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Polytheism, Pantheism, or Panentheism |
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This article is not my own work, just something interesting I found in an MSN group I belong to smile
Polytheism, Pantheism, or Panentheism: Shedding Light on Pagan Theology
Author: Eldyohr
All of the religions that fall beneath the umbrella term of neo-paganism (Wicca, Druidism, Asatru, etc) fall into one of three general categories, theologically speaking. One can be polytheistic, pantheistic, or panentheistic in their outlook.
There is some general confusion over what exactly these terms mean and I intend to elucidate their meaning, especially as it pertains to neo-pagan religions today. I also hope to show that there has been an evolutionary progression of sorts from polytheism to panentheism and that this particular outlook is able to reconcile both the scientific and mythico-religious realms better than either of its two predecessors.
The label polytheism is used where a plurality of gods are acknowledged and/or worshipped. Typically, any individual god in a polytheistic system is a member of a larger, coherent group (called a pantheon) rather than being totally separate and unrelated. Polytheism usually involves belief in the several gods of a particular national culture; other gods in other cultures may be acknowledged as existing but ignored, or they might be treated as different cultural manifestations of the same divinities.
It is also common that each individual god represents a unique value, personifies some aspect of humanity, and/or maintains stewardship over some facet of nature. Thus there are gods of fertility, of rivers, of health, and even of anger. Within polytheism, an adherent wishing to obtain something (fertility, health) or survive something (river crossing) is expected to pray to that particular god rather than to others who do not have dominion in that area.
Other structural considerations of a pantheon include the separation of authority. In some polytheistic systems one god is dominant in power and authority over the other gods, but not supreme in a way that warrants special worship from humans.
In some polytheistic systems the gods themselves may be subordinate to other forces of nature or fate - just because they are gods doesn't mean that they are supernatural or transcendent. Thus, polytheism commonly posits a division of labor and responsibility within the divine realm similar to that which we find in the human world.
Polytheism, at first glance, appears to be pervasive in neo-pagan religions, especially Wicca. Mythology forms the core of many of our rituals, magickal practices, and world outlook. Because mythology, on the surface, is polytheistic, there is a tendency for many pagans to assume the mantle of polytheism.
It is very common for a coven to use one particular pantheon or to use the deities from many different pantheons based on the nature of the work or the celebration. Recall that mythology developed out of a need for early peoples to relate to divinity and they had naught but their own social structure upon which to base those of the heavens, which is why we see deities in the aforementioned division of labor and rule.
Asatruar, for instance, are persistent in their belief of polytheism, stating that each God actually exists independently of each other and that there is no one common and/or ultimate deity.
A modern scientific perspective will tend to reject polytheism because of its incompatibility with our understanding of nature. If there really were different, independent gods in charge of all the different aspects of reality, then we shouldn't necessarily have a set of natural laws that are common to all parts of reality. The laws of physics would not need to apply to chemistry and the laws of chemistry would not need to apply to biology, and so on. Scientific order would find no basis if multiple gods were working at potentially cross-purposes.
There is also a self-defeating nature to the polytheistic denial of ultimate unity. Everything cannot be radically pluralistic. We live in a uni-verse not a multi-verse. Indeed, the polytheistic position is offered as a unified system of thought. But in presenting a unified thought about ultimate reality, they deny the very philosophy they are advocating.
If reality were radically polytheistic we could not even know it. Any claim to know ultimate reality betrays a more basic commitment to a unity of thought that denies the polytheistic view.
While some pagan religions speak of origins, few ask the ultimate question. There are gods acting, but they fail to ask: "How does a play originate? Does it write itself? Do the actors make it up as they go along? Or is there someone -- not on the stage, not like the people on stage -- someone we don't see -- who invented it all and caused it to be? -- this is rarely asked or answered." If they did, they would see that nature is created.
In fact, the vast majority of scientific literature supports the creation of the universe from the big bang and evolution is quickly becoming a defunct idealism of the past. And to say that God created Nature, while it brings God and Nature into relation, also separates them. What makes and what is made must be two, not one.
Thus the doctrine of Creation in one sense empties Nature of divinity and thereby destroys paganism. This reason, more than any other, should be the impetus to reject polytheism in favor of panetheism.
Polytheism was a natural byproduct of our ancestors trying to make sense of the universe and it follows that they would postulate a multiplicity of deities to rule over the various aspects of life that impacted them. These deities were necessarily separate and had to be appeased to ensure fertility, success in war, etc. Out of this realm, arose a somewhat the unified theory of pantheism.
Very closely related to polytheism, pantheism is either the belief that the universe is Deity and worthy of worship or that Deity is the sum total of all there is and that the combined substances, forces, and natural laws which we see around us are but manifestations of Deity.
Although generalizations are difficult to make in such a diverse system, one generalization that might be made, however, is that in truly pantheistic belief systems, only Deity exists and all that exists is Deity. Despite a number of differences among the different forms of pantheism, most argue that the totality of reality - you, the computer, everything - is a part of Deity.
Slightly modified versions might argue that the universe itself or perhaps the laws of nature are Deity while objects such as us and the computer are manifestations of those laws and principles.
Sometimes there can be confusion between pantheism and polytheism because some pantheists use polytheism as a metaphoric way of approaching the cosmic divinity they believe in. Some simply feel the need for symbols and personages to mediate their relationship with nature and the cosmos. In this aspect, pantheism is closely related to panentheism.
Both view deity as having multiple personages or facets, akin to a diamond with many faces. Those faces are the faces of the Gods from mythology and, depending on the circumstance, we call upon those faces we are most comfortable with or which we need for the particular work we are doing. As shall be seen, however, there are critical difference between the pantheism and panentheism.
Pantheists rejects the idea that something is either true or false, either this or that, either beautiful or ugly, either good or evil. What they fail to notice, however, is that in contending that that their own polytheism is true as opposed to false they are engaged in an either/or type of thinking. Everything cannot be true, including opposites. So, if it is either polytheism or monotheism, then one cannot deny the validity of either/or type thinking. In fact, the polytheist cannot avoid such thinking; otherwise his or her position cannot be made intelligible.
Pantheists rejects the idea that something is either true or false, either this or that, either beautiful or ugly, either good or evil. What they fail to notice, however, is that in contending that that their own polytheism is true as opposed to false they are engaged in an either/or type of thinking. Everything cannot be true, including opposites. So, if it is either polytheism or monotheism, then one cannot deny the validity of either/or type thinking. In fact, the polytheist cannot avoid such thinking; otherwise his or her position cannot be made intelligible.
Another problem comes from the issue of good and evil. If the pantheistic Deity is the sum of its parts, then it is certainly responsible for all the good which is done and is much more good than any one person. However, it is also responsible for all the evil committed and is much more wicked than any one person. All of the good in this Deity cannot acquit it of the incredible evil that has occurred. What does it say about the nature and quality of Deity if we see this deity in the horrible suffering and pain which creatures on this planet experience?
In other words, if pantheism states that everything IS deity, than both people and their actions are an inherent part of God. We may have true will (a debatable point in panetheism), but any evil choices that are made are still ultimately resting on Deity since everything in creation IS deity in pantheism.
It also raises the problem of distinguishing good from evil. If there is no ultimate source of good, there can be no standard against which to judge right and wrong. Pantheism states that Deity is not outside the known universe and thus they create a logical trap in which good and evil can be separated from each other.
Pantheism also does not account for life when our planet, or even our universe, ceases to exist. Science has proven beyond any reasonable doubts that the universe emerged from a single point in the big bang and has been expanding outward ever since. Every scientific model known to man also postulates that eventually this expansion outward will stop and the universe will begin to collapse in on itself and ultimately be destroyed. This may be billions of years in the future, but it is the future none-the-less.
Reincarnation is a widely held belief in paganism, but also does not account for the continuation of life when our world ceases to exist. This also raises the problem of what happens to Deity when the universe ends?
If Deity is dependent on the universe than its existence must end when the universe ends, which leaves us in quite a pickle at the proposition of eternal life. This problem finds its resolution in panentheism.
A panentheistic belief system is one that posits that deity interpenetrates every part of nature, but is nevertheless fully distinct from nature. So Deity is part of nature, but still retains an independent identity. Thus, we can recognize that because Deity created nature and everything in it, that creation is inherently divine.
There is an understandable tendency to confuse panentheism with pantheism or even to consider panentheism to be a type of pantheism - a problem exacerbated by the fact that we simply don't hear the term panentheism very often and most people are unfamiliar with it, so what is the difference between standard pantheism and panentheism?
It is true that both panentheists and pantheists share the view that the universe and every natural thing in it is pervaded by divinity; however, since panentheism postulates that the universe is contained within Deity and not Deity in the universe, panentheists believe in Deity who is present in everything but also extends beyond the universe.
In other words, Deity IS the universe but is also greater THAN the universe. Often panentheists also believe that Deity has a mind, created the universe, and cares about each of us personally. If this were not actually true, than our prayers, ceremonies, and celebrations, which invoke deities would fall on deaf and uncaring ears.
When we call on Aphrodite at Beltaine or during a love spell, we do so because we believe that She not only cares about our petition, but cares to answer it as well. Ultimately, we are contacting the one divine source, but doing so through one of the outlets or facets that help us relate to that divinity.
Panentheism can best be understood through an analogy: just as a single organism exists both as a collection of semiautonomous, individual cells and as an autonomous individual who is more than jut a collection of cells, Deity can be seen as both a collection of all the constituent parts of reality and as "something more" than the universe itself.
Although we, along with the rest of existence, can be though of as part of Deity's "body, " Deity's mind or consciousness extends beyond that body and causes Deity to be more than just a collection of parts. As parts of Deity, our freedom is not absolute - just as the freedom of cells in our body is not absolute.
At the same time, our actions and thoughts are not dependent upon or controlled by Deity any more than we are able to consciously control and direct the actions of our individual cells. We may be more than our cells, but we depend upon our cells acting independently of our minds in order for us to grow and even to be in the first place.
Only the existence of a deity outside of the natural universe can provide for the continuation of life after death when our planet ceases to exist. If Deity created the universe then deity will continue to exist when the universe ceases to be. Since the both the universe and everything it contains (i.e. nature, human beings, etc.) originated from Deity, they contain divine essence and are imbued with divinity. It naturally follows that when any piece of divinity ceases to have corporal existence, they will return to the source from whence they emerged.
Whether returning to the source is akin to heaven, Valhalla, or the Summerlands is a fresh point for debate, but either way, we will have returned home.
Our ancestors submitted to polytheism because it helped them make sense of the world around them, but as we have progressed in the sciences and logical reasoning, there has been a shift from polytheism to pantheism; however, we have seen that pantheism can not escape the problem of a finite universe or logical contradiction of a religious experience between a person is both Deity and not Deity. Panentheism is able to reconcile all of these problems with the neo-pagan framework.
By recognizing that Deity exists apart from Nature, we can have a meaningful religious experience and be assured of our continuation within the divine fold for eternity. That divinity also imbues creation with its essence and we may well consider nature and its inhabitants divine in that sense, making it compatible with neo-pagan thought. In addition, ultimate deity can have many faces or facets and we both call upon our Gods, knowing they exist in the astral plane.
Deity will answer us no matter which name we call it by, but the beauty and aesthetics of mythology make for a richer life.
Namaste,
Eldyohr
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