Polytheists - A question about Divinity?

Question

[Caveat: As the sign says above - this is to those folks who believe in multiple gods. So its inclusive of many who describe themselves as Pagans, but exclusive of the Two Great Superpowers of R&S.

So i'd ask the Superpowers of both camps to kindly leave us Third Worlders in our state of peace and overlook this question.]

How would you define a Divinity or something Divine? Are there any characteristics that would make such a thing noticeable?

And what is Divine to you personally?

:Sits in his hut as the bombs start to fall:

Ah.... they never could stay off someone else's land....

Soviet Union: We must save you from those Capitalists swine!

Western Alliance: We must save you from oppression!

Third Worlder: Umm.....could you folks play on that side of the fence.

Answer 1

Many pagans these days believe that all goddesses are aspects of One Goddess, and likewise with the gods (this idea is usually called duotheism, or duolatry by academics). This is a perfectly valid belief, but it is worth knowing that there is no evidence that the ancient British tribes shared it. Rather, the indication is that they were polytheists ~ which means that they believed in loads of gods, goddesses, and other spirits ~ each real and separate, not an aspect of anything. At first you might not think it makes much difference, but it does effect how people relate to their Gods.
If a Druid believes that each god is unique and separate, then she must relate differently to each. So having got on well with Danu would not guarantee that she would get on well with An Chailleach (in the same way you have to treat each person as unique ~ just because one doctor is nice to you, doesn’t mean they all will be, given that each doctor is a separate person with their own ideas and views). It also means that not all Gods might relate well to each other ~ some chemicals when mixed cause an explosion, and so some Gods might cause mayhem if they both turned up at the same ritual!

Notions of good and evil were not very relevant to the old Druids. They had a strong moral code, which we will look at later, but didn’t think in quite the same way as most people do today. The Gods are neither good nor evil, they simply are. If a storm rages and lightning strikes your house, it would be silly to accuse the lightning of being wicked or evil ~ it’s simply behaving according to its own nature. Likewise, Donn (Lord of the dead) does not bring death into the world because he is awful or cruel ~ death is natural, it just happens whether we like it or not.
A polytheist also learns that just because two deities have some things in common, doesn’t mean they are the same deity, or identical in other respects. Owen and Rhys might both have the same hair colour, but that doesn’t mean they like the same music, have the same hobbies, or eat the same food. Nuada and Moccus are both rather war-like, but have little else in common.
The Gods are not seen as all-powerful. They have their limits, and must operate within the same universal laws as the rest of us. However, the Gods are more powerful than us mortals, and deserve respect. Druid rituals do not summon the Gods to attend ~ if a God wants to turn up, it will do so without an invite, and if it doesn’t want to come ... well, it won't matter how many candles we dance around, or how much we chant! The Gods can be praised, but it’s up to them if they turn up or not. As well as Gods, there are lots of other spirits which we will learn about in a future lesson. There are some spirits that only seem to appear if specifically invited; we’ll cover them in a future lesson too.
As you encounter Gods, you will see that each has their own character and temperament. This shapes how they respond to requests, which in turn is likely to influence whom you turn to for help. A lot of books talk in terms of Zeus being the god of thunder, Apollo the god of the sun, etc. This is fine up to a point, but it’s a bit limiting. Gods have lots of interests, just as humans do. Vincent Price, for example, was most famous for acting in horror movies, but he was also a gourmet cook, an expert on Native American art, an author, a husband (several times over) ~ there was more to him than just one dimension, and the same can be said for all of us. When a Druid considers which deity to approach for help with a problem, they don’t just look in a book to see who the goddess of that thing is.
Supposing someone wanted help getting a job. If they approach a teacher, she might give advice on how to study for the best qualifications to get the job. A fashion model might give ideas on the best clothes to wear to look stunning at the interview. The clerk at the local Job Centre might show how to write a really good CV. The local Crime Lord might just threaten to beat up the interviewer if he doesn’t give them the job. They could all help get the job, but each would have a totally different way of going about it. Whose help you sought would depend on what you felt the most effective approach to be. The Gods are the same, they can all help ~ but in very different ways.
You can learn about Celtic myths and Druid ideas without having to be a polytheist yourself. However, it will help you to know how polytheists think in order to understand the myths, and why rituals are done in certain ways.

The names most of us know the Old Gods by now are the versions of them spoken during the Dark Ages and Medieval periods, when the monks were writing them down. This is not how they would have been spoken in the Iron Age. Some names are known from altar inscriptions, whilst with others linguists have made educated guesses as to how people would probably have called their Gods in the days before Christianity.

Answer 2

How would you define a Divinity or something Divine? Are there any characteristics that would make such a thing noticeable?

And what is Divine to you personally?

The divine is a spiritual essence. It is the highest level of non-corporeal beings i.e. gods. There are non-corporeal beings that are not gods and not divine. Gods are not things that can be controlled. They cannot be bound or forced to behave in a certain manner. A spark of divinity also resides within all of us. I suppose that's where I would say our free will comes from.

Thought provoking question!

I love how primoa1970 insists the question must be implying that Christians are polytheists....I thought you make it pretty clear the question wasn't addressing CHristians at all (on the basis of their non-polytheism no less!) Way to think everything is about you, primoa1970!

Answer 3

I will be enclosing a link to an essay on Hellenic Theology by Dennis Dutton of Hellenion. Mr. Dutton is legally recognized clergy (Theoroi) through that Hellenic Polytheist organization.

http://duttond.topcities.com/Hellenotamiai/duttond/csp_theology.html

This is a good basic explanation of how many Hellenic Polytheists view Divinity.

The problem that this essay raised about understanding Divinity is that the common points between humanity and the Gods are shown by the EFFECTS the Gods have both in the Kosmos and in People. This is where the difficulties arise as each person experiences the Divine differently.

Answer 4

As a Hindu I don't believe in multiple gods, I believe in multiple manifestations of one Supreme Being. I would define something Divine as a being who is as close as you can get to being God without actually being God. Virtue, honesty, devotion, compassion - these are characteristics that one would notice. Personally Lord Ganesh and Durga Ma are Divine.

Answer 5

in my opinion being a mother is being divine....knowing that in 15-20yrs down the road ur child is likely to disagree with almost everything u say n belief in, n yet putting ur heart n soul in raising a child.....that's divinity... going out of the way n helping someone when there's no gain or need to....that's an act of divinity..... in the midst of todays 'what do i gain if i do that' world, u can still find divinity in flesh...perhaps thats why the world still spins!

Answer 6

The easiest way to explain it to someone of unknown education is via metaphor.

A god is as different from I as I am from non-human animals.


As a Wiccan, I do not believe for a second that all gods are two gods, or one. Wicca doesn't teach that.

Answer 7

I get the feeling that you think we Christians are polytheists.....

Not true......

We believe in one God.....who eternally exists in 3 distinct Personalities:

Father, Son & Holy Spirit.......3 but 1.

We do NOT serve multiple gods...........we serve the one true God. It doesn't take a masters degree to figure the trinity out......

Answer 8

There is only one God, the God of the Bible.