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A World Full of Gods: An Inquiry into Polytheism

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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.

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.

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.

I found a lot to agree with in John Michael's material, and have very few complaints about it -- actually only one real technical complaint at all, concerning his characterization of the Audacht Morainn as a Pagan text when all the written texts of Ireland are from the Christian period and bear its influence.

He shows the major arguments for monotheism as "better than" polytheism for the straw men they are, and argues that real world evidence suggests polytheism as a logical explanation for the vast variety of human spiritual experiences. John Michael deals with the whole "all religions are really talking about the same thing" argument the same way I do -- they aren't. We're not all climbing to the same mountaintop. In fact, we may not all be looking to climb mountains at all, and that's just fine.

I think that monotheists of all stripes are going to come away from this book feeling very uncomfortable, but considering the deathgrip that monotheism has had on theology for the past 1500 or so years, it's good to have that complacency poked and disabused. John Michael argues that polytheism's inclusiveness is its strength, and a more accurate reflection of reality than the exclusivity of monotheism with its warring "exclusively true" texts that contradict one another in their generalities and their specifics. Greer manages to show how monotheism chokes on its own circular logic, and that isn't going to set well with mainstream religions at all. At the same time, I think it's essential for Pagans doing interfaith work to have this information and these arguments in their arsenal, and it would probably be a good idea to share it with your monotheist colleagues to show them just how *different* our worldviews really are from their own.

He presents polytheistic deity as differing in kind and quality from monotheistic deity, and argues that deity does not by definition require omnipotence, omnipresence or omnibenevolence to be deity. In fact, many of his arguments are those I've used over the years, though rather less eloquently. I think this is an essential book for Pagan theologians who want to reach beyond the "we're all one" rhetoric of interfaith work and the shadow of monotheism that continues to envelop most theological inquiry, despite Paganism's inherent polytheism. It's a potent reminder for newer Pagans that we're not playing in the same field as the monotheistic religions so many of us have left behind us in our spiritual search.

I think that any quibbles I might have with details in this book are far overshadowed by its importance in dealing with the usual arguments assembled against polytheism and Paganism by the adherents of the major monotheist religions of the world. It addresses differences between polytheist paths rather better than Michael York's Pagan Theology simply because John Michael's not trying to squish every Pagan religion into one particular overarching theological pattern. Greer allows for differences where York attempts to find unity in his presentation. Both books are valuable, but Greer's approach allows for the differences between the reconstructionist paths and the Wiccan-based Paganisms where York's approach doesn't.

York's definition of Neopaganism (which includes, for him, reconstructionists and pretty much anyone not a member of a tribal or indigenous religion) is the following:

"Neopaganism may be broadly defined by its calendar of eight sabbats, or festivals; its ceremonial circle; its peculiar identity of the directions and elements; its ritual paraphernalia and invocations, chants, and songs; and, above all, its bigendered or bitheistic notion of deity."

I don't know about all you folks reading this, but the only thing Celtic Reconstructionist Paganism fits in that list is that we have ritual invocations, chants and songs. We accept deity as being more than one gender, but we are by no means "bitheistic". This is the great lack in York's work on Pagan theology -- its narrowing of Neopaganism to one particular definition rather than dealing with Greer's much broader category of polytheistic religions -- all of which are Pagan either by their own or by other's definitions.

That said, York's book lays some excellent groundwork and I think it's absolutely necessary for Pagan theologians, but in the end, Greer's book is, I think, more generally accurate and addresses more of what is actually of concern to Pagan theologians. It offers a direct challenge to monotheist assumptions, while York often seems to buy into the "we're all on different paths up the same mountain" monotheist paradigm.

I recommend this book for two kinds of people: Anyone who does or does not believe in God; and anyone who appreciates an exquisitely presented argument.

I challenge my fellow Amazon.com shoppers to find another book that presents the subject of God or Gods with as much simplicity, scholarship, and balance as Greer presents here.

If our schools taught world religion and our society wanted to encourage religious freedom, A World Full of Gods would be recommended reading at the high school level.

I found this book a worthwhile read and would love to actually use some of the author's arguments against a monotheist one day. :P In general, Greer makes his point clear and I think does do some good towards legitimising polytheism (now if we could only get nonpoly folk to read it.)

I rather enjoyed his analogies, in particular his analogy of the Cat in which townsfolk all fed a street cat what they believed to be the corect "offerings" and all perceived the cat differently. It brought home the argument that it's very difficult for one cat to be ginger, black, grey, male and female and still be the ame cat.

He used many other examples and made some interesting deductions from hsi research of a variety of sources. I was impressed that included argumets from the other side of the fence, stating their reasons against polytheism though to be honest, it did seem occasonally as though he scoffed at those argumens.

Which leads me to my main complaint about this book. Throughout the author appears to display an attitude of "polytheism is better and more legitimate than monotheism, monotheists are silly for thinking otherwise, here's my proof." While I do think polytheism is a more respectful way of dealing with deity, I don't think it's appropriate to ilegitimise monotheism, especialy in a toe in which you're trying to legitimise your own views.

That niggle aside, this was defintiely an enjoyable read and i'd recommend it to anyone interested in theology, theism and deity work.

*courtesy of Copper-Moon.com*

A World Full of Gods by John Michael Greer is exploration into the colorful and deeply misunderstood world of contemporary polytheism. The volume is divided into thirteen carefully researched chapters spanning nearly every conceivable angle of polytheistic spirituality. Each chapter contains a variety of examples from various cultures as well as analogies to help the reader understand polytheistic concepts.

The book begins with a history and explanation of polytheism in contemporary culture. Greer explains the validity of polytheism in light of monotheistic and atheistic belief systems. Particular attention is placed on distinctions between monotheistic and polytheistic views on the nature of the divine, the divine in nature, and the logics of polytheism. Additional chapters discuss the role of myth, ethics, worship, religious experience, and the afterlife from a polytheistic worldview.

For those interested in taking their understanding of Paganism and spirituality to the next level, A World Full of Gods is an essential. Greer provides a clear and understandable overview of the elements of polytheistic spirituality and why it is so essential to understanding the universe. As an initiate of several pagan and magickal groups, it is clear that Greer is deeply passionate and knowledgeable about the subject. A World Full of Gods provides a much needed scholarly view on polytheistic spirituality.

Rating: 5 out of 5 magick wands!

I earned my graduate degree in the philosophy of religion, and can say that I have never seen a philosophical case for classical polytheism (CP) until I read this book. This is evidence of the complete dearth in the philosophical literature about this approach to the world and the divine. One could argue that CP is one of the most popular approaches to the universe that has ever existed, particularly when one considers the many religions that have embraced it, such as those of the Greeks, the Romans, and the Northern Europeans.

Classical polytheism is to be distinguished from neo-Platonic polytheism (PP) in that CP, unlike PP, does not claim that all of the gods are simply different forms or faces of one God or divine being; rather, for CP, the gods are separate and distinct from each other. In addition, there is no omnipotent God under whose authority the Gods and Goddesses operate.

The book seems to take a threefold approach. The first strategy is to show that classical monotheism (CM) is no better served by the classical arguments for God's existence than CP is--the arguments support CP at least as well as CM, and even sometimes better (as in the case of the teleological argument). The second strategy is to show that the classical atheistic arguments (such as the argument from evil) are more of a problem for CM than for CP. The third strategy is to suggest that CP is a better explanation for the diversity of religious experience than is CM or naturalism.

Regarding the first strategy, I believe that Greer's treatment of the theistic arguments is generally uneven. Some of the critiques are not entirely persuasive, but he often makes perceptive points. I won't get into the details of it all here. It would become tedious!

Regarding the second strategy, I generally agree with Greer. I think that the theist could respond successfully to some of Greer's claims about the argument from evil's force against theism, but his general point remains safe.

Regarding the third strategy, I find this to be the special contribution of his book. I am delighted to see that Greer does not fall into the common yet confused view that all of the religions are "saying the same thing", which they are not, and Greer is clear on this point. In fact, his bold recognition of the incompatibilities of the religious experiences in different religions inspires him to suggest that there really are many Gods and Goddesses, and that they are communing with humans in different ways. There is not one mountain with many paths to the top--there are many mountains. He even goes so far as to say that there may be different afterlives for different people.

The idea is that CP is the best explanation for the diversity of religious experience. I think this idea is worth some serious thought and this is the most interesting thing that Greer does. I believe that philosophers of religion should discuss this idea with some rigor. I'm not here to say whether he is right or not, but I would maintain that there are other explanations that are good enough that they would certainly disqualify CP as the only reasonable explanation. For instance, CM could claim that some people are deluded by Satan or an evil force. Naturalism could claim that it is all self-fulfilling prophecy. Even CM could have an element of self-fulfilling prophecy in its explanation in addition to the idea of being misguided by a malevolent force. Perhaps the diversity can be explained by having contact with angels or metaphysical beings who are servants of the one God. I can't say which one one must accept. I encourage a discussion about all of the possibilities.

Greer goes on to give an excellent discussion about CP and its attitudes about a variety of issues including ethics, religious practice, and spirituality. This book has given me insight into CP that I never had prior to reading this book, and this discussion is well worth your time if you have any interest in religions that emphasize CP strongly (as opposed to PP) such as Druidism and Asatru.

Thank you, Mr. Greer, for opening up a fruitful and interesting discussion in the philosophy of religion.

This is a wonderful book overall. There are very few books these days that even attempt to put polytheistic theology on the same type of intellectual basis that's been provided for monotheistic theology over the last centuries. I hope that there will come to be more detailed works that can spare the space for deeper discussion of the individual topics. I think that monotheists who read this honestly will come away with a much better understanding of how people can believe in multiple deities. There really are a lot of assumptions in most monotheistic theological writing which don't hold much water when viewed a certain way, and Greer brings these into the open. He sometimes exaggerates for effect, which is fine with me. Some people might have a problem with that though. Note also that he usually isn't claiming that his views are "right," he's just pointing out that they make just as much sense, are as internally consistent, and are at least as consistent with the world we know, as the monotheist beliefs.

Another reviewer claims that monotheism is consistently misrepresented... It is, a little. Not *nearly* as badly as many (almost all) monotheistic theologians misrepresent polytheists though. Deal with it.

The thing that makes me give this only four stars is the incredibly poor editing. I don't know enough about the publishing industry to know who should share the blame besides the author--copy editor maybe?--but there are scores (literally) of errors in the bibliography and citations. Missing bibliography entries, typos in the citations and entries that aren't even in alphabetical order...(I mean come *on* people!) Examples of missing entries: in chapter 1 alone there are references to Simmons 1986, Nielsen 1982, Salisbury 1982 and Tooker 1979 which don't exist in the bibliography. Similarly for other chapters.

This is an excellent work that explores, in depth, the concept of belief in a polytheistic view of divinity, and makes several solid philosophical arguments. It definitely focuses on current arguements in the belief of "God" and applies/compares these arguements to a polytheistic view. Very well written and makes for smooth reading. Highly recommended for any person wishing to expand their spiritual and philosophical conceptions!