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Subscribe to this list via RSS Blog posts tagged in polytheism

Posted by on in Studies Blogs
Made in God's Image

My friend and I were having a conversation the other day. I was relating the story of my journey to South Africa and my trip to Robben Island, but more specifically the powerful effect the artwork on the prison walls had on me. This artwork was significant because the prisoners on Robben Island were overwhelmingly African, yet there was a picture of a white Jesus on the walls. My friend couldn't understand why African prisoners would choose to draw a picture of a white Jesus on the wall until I explained to him the historical significance of the missionary movement in Africa and specifically how white privilege played a part in the conversion of slaves to Christianity. 

"That is so sad." He commented, half in shock. And I must agree with him. As a Pagan, I draw strength and comfort from the concept that my deities come in many shapes and sizes. They are not limited by gender or sexual expression, size or natural status. In essence I can find in my deities the diversity of expression that reflects my own humanity and allows me to connect with them on a deeper level. For Christians, this is limited by their monotheistic view of God Himself. Who gets to determine what God looks like? In many cases that question is answered by whoever is in power.

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Title: Of Kindred and Stardust

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Posted by on in Culture Blogs
Curse You, Narendra Modi

Curse you, Narendra Modi.

You're shooting all my nice, simplistic binaries to bloody red rags.

Monotheism = narrow-minded, intolerant, exclusionist.

Polytheism = broad-minded, accepting, inclusionist.

Here's a nice, pat example of Binary-Think that I suspect many pagans are familiar with. History provides us with just enough buttressing examples to make it look almost convincing.

Then along comes bloody-minded Indian premier Narendra Modi with his anti-Muslim Hindutva-Think, thus proving—insofar, at least, as Hinduism may be said to be polytheistic—that polytheists are just as capable of narrow, intolerant, exclusionary thinking (and behavior) as any monotheist.

As if we didn't already know as much from our own community.

Of course, we could make excuses.

We could say: Hinduism isn't really polytheist.

We could say: Hindutva isn't Hinduism, it's a misuse of Hinduism.

We could say: They're not real Hindus.

These, of course, are the same lame, unsatisfying excuses that everyone else makes when their co-religionists act badly.

Or, with a little more thought, we could say: In the policies of the Indian Right we see polytheism aping monotheism at its worst.

We could say: Here we see polytheism reconceived monotheistically.

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Posted by on in Culture Blogs

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Posted by on in Culture Blogs

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Posted by on in Culture Blogs

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I am disappointed -- again. 

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Posted by on in Paths Blogs

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This post was inspired by the MyPolytheism project.

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