Pagans, Pantheism and Polytheism

Last updated on: October 7, 2019 at 2:03 pm by Fr. Dwight Longenecker

Pagans, Pantheism and Polytheism 2019-10-07T14:03:44-05:00 Fr. Dwight Longenecker

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

It’s never easy to categorize paganism because it is, by its very nature, amorphous, subjective and lacking any central doctrinal or moral authority. Paganism in the ancient world was syncretistic and free flowing, gathering up various streams of spirituality, philosophy and devotional and ritualistic practices.

It is the same today. In fact, one could observe that paganism, with its undefined borders and subjective syncretism, is the understandable form of religion for our post modern age, just as it was in ancient Rome. In fact the similarities multiply once you begin to press them. The world of the Roman Empire was similarly diffuse with rapid mobility, movement of peoples and trade and therefore a cross pollination of culture, religious beliefs, philosophies and languages.

The simplest way to understand paganism is to realize that it has nothing to do with morality. The link between morality and religion is a Hebrew inspiration. Pagans may be “good” or they may be “bad”. They may regard themselves as “beyond good and evil.” In fact paganism has nothing intrinsically to do with morality. Instead paganism is a religious practice or belief that has to do with an interchange with the spiritual realm either to win favors in this life or to gain favors in the afterlife. Pagans try to please the gods or appease the gods depending on their perspective. They may not try to please gods as such and are only trying to please or appease “fate” or “their karma” or “the Force.”

We should not underestimate the power of paganism in the modern world today. There are very many pagans–people who have some sort of vague belief in a power of some kind and they hope for the best and may even take part in various religious practices believing that they will have a better life or a better afterlife or health or welfare or good luck of some kind. They may not define as pagans. Most do not. However, they are pagans in all but name.

With the present Synod in Rome on the Amazon it is worth outlining some other more specific forms of paganism. Pantheism is the idea that the natural world and God are the same. There is no God outside the cosmos. The natural universe is coterminous with God or at best the created universe is the “incarnation of God.” Panentheism is slightly different. Panentheism is the belief that there is a God greater than the cosmos, but that he inhabits the cosmos. God is not nature. Instead God is IN nature.

Animism is a more primitive understanding of pantheism. Most of the religions of indigenous peoples in the Amazon (and elsewhere) are animist. The animist doesn’t so much believe that Nature is God or that God is in Nature. Instead he believes that the different natural objects and creatures are indwelt by various different spirits. There are spirits of the trees, spirits of the waters, spirits of each different animal. The animist lives in a relationship with these different spirits. His religion usually consists of a highly developed mythology and series of rituals to appease and please these spirits–usually because his survival and thriving depends on it.

Polytheism is the natural outgrowth of animism. Animism is the primitive form of polytheism. In polytheism the gods and goddesses of nature become separated from their individual mountains, trees, rivers and animals. They become gods and goddesses on their own right, and demand worship and appeasement not so much as the god of that particular body of water (let’s say) but Poseidon becomes the god of the sea in a more general way. In polytheism the myths and rituals or religion–the way to understand and appease these gods becomes even more ornate and elaborate.

What is the Catholic response? When involved in any ecumenical or inter faith dialogue the Catholic response is always to ascertain what is good, beautiful and true in a particular belief, but also to go on and show how Catholicism accepts what is good, beautiful and true and also corrects what is in error.

What is good about polytheism? Only the recognition that there are many spiritual beings out there. The spiritual writers understand them to be demigods–dark angels that inhabit the spiritual realm and demand man’s allegiance. In many ways and in many forms they possessed the bodies and souls of humanity for many ages.

What is good about animism? It is good to recognize the spiritual dimension of all living things, but we reject the idea that every living thing has its own inhabiting spirit. Whenever confronted with this religion in the past the Catholic Church has discerned that these various “nature spirits” are, in fact, demonic earth bound spirits. They are to be cast out and the creation reclaimed for Christ the King. St Paul says this when he writes that “all creation groans for redemption.” (Romans 8:19-23)

What is good about panentheism? The recognition that there is a God who is the Creator and is above and beyond his own creation. We also recognized that, in a way, he is in all of his creation for it is in and by the Word–the second person of the Trinity, that all things were created and it is by him that all things live and move and have their being. (Col.1:16-17) St Thomas Aquinas taught that it was the force of Divine Love that held together not only the whole created order, but it was also the binding power within the Trinity itself.

What is good about pantheism? Not much really, except the idea that nature is sacred –not because it is God, but because it was created by God and reveals the Creator God to us because we can see and know the work of his hands.

So we may discern some good things in these various religions, but we mustn’t fall into the foolish trap of indifferentism or syncretism. Indifferentism is the naive and sentimental notion that all religions are really pretty much the same and are of the same value. You know the corny old saw, “We’re all climbing the same mountain, just by different paths”? Well that’s just silly. For anyone who thinks it through at all there are clearly some religions that are nobler, purer and more sublime than others. The theology and prayers of Thomas Aquinas cannot really compare to sacrificing a chicken to the spirit of the mango tree. The architecture of Chartres hardly compares to the squalid cave of Kali. The ten commandments and the Beatitudes are not really on the same level as the pagan haruspex fortelling your fate by examining the intestines of a goat.

As we are called to “listen to the people” who practice these other religions we should do so with an open mind, but also with a discerning spirit. We should avoid sentimentality and naivety and our seeking of understanding should not be devoid of proper criticism, discernment and astute analysis.

Image Mario Rodriguez at Unsplash

Uncategorized

Previous Post

October 2, 2019

Guide to the Guardian Angels

Next Post

October 20, 2019 Pachamama and the Pieta

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Anglican Matters Apologetics Architecture Blobble Study Book Reviews Brideshead Caitlin O'Rourke Catholic Art Catholic Culture Church Politics Chust for Nice Contemporary Culture Duane Mandible Ed Blanch Film Reviews Fr Harvey Nicolaitan Frank Viola Mantilla the Hon More Christianity Mrs Brady Catholic Old Lady Mystery of the Magi Norman Anderson Queen Hillary Saints and Supernatural Spirituality The Inklings The Vicar Theology Todd Unctuous Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz