A World Full of Gods: An Inquiry into Polytheism [Paperback]

John Michael Greer (Author)

Book Description

Release date: September 20, 2005

In this book John Michael Greer turns his attention to the intellectual underpinnings and superstructures of the Pagan and magical movements. Pagan religions have tended to be more concerned with practice that with theory and in a system that has no dogma - no legislated doctrine - that is as it should be. Yet as out movement grows and matures, it is inevitable that we will begin to think in a more abstract way about our models and systems. John Michael Greer has provided a primer on the kinds of ideas and themes that must be included in any discussion of the theology and philosophy of Neo-pagan religions.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

John Michael Greer is the author of twelve published and forthcoming books on alternative spirituality and magic, including Druidry: A Green Way of Wisdom (Weiser, 2005). Active in many branches of the contemporary Druid community, he is a member of ADF, as well as the current head of the Ancient Order of Druids in America (AODA), and received the Mount Haemus Award from the Order of Bards Ovates and Druids (OBOD) in 2003 for his research into the history of modern Druidry. He lives in the Siskiyou Mountains of southern Oregon with his wife Sara.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: ADF Publishing (September 20, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0976568101
• ISBN-13: 978-0976568100
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #117,801 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Born in the gritty Navy town of Bremerton, Washington and raised in the south Seattle suburbs, I began writing about as soon as I could hold a pencil. SF editor George Scithers' dictum that all would-be writers have a million words of so of bad prose in them, and have to write it out, pretty much sums up the couple of decades between my first serious attempt to write a book and my first published book, "Paths of Wisdom", which appeared in 1996. These days I live in Cumberland, Maryland with my spouse Sara; serve as presiding officer -- Grand Archdruid is the official title -- of the Ancient Order of Druids in America (AODA), a Druid order founded in 1912; and write in half a dozen nonfiction fields, nearly all of them focused on the revival of forgotten ideas, insights, and traditions of practice from the rubbish heap of history.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 42 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally! March 22, 2006

By Freysson

Format:Paperback

If you have ever wanted a book to put forth a good intellectual case for polytheism, this is the book. That may mean you just want to know why those strange people believe that stuff, or that you are a serious student of religion who wants insights for the Western mind into the religous stance of a large part of the world's population. Greer does this, and does it well...

Additionally he starts to address the classical philosophical arguements for monotheism and where they are lacking. If this book had been around a number of years ago, a lot of people who felt bullied by semi-informed people with half of an arguement whould have had a lot better time of it. If you have proplems with apologists, this book can also be a help.

Most of all however, this is a real serious book that goes far beyond the usual Pagan fare. It is serious and takes the MIND seriously rather than just ignoring it with an off the cuff "you have to experience it to understand", which is totally unsatisfying to those who have spent a lot of time and effort in their religous seeking. The mind and logic cannot be ignored. Greer doesn't. I hope to see many more books like this.

42 of 43 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars At last, a vocabulary for Polytheists November 9, 2005

By Diana L. Paxson

Format:Paperback

When modern pagans engage in interfaith discussion they often have difficulty articulating our position in terms that other faiths will understand. What Greer has done is to provide the intellectual tools needed to engage in such discussions, presenting the basic theological and philosophical premises and arguments for and against monotheism and polytheism in a clear, accessible style. Polytheists will be delighted to have a rationale for their beliefs that goes beyond "it works for me", and monotheists may find themselves questioning some basic assumptions. I will be recommending this book for use in the pagan clergy training programs with which I am involved.

52 of 56 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Groundbreaking work October 31, 2005

By John P. Plummer VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

The revival of paganism in recent decades has not yet produced much sustained theological reflection. This is as one might expect, given the pressures of building new communities, and providing the resources needed to support developing spiritual practice. As pagan communities stabilize and grow, second order reflection begins to appear. It is a delight to discover John Michael Greer's newest book, a theological offering of which any spiritual tradition could be proud.

Greer has many decades of pagan spiritual practice under his belt. He currently heads a major Druid order, and participates actively in a number of other organizations and projects. He approaches his subject with a well-informed ease and an intellectual grace which are completely refreshing.

While fully in dialogue with contemporary theological scholarship, Greer's book is accessible to the non-academic reader. He rightly points to the foundational nature of religious experience in today's pagan world. Theology and practice are judged on the basis of experience, and not vice versa. Looking at the wide range of religious experience reported by human beings, Greer comes to the common-sense conclusion that such experience varies so widely as to be "inherently polytheistic" (70). Moreover:

"... [I]t's perfectly valid to say of gods and neutrinos alike that while we don't know if they actually exist, the universe appears to work as though they do. In religious experiences, certainly, the gods appear to be real entities external to the human mind and nervous system. Until solid evidence or sound reasoning shows that this is definitely not the case, accepting it as a working hypothesis is at least as reasonable as rejecting it out of hand." (77)

Greer has little time for liberal attempts to claim that the various divinities are simply masks for the One God. Rather, he postulates that the gods and goddesses are unique beings or forces across a wide spectrum (from the local spirit of a river to a great stellar goddess) which are not omniscient or omnipotent like the traditional Christian god. Rather, the gods share in the universe along with us:

"Thus, it's wholly reasonable to suggest that gods, like forests, Fanny Brawne, and the paper on which this book is printed, participate in a fundamental unity that embraces the entire cosmos. It's equally reasonable to suggest that this unity is worth of human reverence. None of this justifies the claim that one should worship the unity and not the gods - much less that one should identify the unity with one and only one of the gods." (110)

In Greer's vision, worship is primarily an exercise in building a relationship with the gods, and morality is a quest for a balanced and harmonious life in the world that we share with the gods. There is no one human problem which religion sets out to solve, but rather a diversity of people with many different needs.

"If different people have different spiritual needs, which are best met by different religions, this suggests that there may be no common ground to the spiritual quest whatsoever, and that people may be justified in pursuing radically different means, goals, and ends in the spiritual dimension of their lives." (138)

This short review has only scratched the surface of this book, which is easily one of the most stimulating theological works I have read in recent years. Regardless of whether one identifies with paganism, or agrees with Greer's conclusions, he offers us much to ponder. I highly recommend A World Full of Gods to spiritual seekers of all traditions, as well to anyone seeking a deeper understanding of contemporary paganism.