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| Author: Posted: Sep. 8, 2002 | This Page Viewed: 7,024,585 |
Question of the Week: 80 - 10/6/2002 Polytheist, Monotheist, Dualist or Other? Are you a die-hard Polytheist who believes that the many Gods/Goddesses are distinct and individual entities? Are you a Pagan Monotheist? Pantheist? Do you believe that “All Gods/Goddesses are One God/Goddess”? Does the term ‘Lord and Lady’ represent a specific Lord and/or Lady to you or is it a term used most often to simply denote the concept of a male and/or a female deity? Do you think that all of these terms are interchangeable? Can you see where and when the need to define what YOU mean by ‘Gods/Goddesses’ might be necessary? What do you think about ‘Choose one from column A and one from Column B’ pantheon building? |
| Reponses: There are 104 responses posted to this question. | Reverse Sort |
| Oops | Oct 8th. at 3:34:39 am EDT |
| daniel (florida) | Age: 20 - Email |
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I haven't the slightest idea why i posted that last one as a dualist. I meant monotheist. |
| Maybe Right Maybe Wrong | Oct 8th. at 9:47:14 am EDT |
| Ravenseye (Miami, Fl) | Age: 15 - Email |
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I'm not Wiccan, plain and simple, and I don't believe in random Deity choice. Wicca, to me, is far too "pick whatever I like" and not a serious religion, but if you believe that's your choice, it as beautiful belief systems anyhow I believe in the ancient Gods of Tamera, known now as Egypt. I know it seems a bit, well, unrealistic but I do believe in the literal and symbolic interpretations of the Gods. So if there's one God for the sun and one Goddess for the night, I take that literally. I feel it. There's hundreds of Gods and Goddesses in Tamera, so many I doubt we'll ever know them all by name since their names were lost when the great empire of Tamera died. But that doesn't mean they're all important, some are just minor and tempermental. Still, if you believe in another pantheon or in one Initiator or a Lord and Lady, I don't think you're wrong. I think we're all right. It's just, for me, these Gods are real and it's just not neccesary for me to justify myself with the "they're all the same Initiator" belief, because to me they aren't the same at all. They're different, with different symbolic looks and characteristics. Some are tempermental and get angry if we don't pay them due, some are benevolent and always help, and that's just like people I suppose. I think I've said too much, but oh well. If you want more imformation, I'm building a website on Tamera and the Gods and Goddessess, so email me at ravenseye1800@hotmail.com if you're interesting. Isis Bless, Ravenseye |
| Polytheist | Oct 8th. at 10:29:25 am EDT |
| ForestDragon (Grand Rapids, MI) | Age: 34 - Email |
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I see different aspects of divinity in all things around me, and I connect better by visualizing different gods and goddesses. |
| Monism -- Not Monotheism! | Oct 8th. at 11:34:32 am EDT |
| Shekinah (Minneapolis) | Age: 39 - Email |
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I am, simultaneously, a Monist, a Polytheist, and a Pantheist. This may seem contradictory, on the surface, but it actually works quite well. Monism is distinctly different from Monotheism, the belief that there is a single Deity, that this deity has a personality, and that it is distinct from the physical world and active in His creation. Monism would state that the physical world is part of the One, as are each of us. The way I would put it, is that the Universe is One Organism, and we are all "cells" within its body. This works well with Pantheism, of course. Just as everything is part of the One, everything is divine. Many pagans view nature as divine, and the modern world, like the city, as being somehow NOT. Human creation is relegated to a different category, somehow. But a Pantheist/Monist would say that everything is divine, including plastic, etc. But what about Polytheism? Well, the Cosmic One is ultimate divinity, and we are all part of it, but one way that IT communicates and interracts with us is through smaller Gods. These deities are every bit as much a part of the One as we are -- manifestations of the Divine -- but they are individuals with distinct personalities, and through interaction with them, we can grow in wisdom and become more connected to the One, and come to a deeper realization of our own divinity. Shekinah |
| Physics | Oct 8th. at 11:44:56 am EDT |
| Chris (Boston) | Age: 0 - Email - Web |
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Those of a seriously religious point of view tend to ignore me when I bring science into the mix. Physics has shown pretty clearly over the past 40 years or so that there is an underlying wholeness or oneness to everything. At least that's my interpretation. Everything is connected at the quantum level, and I really mean everything everwhere. This underlying connectedness even allows Einstein's speed of light limit to be broken in certain circumstances. I don't know whether there is one God or if there are many. I do know that quantum physics is telling us that everything is connected in both space and time. There are other religious views that hold the same idea. I think they're right. The hindus for example have a pantheon but also believe that the pantheon is just an expression of one thing, the dream of the sleeping God. When you dream of other people, who are they? It's your dream. Are they aspects of you? If they are then everything in your dream is really you. It's the same thing with the Universe according to the sleeping God view. Maybe physics is begining to see that kind of connectedness. On the other hand, my imagination has been known to wander off............... |
| Polythist | Oct 8th. at 12:40:04 pm EDT |
| Christina (North Carolina) | Age: 29 - Email |
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I believe in the idea of several God/Goddesses. I take into account the idea that the many can become one. So, maybe I am mixed on that belief. I see the individual spirit that rest in all including the God/Goddesses. I also see how the many inner connect as a whole to create a universe. |
| Enough Of The Mix And Match Deal | Oct 8th. at 1:15:47 pm EDT |
| Joshua (Georgia) | Age: 19 - Email |
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Actually, I'm a little tired of this whole idea that Wicca is a pick and choose religion. The way I see it, the dieties of all the belief systems are real (probably with many exeptions, personal experience will have to decide.) So, in essence, I am not choosing which gods are real, just which ones I'll be affiliated with. Of course, it's more likley that it's the other way around (they choose which humans they are to be affiliated with). And if you think that the old pagan systems lived in isolation from one another, you are mistaken. Representations of Anubis have been found in Roman graves, and representations of Pan have been found in Egypt. For all those people who talk about "mix and match" religion, you should be aware that the old pagans are just as guilty as we. |
| In All That, I Failed To Answer The Question. | Oct 8th. at 1:20:32 pm EDT |
| Joshua (Georgia) | Age: 19 - Email |
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But it is quite apparent that I'm a polytheist. I toy with some pantheistic concepts, but that mostly goes into the question of where the universe comes from (the beginging, that whole deal.) |
| Pagan Monotheist | Oct 8th. at 1:21:14 pm EDT |
| Amethyst Wolfmoon (Cobourg, Ontario) | Age: 17 - Email - Web |
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I do and have always believed that the pantheon are just representations of the one Creator Being, Ido use the Term 'Lord and Lady' but I do not mean that there actually is a Lord and Lady (although there may well be). I simply wish to describe the fact that everything is male and female, and that eerything is connected. I think the fact that I believe in the one Creator might stem from the fact that I was raised in the anglican church, and also from the fact that if there were more than one being, I don't think everything would go as smoothly as it does. Oh well, we'll find out one day, Raine |
| They: All Encompasing | Oct 8th. at 3:13:03 pm EDT |
| Jaded Moon (London England) | Age: 16 - Email - Web |
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I suppose Im a Dualist but in actual fact I hate personifying The Lord and Lady (although I understand that it is a need) because I consider them to be a part of nature as a whole. However the reason why I am a Dualist and not a Monotheist is becuause I can identify with the idea better. I see the Lord and Lady as a Parental unit, working together to look after everyone everywhere,it kinda makes me feel secure, like when Im feeling scared just before I go to bed (for no reason other than the fact that I am tired) and I know that my parents are in the house and are there if I need them. Thats just my two cents. |
| The Reason Wicca Chose Me... | Oct 8th. at 4:30:11 pm EDT |
| Hazel (Regina SK Canada) | Age: 27 - Email |
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What a great question. It sums up the reason that I was drawn to Wicca in the first place. It is wonderful to be able to ask a group of people, who purport to be of one religion, what their belief is and to expect to get a variety of answers. To be perfect honest I am a Wiccan atheist. I have had negative reactions to this in the past but it is the truth. Theism is defined by a belief in one or more higher powers. I do not believe in a higher power. I believe that we are all part of a whole and that whole has boundaries or limits which are defined by irrefutable physical laws. Now, it is unlikely for us ever to understand every one of these laws, which is why magic exists. Throughout history humans have seen and done things that they do not understand and have used their amazing imaginations to explain them. The variety of legends involving the changing of the seasons is a wonderful example of this. As we learn more about the ways of the universe, we are able to more fully understand what was once deemed magical or an act of a particular diety. Now it has come to the point where science is very close to proving not only the existence, but also the mechanics of extra-sensory perception and telepathy. We have known for years that these things happen, but soon we might know why and how. I think that this is amazing thing. All of these discoveries strengthen my commitment to Wicca and to living a magical life. All of this being said, the concept of diety is one that I am still drawn to. I think of the many different gods and goddesses as being the personification of the various physical laws by which we are bound. I do not belive that they exist in any form other than as a focal point for an aspiration, be it love, money, peace, employment, or as a way to further define the type of life that a person wants to lead. The use of Lord and Lady to me refers to the balance that is inherent in all things. Female/Male, good/evil, dark/light, yin/yang. Together they are spirit which is the unverse and all of its laws as a whole. I think that it is very important to be able to define one's beliefs and the terms that one uses within those beliefs. It is a big part of what makes us individuals. At the same time, this great diversity within Wicca and Paganism is what ties us together and when we can celebrate it, we strengthen ourselves as a community. |
| Mixed Up Gods And Turned Around Goddesses | Oct 8th. at 5:15:31 pm EDT |
| Amy (Gainesville, GA) | Age: 17 - Email |
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My belief is that there are many "lesser" gods and goddesses with an overall deity. I feel that the main god/goddess is neither male nor female but both. If we all have a connection to this deity which we do then this deity has to see from all perspectives male female; young old any role a person comes into this life as. In fact, if you look into the different pantheons you will see this pattern. Not just a king or queen (mortals added the crown to them) but more of a governing parent or friend. Even the gods that supposedly ruled all of creation answered to something. |
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