greek God to test their existence. They won't do it; they would be too afraid. The truth is, nobody has really any authority to tell you what to believe or not to believe in. Not even scientists, since they can't prove the gods don't exist. And as a last metaphysical note, the more you respect yourself and your path and the more respect people will have for you. Khairete!
The answer is people has been conditioned for decades by science to believe that even monotheism has no sense. So when you say you're a polytheist you get even more disrespect. Most people are materialistic and just have the slight doubt or fear that a God exists. So when a fundie bothers you, it's not because of his great faith in Jesus, but because of a bunch of fears. Fear of loosing his friends, his job and his place in his community for example.
i was told that from my Mormon granny that they belive if ur blessed enough u get to become a god urself. they say they're Christian monotheistic BUT what she's really saying is, we know they're are more gods out there, we only choose to worship one.i like to be one of those people who believe in a little piece of everything then smashes it all together, filling holes with different religions. no big deal
In my opinion, polytheism is not taken seriously because people believe that polytheism is archaic and not "civilized" or up to date. The assume that because you believe in the old gods, that all your ideas are archaic and not modern enough to be taken seriously. They believe that because you believe in the old gods, that you believe in all old ideas, and therefore are not open to "newer" ideas. That is what I believe. I hope I was coherent.
I talked to polytheists long enough to know that you believe in your gods as much as Christians believe in Jesus. Personally, I take polytheism as seriously as monotheism. hehe.
Well everyone who isn't polytheist is usually woefully ignorant of it. They're either monotheists and stuck within their own religiocentric box or Atheistic and think all religions are stupid.
@BlueFireWitch I personally wouldn't go far as to say that all religions are stupid, but every religion that I've studied, I've always found things that makes 0 sense.
You're right, that was an unfair generalization. But, it's simply that obviously if you don't believe something, then you don't see that belief as valid. Although, I personally would never discount someone's thoughts or experiences just because their personal beliefs differed with mine. I've seen many others of all faith groups do it.
@BlueFireWitch The reason polytheism isn't taken seriously is that it has no answer to basic philosophical questions. For example; the existence of good and evil. In most polytheistic belief systems there are a myriad of Gods who more or less act like people a lot of power. Some we call benevolent or "good", others malevolent, or "Bad". But the second we attach the adjectives "good" or "bad", we are comparing that God to some kind of standard that we have. Where do we get that standard?
@BlueFireWitch The standard by which we judge these gods cannot have been created by those Gods, and still be considered a standard. Either it was given by some kind of supreme being above all the gods(Jehovah/Allah/etc), or else it was simply preconditioned in our race through years of evolution(instinct). Thus, the only philosophically sound choices are monotheism or atheism. Polytheism is an incomplete and immature religion followed by those who have not thought their beliefs through.
@SteampunkPagan The concept of good and evil is universal. Every advanced civilization in history has believed in good and evil and had a system whereby to enforce it. The beliefs about morality have varied from culture to culture(though not as much as some believe), but they have ALL had strong beliefs on the issue. So you're saying that you have matured past something that every civilization in history - including the polytheistic ones - has believed to be vital. I'm not convinced.
@hldeathmatch The concepts of good and evil are NOT universal. For example, in Christianity, sex is evil. In most Pagan religions, sex is not evil. However, both cultures you'll find detest murder, etc.
@BlueFireWitch In Christianity, sex is not considered evil. See Song of Solomon. The entire book is about the beauty of sexual love. Christianity is simply restrictive to who should have sex with who. This is something you will find in all major civilizations. They disagree on whether you should have one wife or 4, but they agree that you cannot have just any woman/man you wanted. Most moral restrictions are the same; they have slight variations throughout history but retain the principle.
@hldeathmatch My apologies, the word I should have used was fornication. Sex between married folk is not considered evil, it's fornication or adulery that is evil. Also, Christianity is one of the only religions that equates thought and deed.
@BlueFireWitch You have pointed out(as I did previously) out that different cultures have disagreed on certain points of morality(sexual freedom). That has nothing to do with the question. The question is why do they restrict themselves with a moral code in the first place? Why have all recorded cultures valued courage above cowardice? Why is the "golden rule" present in almost every recorded value system? Monotheism/Atheistic evolution have an answer, Polytheism has none.
@BlueFireWitch You have pointed out(as I did previously) out that different cultures have disagreed on certain points of morality(sexual freedom). That has nothing to do with the question. The question is why do they restrict themselves with a moral code in the first place? Why have all recorded cultures valued courage above cowardice? Why is the "golden rule" present in almost every recorded value system? Monotheism and Atheistic evolution have an answer, Polytheism has none.
@hldeathmatch I already answered your question. Self/Tribal/Special Preservation is your answer. Courage is better because the Tribe Survives when there are courageous warriors around to protect them. Self Preservation says that you wish to be treated fairly, therefore, you should treat others as you wish to be treated. As I said before, it's not a religious question. Atheism and Polytheism therefore have the SAME answer. Self Preservation otherwise known as the Social Contract.
@BlueFireWitch As I stated before, self-preservation does not translate into societal preservation. Only in some situations does doing what is good for society benefit the person doing it directly. So why should I put the needs of society before myself? You can say that it is "because you want to be treated fairly", but the very statement "I want to be treated fairly" implies a standard of fairness that both parties ALREADY have some understanding of, or else the statement is nonsense.
@hldeathmatch As I stated before, self preservation wasn't my ONLY response. I said societal preservation was part of it. And it's known that people see their offspring as an extension of themselves. So therefore, preservation of society is for the next generation.
@hldeathmatch If you have no children, you still see yourself reflected in society and therefore wish to preserve it. Also, preservation of society is rooted in our need for tribalism. See we're not solitary creatures; we travel in packs. Therefore, societal preservation IS self preservation.
@hldeathmatch The concepts of Good and Evil are well philosophized by the Ancients. Also, the standard by which we judge Gods comes from us, because we're doing the judging, silly. Not necessarily from some tribal instinct either. People who are evolutionarily progressive don't have to rely on instinct or tribal culture to form ideas.
@BlueFireWitch Of course we're doing the judging. The question is why? Why has every major civilization in history had these ideas about right and wrong? This isn't a situation where a few people just "had an idea" and it became popular. This is all of history. We have no record of a time when man did NOT believe in some basic morality. Why is this so universal? That is the question that polytheism does not answer. Either it evolved, or it was given to us.
@hldeathmatch we're doing the judging because we are the subject of the material. ALmost every deity on the planet is centered around man because MAN makes the mythology. Every major civilization is human and humans have basic things in common like the need to survive and thrive. Therefore, almost every society makes laws against theft, murder, etc for self preservation. Polytheism doesn't answer that question because it's not really a religious one.
@BlueFireWitch several problems: 1. The fact that we exist does not mandate that we weigh ourselves down with moral restrictions. Why should we judge ourselves at all? 2. Preservation of society is a moral aim, not instinctive like self-preservations. Why put society before myself? 3. Of course it's not a religious question, it's a metaphysical one, and a question that should be answered by whatever belief system you adhere to. Otherwise you have no moral basis for making decisions.
Your using the "God Must exist because of morality"
Many Polytheistic societies have had many codes of morality and law. The Greeks,Romans,Maya,Aztec, Babylonians, Egyptians where in fact highly Advanced and had many complex societal laws and morality yet where polytheist. The Second half of your Arguments would be better suited for an Atheist.
I think in the U.S. it's because we are usually taught the Christian religion, many at a very young age, that there is only one God, so the idea of having others is so foreign to them that they just cannot seem to understand it, so instead they just ridicule it. It's ingrained in us from birth and even a daily basis, through other people and even simple things like bumper stickers, ads and even jewelery. Kinda like mind manipulation.
Monotheistic beliefs seem to be more organized and strict. It has also encouraged people to fight against their oppressors. Like birth of christianity against roman rule and creation of islam and conversion among arabs to defeat jews. However they followed violence and blood baths. Coming to the point, polytheism is given less importance due to false propaganda.
kar15bpt 4 months ago
The next time someone laughs at your polytheism, ask him to pray to some Greek God to test their existence. They won't do it; they would be too afraid. The truth is, nobody has really any authority to tell you what to believe or not to believe in. Not even scientists, since they can't prove the gods don't exist. And as a last metaphysical note, the more you respect yourself and your path and the more respect people will have for you. Khairete!
agormanvideos 1 year ago
The answer is people has been conditioned for decades by science to believe that even monotheism has no sense. So when you say you're a polytheist you get even more disrespect. Most people are materialistic and just have the slight doubt or fear that a God exists. So when a fundie bothers you, it's not because of his great faith in Jesus, but because of a bunch of fears. Fear of loosing his friends, his job and his place in his community for example.
agormanvideos 1 year ago
i was told that from my Mormon granny that they belive if ur blessed enough u get to become a god urself. they say they're Christian monotheistic BUT what she's really saying is, we know they're are more gods out there, we only choose to worship one.i like to be one of those people who believe in a little piece of everything then smashes it all together, filling holes with different religions. no big deal
AcIdCaShSoCiOpAtH 1 year ago
Because of christian Propaganda people think
that Polytheism is fary tale. They have no idea
abou the meaning of the gods and myths. But
we the Polytheists can explain our Religion and reap respect. It is important to know that we are not idolatry (christian propaganda) or
neopaganism (new age propaganda) and
and point to serious books.
MysticTV777 1 year ago
I always thought it was because a major part of newer religions is being syncretic with all the other beliefs out there, including atheism.
sillypuppy2 2 years ago
You REALLY need to get to the point your trying to make man.
cyberwolf001 2 years ago
the point is why isn't polytheism taken seriously
SteampunkPagan 2 years ago
In my opinion, polytheism is not taken seriously because people believe that polytheism is archaic and not "civilized" or up to date. The assume that because you believe in the old gods, that all your ideas are archaic and not modern enough to be taken seriously. They believe that because you believe in the old gods, that you believe in all old ideas, and therefore are not open to "newer" ideas. That is what I believe. I hope I was coherent.
TheCadre15 2 years ago
I talked to polytheists long enough to know that you believe in your gods as much as Christians believe in Jesus. Personally, I take polytheism as seriously as monotheism. hehe.
Justinfhtube 2 years ago
Man the Two Cheese? That'd still be polytheist, cuz the cheeses are many, my friend.
BlueFireWitch 2 years ago
Well everyone who isn't polytheist is usually woefully ignorant of it. They're either monotheists and stuck within their own religiocentric box or Atheistic and think all religions are stupid.
BlueFireWitch 2 years ago 5
@BlueFireWitch I personally wouldn't go far as to say that all religions are stupid, but every religion that I've studied, I've always found things that makes 0 sense.
Justinfhtube 2 years ago
You're right, that was an unfair generalization. But, it's simply that obviously if you don't believe something, then you don't see that belief as valid. Although, I personally would never discount someone's thoughts or experiences just because their personal beliefs differed with mine. I've seen many others of all faith groups do it.
BlueFireWitch 2 years ago
@BlueFireWitch The reason polytheism isn't taken seriously is that it has no answer to basic philosophical questions. For example; the existence of good and evil. In most polytheistic belief systems there are a myriad of Gods who more or less act like people a lot of power. Some we call benevolent or "good", others malevolent, or "Bad". But the second we attach the adjectives "good" or "bad", we are comparing that God to some kind of standard that we have. Where do we get that standard?
hldeathmatch 1 year ago
@BlueFireWitch The standard by which we judge these gods cannot have been created by those Gods, and still be considered a standard. Either it was given by some kind of supreme being above all the gods(Jehovah/Allah/etc), or else it was simply preconditioned in our race through years of evolution(instinct). Thus, the only philosophically sound choices are monotheism or atheism. Polytheism is an incomplete and immature religion followed by those who have not thought their beliefs through.
hldeathmatch 1 year ago
@hldeathmatch
Really?
Or perhaps your concepts of good and evil are immature.
SteampunkPagan 1 year ago
@SteampunkPagan The concept of good and evil is universal. Every advanced civilization in history has believed in good and evil and had a system whereby to enforce it. The beliefs about morality have varied from culture to culture(though not as much as some believe), but they have ALL had strong beliefs on the issue. So you're saying that you have matured past something that every civilization in history - including the polytheistic ones - has believed to be vital. I'm not convinced.
hldeathmatch 1 year ago
@hldeathmatch The concepts of good and evil are NOT universal. For example, in Christianity, sex is evil. In most Pagan religions, sex is not evil. However, both cultures you'll find detest murder, etc.
BlueFireWitch 1 year ago
@BlueFireWitch In Christianity, sex is not considered evil. See Song of Solomon. The entire book is about the beauty of sexual love. Christianity is simply restrictive to who should have sex with who. This is something you will find in all major civilizations. They disagree on whether you should have one wife or 4, but they agree that you cannot have just any woman/man you wanted. Most moral restrictions are the same; they have slight variations throughout history but retain the principle.
hldeathmatch 1 year ago
@hldeathmatch My apologies, the word I should have used was fornication. Sex between married folk is not considered evil, it's fornication or adulery that is evil. Also, Christianity is one of the only religions that equates thought and deed.
BlueFireWitch 1 year ago
@BlueFireWitch You have pointed out(as I did previously) out that different cultures have disagreed on certain points of morality(sexual freedom). That has nothing to do with the question. The question is why do they restrict themselves with a moral code in the first place? Why have all recorded cultures valued courage above cowardice? Why is the "golden rule" present in almost every recorded value system? Monotheism/Atheistic evolution have an answer, Polytheism has none.
hldeathmatch 1 year ago
@BlueFireWitch You have pointed out(as I did previously) out that different cultures have disagreed on certain points of morality(sexual freedom). That has nothing to do with the question. The question is why do they restrict themselves with a moral code in the first place? Why have all recorded cultures valued courage above cowardice? Why is the "golden rule" present in almost every recorded value system? Monotheism and Atheistic evolution have an answer, Polytheism has none.
hldeathmatch 1 year ago
@hldeathmatch I already answered your question. Self/Tribal/Special Preservation is your answer. Courage is better because the Tribe Survives when there are courageous warriors around to protect them. Self Preservation says that you wish to be treated fairly, therefore, you should treat others as you wish to be treated. As I said before, it's not a religious question. Atheism and Polytheism therefore have the SAME answer. Self Preservation otherwise known as the Social Contract.
BlueFireWitch 1 year ago
@BlueFireWitch As I stated before, self-preservation does not translate into societal preservation. Only in some situations does doing what is good for society benefit the person doing it directly. So why should I put the needs of society before myself? You can say that it is "because you want to be treated fairly", but the very statement "I want to be treated fairly" implies a standard of fairness that both parties ALREADY have some understanding of, or else the statement is nonsense.
hldeathmatch 1 year ago
@hldeathmatch As I stated before, self preservation wasn't my ONLY response. I said societal preservation was part of it. And it's known that people see their offspring as an extension of themselves. So therefore, preservation of society is for the next generation.
BlueFireWitch 1 year ago
@hldeathmatch If you have no children, you still see yourself reflected in society and therefore wish to preserve it. Also, preservation of society is rooted in our need for tribalism. See we're not solitary creatures; we travel in packs. Therefore, societal preservation IS self preservation.
BlueFireWitch 1 year ago
@hldeathmatch The concepts of Good and Evil are well philosophized by the Ancients. Also, the standard by which we judge Gods comes from us, because we're doing the judging, silly. Not necessarily from some tribal instinct either. People who are evolutionarily progressive don't have to rely on instinct or tribal culture to form ideas.
BlueFireWitch 1 year ago
@BlueFireWitch Of course we're doing the judging. The question is why? Why has every major civilization in history had these ideas about right and wrong? This isn't a situation where a few people just "had an idea" and it became popular. This is all of history. We have no record of a time when man did NOT believe in some basic morality. Why is this so universal? That is the question that polytheism does not answer. Either it evolved, or it was given to us.
hldeathmatch 1 year ago
@hldeathmatch we're doing the judging because we are the subject of the material. ALmost every deity on the planet is centered around man because MAN makes the mythology. Every major civilization is human and humans have basic things in common like the need to survive and thrive. Therefore, almost every society makes laws against theft, murder, etc for self preservation. Polytheism doesn't answer that question because it's not really a religious one.
BlueFireWitch 1 year ago
@BlueFireWitch several problems: 1. The fact that we exist does not mandate that we weigh ourselves down with moral restrictions. Why should we judge ourselves at all? 2. Preservation of society is a moral aim, not instinctive like self-preservations. Why put society before myself? 3. Of course it's not a religious question, it's a metaphysical one, and a question that should be answered by whatever belief system you adhere to. Otherwise you have no moral basis for making decisions.
hldeathmatch 1 year ago
@hldeathmatch
This argument has nothing to do with polytheism
Your using the "God Must exist because of morality"
Many Polytheistic societies have had many codes of morality and law. The Greeks,Romans,Maya,Aztec, Babylonians, Egyptians where in fact highly Advanced and had many complex societal laws and morality yet where polytheist. The Second half of your Arguments would be better suited for an Atheist.
SteampunkPagan 1 year ago
How many times a day do you see Christian related things as opposed to other religious related things?
wikedwitch80 2 years ago
I think in the U.S. it's because we are usually taught the Christian religion, many at a very young age, that there is only one God, so the idea of having others is so foreign to them that they just cannot seem to understand it, so instead they just ridicule it. It's ingrained in us from birth and even a daily basis, through other people and even simple things like bumper stickers, ads and even jewelery. Kinda like mind manipulation.
wikedwitch80 2 years ago