“The Lord is (Approximately) One”

 What does it matter if one Almighty G-d runs the world or if an oligarchy of smaller ones does? The monotheistic religions create a canyon across the polytheistic ones, branded by the former as “pagans,” a word from the Latin “paganus” (of the countryside) which gives a “country bumpkin” image when invoked. Is really one superior to the other? 

The first limitation of a polytheistic religion is, clearly, that the all-encompassing order and wonder in the universe is mandated to a finite number of divine individuals. Moreover, there is a hierarchy between them that arbitrarily ranks some aspects of the universe above others based on cultural norms.

Concerning Dionysus and Athena, is it really worth it to equate the realm of wine with that of wisdom, by giving them each a god?  Is a single beverage worth what one cannot fully attain in a lifetime? Should they each be mandated equally? Furthermore, Ares in the Greek canon is a minor god, and Dionysus one of the twelve gods of Olympus. While the Norse myths may have a god of winter, clearly other equatorial cultures would not.

The all-encompassing beauty of religion is eclipsed when polytheism forces some elements of the universe to become more prominent than others solely by means of practice. The monotheistic religions, on the other hand, by teaching of one G-d that rules everything, ensures that all under the sun and beyond it is equally loved.

Pure monotheism can sometimes be problematic as well. If G-d is truly good and flawless, and all flows from Him, then the dangerous “just world theory” results. Whatever happens is for the good. People can abandon their well-being, expecting a miracle to occur and G-d to hand things to them.

Believers will not defend people to whom wrongs are committed, because “G-d punished them” and they ultimately deserved it. If G-d is everything, and G-d is good, it follows that everything is good, and therefore no ill should be feared at all. This mindset leads to irresponsible and laughable behavior. Although it is not widespread, it has been observed among some observant monotheists.

So, if both possess serious flaws that kill them both from the inside, what is the solution?

The obvious answer is to combine the best aspects of both. In truth, no religion is completely polytheist or completely monotheist.

The polytheists have the “king of the gods”, to whom all not delegated to the finite number of gods is delegated. This is so remarkably similar to the idea of the One G-d that it assisted Vatican II to the point of enactment—the idea that all people who have a god worship a god above all, so therefore condemning them for “not believing in G-d” is silly. In fact, “Zeus” in some Greek dialects is noted as “Dios”, which was transferred into the Romance Languages and is still used by monotheist speakers of these languages to denote their G-d.

Monotheism, which has significantly fewer forms than does Polytheism (no pun intended), has either created something akin to a divide within G-d—if such could be said about Him—or delegated responsibility to other parties—humans, primarily. Therefore, in Judaism, if humans commit bad deeds, G-d cannot control the result of their actions—though He very well can punish them. In Judaism, free will does exist, creating a responsibility for humanity to ensure that G-d’s image is not harmed.

Islam also possesses much of the same principle, best summed up as the famous “Trust in G-d, but tie your camel”. G-d has power, but humans also have all the power and G-d cannot make you win the lottery if you do not buy a ticket.

Within Christianity, the Trinity ensures that G-d and Man are mediated by a human entity—specifically Jesus, so the ruling force of the world becomes this triangle, in which one all-powerful G-d does not dictate absolutely everything. Why would G-d create the world if indeed he knew how all would turn out? The Kabbalah also included the idea of Enoch son of Jared in this role, who “walked with G-d, and was no more, for G-d took him” so that there is indeed a humanity—a pluralism and perhaps maybe a bit of a problem—with the affairs of the divine.

The world is not perfect and it cannot be—but that is because G-d must reveal Himself to mankind, and in this self-inflection through the innately flawed race of man, G-d too must take on this visage.  Man sees himself as one, as well as a race, and G-d too must manage to be both pluralistic and singular if He is to survive, and the same goes for any polytheistic canon.

No matter how many or how few gods one has, it is noteworthy (and true) to say that the gods became human and the humans became gods.

About Ezra Silk

I have been interested in journalism ever since I was an editor at my high school student newspaper, where I was involved in a freedom of speech controversy that was covered in the local newspaper as well as local television and radio outlets. The ACLU became involved, and the ensuing negotiations lead to a liberalization of my school's freedom of expression policy. I worked as a summer intern at the Hartford Courant after my freshman year at Wesleyan, reporting for the Avon Bureau under Bill Leukhardt and publishing over 30 stories. At the Argus I have been a news reporter, news assistant editor, news editor, features editor, editor-in-chief, executive editor, blogger, and multimedia director. I have overseen the redesign of wesleyanargus.com, founding the Blargus and initiating ArgusVideo at the beginning of my time as editor-in-chief during the spring of my junior year. During my senior year, I have co-edited the Blargus with Gianna Palmer and founded Argus News Radio, a 15-minute weekly show produced by WESU 88.1 on which I conduct a weekly segment interviewing seniors about their thesis topics. I have written over 70 stories at the Argus and continue to do reporting and blogging as much as I can.