God did not create evolution–evolution created God. The evolution of religion is as follows: animism–polytheism–monotheism–agnosticism–atheism. As history progresses, people worship fewer and fewer gods, and the one God becomes the incredible shrinking god. He shrinks and shrinks until he becomes insignificant. More and more theists go about their business as if God isn’t there. Some even become agnostics or atheists. (G.M. Jackson)
Thinking about the musings from DAY 18: The Basics Of Polytheism/Animism…
I would suggest to you that without question, humans thousands of years ago left behind enough evidence for archeologists to conclude that in fact, ‘Someone Upstairs Runs The Show’. I would also suggest that in the end, regardless of where or when they existed, humans have been consistent in acknowledging that…
Someone Upstairs Runs The Show.
I saw this bumper sticker and have always wondered about its meaning:
Below is what each letter represents:
C: Islam (The crescent moon is a symbol for Islam);
O: Pacifism (The peace sign really gained popularity in the US in the late 1960’s);
E: Gay Rights (The male and female symbols are both fused together);
X: Judaism (The Star of David could be interpreted to like an X);
I: Pagan (The 5-pointed star that represents the dot in the letter i);
S: Taoism/Daoism (The Yin and Yang symbol forms the basic structure of the letter s) and;
T: Christianity (The cross is a symbol for Christianity)….
I guess in a way, all of the belief systems represented on this bumper sticker can in fact be considered a form of Polytheism/Animism. After all, the definition of polytheism is the worship of more than one god. There is a case to be made that the individual who created this bumper sticker is in fact promoting Polytheism/Animism through the letter ‘I’. (A Pagan or a Heathen follows a polytheistic religion).
The bumper sticker implies that all these belief systems can ‘Coexist’, regardless of what each individual belief system represented believes regarding the fact that ‘Someone Upstairs Runs The Show’.
With that being said, there is a question that I cannot logically find an answer to regarding this idea that all of those belief systems can in fact ‘Coexist’.
I get the theory behind the ‘Coexist’ bumper sticker, but how about the reality of the ‘Coexist’ bumper sticker when applied in the real world?
In other words, if Polytheism/Animism is a logical belief system, then the ‘Coexist’ bumper sticker would be validated and everyone who owns a car should put it on their bumper as well.
Let’s say for sake of argument, that you run into 2 individuals who both believe in Polytheism/Animism. The first individual, has a river that runs right outside their house. This individual however, has no ocean within hundreds of miles of his home.
Meanwhile, hundreds of miles away, a second individual, can see an ocean right outside their house. However, this second individual has no river within hundreds of miles of his home.
So, applying syllogism, the logic would flow like this:
PART A – Due to geography, individual 1 believes in a river god, but due to location, cannot possibly know about an ocean god;
PART B – Due to geography, individual 2 believes in an ocean god, but due to their location, cannot possibly know about a river god;
PART C – If the two individuals met and began exchanging information about their gods, they would both walk away agreeing that the other, newly discovered god is in fact able to ‘Coexist’ equally with their own god….
I think.
PART C is where I am having the most difficulty coming to a logical conclusion regarding the Polytheism/Animism belief system.
For example, below are 7 potential questions that need to be asked, to determine whether or not both individuals would in fact walk away believing that both could ‘Coexist’ with each other:
1) Would the first individual who worships a river god deny the existence of an ocean god because they do not live near an ocean?
2) Would the second individual who worships an ocean god deny the existence of a river god because they do not live near a river?
3) Would the first individual who worships a river god rank it higher than the ocean god because they are more familiar with it?
4) Would the second individual who worships an ocean god rank it higher than the river god because they are more familiar with it?
5) Is it possible that the first individual may not even accept the ocean god?
6) Is it possible that the second individual may not even accept the river god?
7) Once learning about the characteristics of a river and an ocean, what are the odds that both individuals are willing to accept that both the river god and ocean god, are equal in every way?
Anyone familiar with the geography of planet Earth knows that we have much more than just rivers and oceans. If fact, planet Earth is filled with many more geographic features.
Here is a pretty comprehensive list that I was able to track down:
Archipelago, atoll, badlands, bay, beach, butte, canal, canyon, cape, cave, channel, cliff, delta, desert, dune, fjord, forest, geyser, glacier, gulf, hill, iceberg, island, isthmus, jungle, lagoon, lake, marsh, mesa, mountain, ocean, peninsula, plain, plateau, prairie, river, sea, sound, swamp, tundra, valley, volcano, and waterfall.
Based off of this extensive list of geographic features on planet Earth, go back and re-read the 7 potential outcomes of those two individuals with the river and ocean gods. If those questions seemed confusing or no simple answer exists, what would happen when believers of a canyon, desert and mountain god join the conversation?
Would they all walk away at the end of the conversation thinking that their gods are all equal and thus can all equally Coexist?
What happens when you throw in other gods that are non-geographic, like: thunder, marriage, war, science, love, wisdom, music, the sun, the moon, and others, like the ancient Greeks and Romans, and others, did?
Would they all come to the same conclusion that the ‘Coexist’ bumper sticker makes logistical sense?
After applying Aristotle’s syllogism to Polytheism/Animism, and more specifically a single river god and single ocean god within that system, is it truly possible for them to ‘Coexist’ with someone who does not believe in the Polytheism/Animism belief system?
In order to have a logical discussion with someone else, let alone coming to a logical conclusion about any topic yourself, shouldn’t consistency matter?
If that answer is yes, then the next question is, does the belief system of Polytheism/Animism seem consistent when syllogism is applied in order to determine its reliability?
If the answer is no, then is Polytheism/Animism a belief system that makes logistical sense to believe in?
If the answer is no, can the ‘Coexist’ bumper sticker…exist?
If I had a second belief system to compare with Polytheism/Animism, would I still come to the same conclusions that I currently have after reading the above information?
Hinduism will be covered next time.
Do not feel discouraged if you are having a difficult time applying syllogism to the Polytheism/Animism belief system. Do not feel discouraged if you are still undecided as whether or not Polytheism/Animism lacks consistency as a belief system. Instead, embrace the idea that you have a brain that can input all of this knowledge and can come to your own conclusions, conclusions that no other species on the planet can come to. Embrace the idea that Reading Is Fundamental and Knowledge Is Power and applying these concepts to question the logistical validity of the Polytheistic/Animistic belief system is a good sign.
13 And in all things that I have said unto you be circumspect: and make no mention of the name of other gods, neither let it be heard out of thy mouth. (Exodus 23:13 KJV)
Was today’s blog a little confusing at times? Was the content perhaps a little overwhelming? Did you feel lost not understanding some or most of the subject matter?
Those feelings are totally understandable and it is ok to have one or more of those feelings. Remember that you are reading Day 19: The Validity Of Polytheism/Animism.
If you haven’t been in class since the first day of school…or when the project began…or when the contract was first signed, etc., these feelings make perfect and logistical sense.
Please feel free to go back to where all of this began: