One of the oldest forms of attitude to reality is religious consciousness. It has always corresponded to the urgent needs of the human spirit. Any need, including a spiritual one, needs to be met.
Types of ideas about gods
There are several types of human conceptions of gods:
- polytheism is the belief in polytheism;
- pantheism - belief in one God, identified with nature and the world as a whole;
- deism - belief in a creator God existing outside of human history;
- monotheism (theism) - belief in the only God as the highest personal and moral force, the Creator who is responsible for his creation.
Defining polytheism
Polytheism is a religious doctrine based on belief in multiple gods. The word itself is of Greek origin and literally translates as polytheism. Polytheists believe that there are many gods, each of which has its own character, habits and passions. Each god (goddess) has his own sphere of influence. Gods can enter into relationships with each other.
Prerequisites for the emergence of polytheism
Nonea phenomenon in society does not arise by itself. There were also prerequisites for the emergence of polytheism:
- Various phenomena of nature and life of peoples. It was common for people to identify various natural phenomena with individual deities. They believed that the whole world could not be ruled by a single God.
- The idea of repeated divine reincarnation. This idea is characteristic of early Hinduism. And if we consider it correct, then the deification of each of the subsequent incarnations leads to the existence of many gods.
- The hierarchy of the social system. It seemed to mankind that if a hierarchy, organization, structure (family, tribe, state) is clearly traced in society, then in the other world there should be many gods, each of which takes its place in the divine pantheon and has certain duties.
Polytheism in the myths of ancient cultures
To understand what polytheism is, it is enough to turn to the myths of Ancient Greece. So, for example, Poseidon was the god of the sea and the entire water element, Gaia was the goddess of the earth, and Ares was the god of war and destruction. The head of the ancient Greek divine pantheon was Zeus - the most powerful of all. Proponents of polytheism can worship different gods in different ways, they can honor any particular, chosen god. It is noteworthy that polytheism, when worshiping its tribal gods, does not exclude the possibility of recognizing the divine beings of other peoples.
It is possible to determine what polytheism is by the myths of Ancient Rome. It is noteworthy that the ancient Romans, like the ancient Greeks, worshiped gods who were responsible for the same natural phenomena. Only the names of the gods, their appearances and passions differed. In the Old Slavonic religion, there is also worship of various gods, who were identified with the sun, moon, thunder.
Polytheism as the starting point of subsequent religions
Most scientists believe that polytheism is the oldest form of religious beliefs of people, which is typical of the Bronze and Iron Ages and up to modern times. This type of religion was characteristic of antiquity, which was clearly manifested in ancient Greek and Roman polytheism. Faith in many gods also existed among the Slavic and Germanic tribes.
Polytheism gradually declined, but its principles can be observed in modern religions such as Buddhism, Shintoism, Hinduism and others. In addition, in recent years in Europe there has been an increase in the number of supporters of new paganism, also based on the belief in many gods. The ancient polytheism has been replaced by new types of religious beliefs such as pantheism, atheism, and monotheism.
What is monotheism?
Monotheism is the religious doctrine of one and only God or deity. Translated from the Greek word "monotheism" literally means "monotheism". Religions based on belief in one God include Christianity, Islam, Judaism. The most ancient religionbased on the principles of monotheism, which has come down to our days, is Zoroastrianism.
Although there is an opinion that monotheism was the very first religion on Earth, which eventually became distorted and turned into polytheism, historical evidence and archaeological finds suggest otherwise. The earliest modern religion of this direction is Judaism, which at first had the character of polytheism, but in the 7th century BC moved to a new level.
Monotheism first arose as a cult of preference for one deity over others. And only then there was a tendency to take different deities for different hypostases of one God, and after that a religion arose, which is based on the belief in one and only God.
Monotheism and polytheism: eternal opposition
Polytheism opposes monotheism - belief in one God. He is also an opponent of atheism, which denies the existence of any gods and deities. Until now, the origin and relationship of polytheism and monotheism is the subject of controversy, both among anthropologists and historians of religions. Nevertheless, most scientists and researchers are still inclined to believe that polytheism first arose, which then grew into monotheism. In the Bible, polytheism is a betrayal of the one God, and it is identified with paganism.
It would be a mistake to think that polytheism has been completely reborn in our days. Of course, there are not so many modern polytheists, and their beliefs have not taken on such a bright form as in ancient times, but polytheism is the type of religion that will never exhaust itself andwill always find its supporters.
