Polytheism
Polytheism is defined as one’s worship and belief in more than one god. Some societies on the globe demonstrate their allegiance to several supernatural powers (gods) since they believe that each god has its respective role to play in the society (Halladay 19). However, it is paramount to note key religious groups all over the world such as Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and atheists do not embrace polytheism. Islam, Christianity, and Judaism point out that there exists a single God while the atheists do not show reverence to any supernatural powers. These religious affiliations – Judaism, Islam, Christianity, and atheists are also referred to as monotheists.
Description of Polytheism – How it Works
As aforementioned, polytheism is anchored on the idea that there exist more than one divine powers controlling the universe. For instance, there may be a water god who would be responsible of taking care of all the water bodies, a famine god who would punish the people by denying them a bounty harvest, and a mountain god whose function might be to give rain to the societal members. All these gods must be appeased by the societal members – for example by being praised or offered sacrifices – lest they turn their anger towards them (the people). Therefore, it is evident that, unlike in the case of monotheism, polytheists believe that no god is capable of controlling the word alone, hence, the reason why each divine power has its unique powers and an area of specialization (Heiser 28). In such a case, the community members will always be aware of which god to turn to in case they desire a favorable occurrence or when they feel that they are being punished through a given calamity like drought. Additionally, it is important to note that polytheism is still exercised in the contemporary society as some individuals, even if they may subscribe to some monotheistic beliefs believe in other supernatural powers like witchcraft. One of the key ways through which polytheism works is by providing a solid context for the day-to-day occurrences all over the society. Unlike some religions – Christianity and Islam – that dictate their followers to believe that, each happening on earth is according to God’s or Allah’s wishes; polytheism offers its congregation a more elaborate rationale behind the key happenings. Thus, the people will be in a position to identify where they went wrong, hence, the reason why a respective calamity might have taken place. For instance, the people might realize that they do not have a favorable harvest in a given season because they failed to offer enough sacrifices to the god of rain, thus, there was a shortage of rain. In such a scenario, polytheists would make up their mind to give an offering to the god of rain for them to be blessed with rain.
Description Using an Example
Hinduism is one of the examples of polytheistic religions on the globe. The religion has several gods and goddess who, although they depict the traits of a single supreme god, give insight on how the society members should worship depending on their regional beliefs and practices. One of the gods the Hindus believe in is the Brahma, who is deemed as the creator. According to the Hindus, everything in the universe – except some of their religious teachings – is maintained for a given time after which it is destroyed. After that, Brahma renews all the things that have been destroyed, hence, renewing or rejuvenating them. The Hindus believe that Brahma is the first member of their Trinity (Bauman 120). The second member of the Hindu Trinity is Vishnu who is the preserver. Hindus are of the opinion that Vishnu plays a critical role in ensuring that harmony and order are maintained in the society and that nothing is destroyed before its due time. He (Vishnu) is also believed to be the controller of rain and the community members utter some incarnations while showing their reverence to him. Shiva – the destroyer – is the following member of the Hindu Trinity. His sole function is to destroy the universe as he prepares it for recreation (rejuvenation). While carrying out any spiritual or religious affair, Hindus usually start by invoking the name of Shiva, as they believe that doing so gets rid of any bad spirits that might be planning to bring a calamity on them.
Another god within the Hindu religion is Ganapati. Hindus argue that Ganapati’s role is to eradicate any obstacles that may be hindering the community members from achieving their desired objectives. He is also known as Ganesha and is the first son of Shiva. Hindus also believe that Ganapati has an elephant head. Due to his critical role in the society, most people hang Ganapati’s statutes or pictures in their homes and vehicles. One of the goddesses in the Hindu religion is Saraswati. It is argued that she is Brahma’s companion and she is adored as the goddess of intelligence. As a result, the community members offer their prayers to her whenever they engage in a matter that requires intelligence. Besides, learners are also advised to pray for her grace while they are doing their examinations. Durga Devi is the other goddess in Hinduism. She is relatively powerful and quite frightening, her role is to ensure that moral and order is maintained at all times. Therefore, she punishes anyone who does anything contrary to the moral dictates of the society. However, she is quite compassionate to those who strive to abide by the societal virtues.
Personal Opinion
Polytheism has been in practice since the ancient times. Even though a sect of the community members might argue that they are a monotheist, some of its people might be polytheists since they might have embraced other supernatural powers such as witchcraft. The religion works by denoting that each occurrence on the globe is influenced by a respective god, which would be putting across a given message to the community members through it (the occurrence). As a result, the people are in a position to figure out the best way of appeasing the divine being as a way of either thanking it or demonstrating their repentance in case they may have offended the god. An example of societal members who practice polytheism is Hindus. They (Hindus) worship several goddesses and gods such as Saraswati and Shiva. Hindus believe that Shiva is obligated to destroy everything in the universe as a way of preparing it for renewal, which is effected by Brahma – the creator. On the other hand, Saraswati provides intelligence to the people, hence, making them achieve some of their aspirations in life such as passing their exams.
Works Cited
Bauman, Chad M. Out of India: Immigrant Hindus and South Asian Hinduism in the United States. Buttler University Libraries, 2009, digitalcommons.butler.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google.com/"httpsredir=1"article=1079"context=facsch_papers/
Halladay, Andrew. The Ascension of Yahweh: The Origins and development of Israelite Monotheism from the Afrasan to Josiah. Claremont Colleges, 2010, scholarship.claremont.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1004"context=pomona_theses/
Heiser, Michael. Monotheism, Polytheism, Monolatry, or Henotheism? Toward an Assessment of Divine Plurality in the Hebrew Bible. Liberty University, 2008, digitalcommons.liberty.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1276"context=lts_fac_pubs
