Perhaps this is the wrong time of day for this....
2007-03-13 03:09:28 · 11 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
I don't know the best answer. Guess this one goes to vote.
2007-03-14 11:57:58 · update #1
Most non-Abrahamic peoples hold that the gods are a natural part of the world, subject to broader natural laws.
So the answer is neither.
2007-03-13 03:12:57 · answer #1 · answered by LabGrrl 7 · 5⤊ 0⤋
I think that it works both ways--however, i don't limit this just to the gods. I subscribe to a holographic view of the Universe, in which each element of reality--from stones to butterflies to atoms to dinosaur bones--all contain a reflection of the Universe as a whole. I'm also a panentheist; the Divine is found within all things; deities are not the ultimate form of Divinity, IMO. The Divine is the spirit that is within everything that exists across all Space/Time, and even these words necessarily limit the understanding of Divinity.
So I believe that deities (and everything else) are facets of Divinity, and that Divinity is made up of all things; we are all interdependent on each other's perception of reality to exist.
2007-03-13 18:33:56 · answer #2 · answered by Lupa 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
They are much like us; they have different manifestations in many dimensions. They transcend our physical world and are wise beyond our ability to comprehend. They may be a force or power, and have certain qualities of personality. They may take on humanlike forms that are an expression of aspects of their nature. And like us, the totality of their being is very difficult to describe, or to understand.
2007-03-13 23:55:05 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
The universe is the embodiment of the Divine, which shows itself to us in myriad Gods and Goddesses.
The Gods and Goddesses are *also* manifestations of the world, of human desire and energy, in that as we focus energy onto them, they become more concrete, more specialized, more "personified".
2007-03-13 11:29:42 · answer #4 · answered by Praise Singer 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
in my belief, i think both. (but also assuming that gods are symbolic of the transcendental power of the universe rather than actual deities) i think that originally the universe was a manifestation of the 'gods', but as it grows and changes, it also changes the manifestation of those 'gods'. as they are completely intertwined and not really seperate from one another.
2007-03-13 10:17:18 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
For this pagan the gods and goddesses are symbolic of the natural world, personifications of elemental forces.
.
2007-03-13 10:24:46 · answer #6 · answered by Chickyn in a Handbasket 6 · 5⤊ 0⤋
They weren't called pagans before christianity came along. The church incorporated these pagan beliefs into the christian faith, then turned on the originators and called them pagans, or godless. Ironic eh?
2007-03-13 10:20:59 · answer #7 · answered by Lukusmcain// 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
A little of both wouldn't you say.
Now the christian/Muslim God is a direct manifestation of the way people see the world.
Love and blessings Don
2007-03-13 10:13:05 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
manifestations of the world. people make that stuff up.
But you're going to get a WIDE range of answers for that.
2007-03-13 10:11:58 · answer #9 · answered by GLSigma3 6 · 1⤊ 4⤋
Give an ape a pen and whisper in his ear..."you look like a god why don't you write something."
2007-03-13 10:12:01 · answer #10 · answered by Nehru 3 · 1⤊ 4⤋