MONOTHEISM, POLYTHEISM and ATHEISM

This essay has three propositions:

(1)   Monotheism is belief in many gods, but is commitment to one God.

(2)   Polytheism is belief in many gods, and is commitment to many gods.

(3)   Atheism is non-belief in gods, but is commitment to gods.

To elaborate:

Christians, like the people of ancient Israel, are and should be polytheists, but only in terms of belief. Christians should acknowledge the fact that there are many gods out there, and that most of the world’s population are increasingly – although perhaps unconsciously – sliding towards committing themselves to several gods. These other gods, from a Christian perspective, do not have ontological existence and are but a product of fallen humanity’s imagination. Nevertheless, they are genuine objects of veneration and devotion. We can say that Christians should acknowledge the fact that the world is hallucinating, and that the world is continuously producing imaginary and ontologically empty beings and ideologies. We must believe that there are many other gods, and be able to recognize these gods in order to send them back into the non-existence from which they came from.

Our difference, as Christians, from polytheists is that although we recognize the presence of many gods, we are worshippers of only One – and the True God that is – while polytheists both believe and worship many gods. But I am not solely referring to ancient polytheism here. Polytheism has its many forms and branches (one of which is atheism). It has evolved, and will continually do so. It might be cleverly hidden, but what we need is to be able to discern its new manifestations. For instance, today, when we mention polytheism, people might immediately think of Egyptian religion, Hinduism or Greek mythology. What does not come to mind is that polytheism has already moved one, and has acquired an invisibility cloak that disables us from perceiving it. Whereas ancient polytheism worshipped only that which were thought as divine beings, along with the icons and idols representing these beings, modern polytheism worships different gods. They can be an ideology, a concept, or an ideal, but these gods are real objects of worship. As such, polytheism today, compared to the determined and limited (although already many) number of gods of ancient polytheism, have more gods. The problem though, is that modern polytheists are often self-conceited in thinking that they are not polytheists simply because they do not worship the gods of ancient religions. Contrary, therefore, to claim that Islam is the fastest growing religion today, it is actually polytheism. This sounds ironic at first sight, considering what sociologists refer to as the increasing secularization of the world. (I have written about the secularization and re-sacralization of the world here.) But actually, is it not that polytheism is but the expected child of secularization?

Atheist who state “I do not believe in gods” are telling the truth, but this does not mean that they are not a worshipper of something else. Everyone is a worshipper of someone or something. Atheist may not believe in the existence of both ancient and modern gods, and may not be committed to ancient gods, but they are definitely committed to a modern god or more. By virtue of the fact that they repudiate the existence of “mythical” creatures (the modern mind thinks of divine beings as mythical), they existentially commit themselves to naturalism and its gods. Thus, ironically, they are as religious – perhaps even more religious – than what they think they are. Scientology, which celebrities like John Travolta and Tom Cruise promote, is an example of a naturalistic religion.

Thus, these are the facts about the world’s religions today:

(1)   Christians believe in the existence of many gods, but are committed to only One.

(2)   Polytheists believe in the existence of many gods, and are committed to many.

(3)   Atheists do not believe in the existence of gods, but are committed to many.