Is Christianity a polytheist religion? I believe it is.?

Question

The various Christian sects worship God, the "Holy Ghost," the Son, the Virgin Mary, and many other lessor demigods they call saints. On the flip side they fear a demigod they created and personified themselves--Satan. The also call on various Angels with prayer--as in Micheal the Arch Angel. That is a perfect dictionary discription of polytheism.

" This is Catholism, not Christianity." Now that statement by one of the Answerers really showed the underbelly of tody's protestants.

Here's another one of wierd ones. "He has three manifestations: God, the Father, God, the Son and God, the Holy Spirit." Now, logically this answerer is saying that the King James Bible has God holding conversations with himself.

Isn't interesting how many of the answerers that are most vehement do not capitalize there religion, christianity, or the God. Fraudian sleep, perhaps, and they do have edit buttons.

Ah another answerer says. " Your going to hell," and surely makes him a follower of the gentle Reb.

Answer 1

Most xians do not recognize that their faith is polytheistic. It wasn't a new idea, one that they stole like most of their rituals and belief systems. They try to get around it by calling it a triune god (father, son and holy spigot). Catholics deny that Mary is worshiped as a "god" but there are too many shrines and prayers to convince me they don't revere her as one.

Satan is supposedly a fallen angel, not a god.

I call myself a polyatheist because there are so many gods NOT to believe in...

Answer 2

Most (not all) Christians believe God has a "triune nature," which we refer to as the Trinity: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit. To us, these three entities are One God, not three.

Prayer to "saints" is not a universal Christian practice. Only Catholics encourage prayer to saints; they vehemently deny worshiping the saints, however. Protestants dismiss praying to "saints" as idolatry.

The Bible clearly teaches about the existance of Satan; this is not a made-up entity created by men who wanted to scare us. Read Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28, for example. Also, the "serpent" mentioned in Genesis is Satan.

God created angels, which are also mentioned in the Bible. We are cautioned many times in the Bible NOT to worship angels.

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines polytheism as "belief in or worship of more than one god." This does not apply to Christians because we will not worship anyone other than the One true God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Peace.

Answer 3

Well, they don't think it is, but from a pagan point of view it is.

Catholics may be the ones that have devotions to saints and the Virgin Mary, but most all Protestants believe in the Father, Son and Holy Ghost and claim three Gods in one.

The Jesus only people claim Jesus is God the Father, the Son and Holy Ghost, but cannot explain why there is still three . They also cannot explain who spoke from heaven when Jesus was preaching and the heavens opened up and a voice in heaven said," This is my Son whom I am well pleased, listen to him". I made one Pentecostal pastor so mad he stormed out of my house yelling that I was demon possessed because I asked him if Jesus was a ventriloquist?"

Answer 4

The early Judaism of the Levitical cult, from which Christianity would later develop was monotheistic in the sense that they worshiped only one God. However, they recognized that there were other gods with whom their God was in competition. However, as Jewish theology developed it began to lean towards radical monotheism that insisted not only that its followers worshiped only one diety but that there really was only one. Christianity springs from that tradition; however, the witness of the Hebrew scriptures contains both strains and as such there are carry-overs from this earlier brand of monotheism that can confuse the issue.

In the first few centuries of Christianity, there was a resurgence of a non-exclusive monotheism that suggested that there were many gods. In particular, many groups of gnostics insisted that since the world was flawed and corrupted that a lesser God made it. This, they said, was the creator god who made fallen matter as opposed to the god whom they worship who was perfect and made perfect spirits. The creator god was the god of the old testament and the spirit god the god of the new testament and as such they rejected the creator god for the spirit god. These gnostic groups were largely condemned as heretics by the orthodox church who proceeded to persecute the gnostics such that today most Christians proceed from this system of orthdoxy.

However, even within orthodoxy there is some room for confusion on this issue surrounding the doctrine of the Trinity which states that there is one God but that that God is known in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit which are uniquely three and at the same one one. Some radical monotheists will argue that this is really polytheistic; Muslims for example reject the Chrisian doctrine of the Trinity as a heretical antithesis to radical monotheism.

Additionally, there is debate within the Christian community over the roll of saints. Roman Catholic dotrine states that saints can intercede with God on behalf of Christians and so many Roman Catholics will pray to a saint who they believe will carry their prayers to God. Many Protestants reject this theology; claiming that Christ alone is our intermediary. Out of this debate rises the accusation that Roman Catholics are worshiping the saints but that is a matter that is still debated.

As for angels, demons, and the person of Satan, these figures play very similar roles as "demi-gods" or lesser dieties in polytheistic religions and are, in some sense, a carry over from Christianity's roots in the Levitical cult. Some Christians have adopted a radical monotheistic theology that insists that outright rejects these while others have proposed that they are were created by the one God and as such are creatures in the same way that human beings are creatures and not gods. Thus, in this theology any worship of them would be idolatry in the same way that worshiping a person, animal, or statue might be as well.

Answer 5

You believe wrongly.

There is only One God for Christians: God the Father/Son/Holy Spirit. The Trinity is not a heavenly oligarchy. The Trinity is One God understood to operate in three forms.

A saint is NOT a demigod. A demi-god, by definition, is a person that is "half god, half human". They are often found in Greco-Roman pantheon mythologies, as their "gods" had really ravenous sexual appetites for humans (weird!).

A Saint, by contrast, is purely human. The designation of a "saint" is merely the (Roman Catholic) recognition of that person's holy life and walk with God. It is like saying "this person is officially a good example of a Christian".

The satan is NOT a demigod, also by definition. It is a fallen angel. Christians recognize two types of sentient beings: Humans and Angels. All Humans are fallen, with the exception of Jesus Christ. One-third of the Angels are fallen, with the satan (Adversary, Chief Enemy) as their leader. We did not create the Adversary. God did. He did not create it as evil; God created a good angel (Lucifer, prince of Light and Music) who became prideful and rebelled against its Creator, becoming the Enemy.

Fear this loser? As if!!!

"Prayer" is simply a form of communication. "Would you walk me home? This street is spooky in the dark," could be considered a "prayer", since it is a supplication to someone "stronger" for aid. While some Christians may personally address unseen beings other than God, that communication must not be confused with worship. Only God recieves worship.

Hopefully you understand better.

Answer 6

I think the early Catholic church (and possibly even today's Catholic church) is somewhat pantheistic. I say pantheistic because God is still at the head of the Catholic pantheon and he is revered as the highest power. But you're right - there are the aspects of God (father, son, holy spirit), the Virgin Mary, and all of the saints who are also revered. Also - the pantheons of angels etc...

Polytheism suggests more than one god - and that all are revered equally. Pantheism, however, means more than one god with one at the top, and others worshiped to varied degrees depending on their place in the hierarchy. The one at the top remains the most important though.

Catholicism is the Mother of Christianity, whether other sects want to believe it or not. If my memory serves me correctly, the Catholic church was started by Jesus' disciple, Peter.

Answer 7

I am a Catholic and will answer your question as such.
firstly we worship God and God only,Father ,Son and Holy Spirit.
secondly we Do Not worship any other created being, we do however Honour the Blessed Virgin Mary,and the Saints,because of their example in thier loving service and obediance to God.
thirdly we nor any other Christian created lucifer God created him who later chose to rebell, and lastly St.Michael the Archangel was the one who fought against lucifer and his rebellious Angels and by God`s command delivered them into Hell, and we believe that he guards the people of God, again by God`s command.
so your comment that this is polytheism does not hold up at all if you have read and understood this answer as it is intended.
neither Mary nor the Angels or the Saints are God, and are not elevated so in the Catholic church.
I hope this answer suffices because if not, what will suffice?

Answer 8

lol. Christians are believers of the trinity (the father, the son, and the holy ghost). But that's why their called Christians, because of their belief in Christ and his relationship with god (which creates the trinity). Polytheism is the worship of many gods. Christians never claim Jesus as a God himself but as the son of God. Otherwise, wouldn't he be like.. the brother of God or something? And what about that whole "no other Gods before me" that God says in the Bible. That scripture is the basis of Christians being monotheistic, not polytheistic.

Answer 9

A little knowledge is such a dangerous thing! Your question is great evidence of this. We Christians are monothestic. We only worship ONE God. He has three manifestations: God, the Father, God, the Son and God, the Holy Spirit. I'm sure you hold many offices in your life: child of your parents, uncle/aunt, cousin, whatever your profession is, etc. Does that make you more than one person?
As for saints, we look to them as those who nearly perfectly practiced faith. They are examples.
Catholics do pray to many of these saints. I accept them as working out their salvations as best they understand.
I only worship Jesus. He was both wholly human and wholly divine. He died for my sins. He said when we see him, we see the father. He also explained that he would send the Holy Spirit as an internal guide and comforter, another manifestation of himself that dwells in me! I only pray to him.
The veil of the temple was rent in two at his death. That revealed that he gave me full access by adoption into the spiritual family of God. I can go to God directly. I do not understand Christians that do not know this, but I do not judge. The bible tells us with fear and trembling work out our own salvation.
Jesus was, is and ever shall be. He got up out of the grave with all power in his hand. I serve one MIGHTY God. I offer Christ to you. He'll save you and give you peace.
God bless you.

Answer 10

That's actually more like what Catholics believe.I'm a Christian,and I certainly don't worship Mary,I don't pray to any angels,nor do I regard Satan as a 'demi-god'.We are told in the Bible to worship the one true God.I also see that you are talking abou the Trinity.I'm not going to get too far into that,because I don't want to get into an argument,but the Trinity (which not all Christians believe anyway) is one God,but in three forms.

Answer 11

This is Catholism, not Christianity.
Protestants do not pray to the Virgin Mary.
God, Jesus, and Holy Spirit are One, the Trinity.
Satan is not a demigod!
Demigods are people (whatever) that is loved by any group. Satan is hated except by Satanists.