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John Michael Greer

A World Full of Gods: An Inquiry into Polytheism Paperback – September 20, 2005

by John Michael Greer (Author)

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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.

Print length

224 pages
Language

English
Publisher

ADF Publishing
Publication date

September 20, 2005
Dimensions

5.25 x 0.51 x 8 inches
ISBN-10

0976568101
ISBN-13

978-0976568100
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Product details

Publisher : ADF Publishing (September 20, 2005)
Language : English
Paperback : 224 pages
ISBN-10 : 0976568101
ISBN-13 : 978-0976568100
Item Weight : 11.4 ounces
Dimensions : 5.25 x 0.51 x 8 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #721,357 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #178,778 in Religion & Spirituality (Books)

Customer Reviews:
88 ratings

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Joshua A.

A much-needed treatise on the logic of polytheism!

Reviewed in the United States on April 10, 2019

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This book was challenging and not an easy read. Although it's short (just under 200 pages), I found myself reading a few chapters, putting it down for a week or two, then picking it back up when I had the mental stamina, curiosity, and a fresh cup of coffee and a highlighter. That said, this book is a wonderful discussion on the logic of monotheism, polytheism, henotheism, and atheism, among others, and how each system has its own pitfalls and strengths. This would be a good read for a student of moral philosophy or philosophy of religion. It covers topics ranging from which system is most logical and which forms of proof are most appropriate in religious debates, to how myths should be interpreted and predictions on the future religious landscape. It's helped shape the ideas of "divinity" in my mind and I am grateful for the author's hard work in putting together such a fine little treatise.

4 people found this helpful

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Andrew Watt

John Michael Greer has been impressing me, and getting ...

Reviewed in the United States on June 26, 2015

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John Michael Greer has been impressing me, and getting me to think about complex subjects in a new way, for more than a decade. This book was no exception. Where in prior volumes he's gotten me to think about power in politics, the state of the world in eras of declining available energy, and the relationship of human beings to nature, in this one one he got me to think long and hard about my relationship to spiritual entities, and whether there is a God, or whether there are gods. And from here, I turn my attention from the author, to the meat of his argument.

The core of his argument is, in fact, that there are probably many gods. In the first part of the book, he lays out many of the common explanations or theologies of monotheism— why there must be only one God, what that God must do or be in the world, and how that God's power, knowledge and good-will must be infinite. In a twist on traditional, classical monotheistic theology, though, Greer proceeds to explain why these arguments don't really hold water. In the second part of the book, Greer lays out the classical model of polytheism, and demonstrates with a variety of evidence—from cultural anthropology, from accounts of mystical experiences, and from history—why it is that a polytheistic world-view actually fits lived human experience more effectively than classical monotheism. In the third section, Greer lays out how this shift in world-view, from a monotheist to a polytheist standpoint, helps human beings deal more honestly and fairly with people of other religious traditions. He covers ethics and justice, miraculous events, cosmology, eschatology(end times), and even the idea of communication between gods and mortals in the present time. In all his work, he makes place and time for the faith and miracles of many different spiritual traditions, for their mysticism and sacred experiences. I was awed. Reading the book itself was almost a mystical revelation.

12 people found this helpful

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Darla

Clarified so many questions!

Reviewed in the United States on January 17, 2019

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What a brilliant book. Greer does a fine job clarifying so many of the questions I've had about polytheism as it may or may not relate to monotheism, and especially to the recent upsurge in interest in pluralism. His summation is marvelous and I particularly liked the simplicity of his comments about a shift that "places religious experience on its own terms at the center of religion, and moves doctrine to the periphery." I read this book of Greer's following my dive into Evelyn Underhill's "Mysticism" and I'm so glad I did!

3 people found this helpful

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Michael S. Valle

Novel and Unique Contribution

Reviewed in the United States on October 30, 2009

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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.

26 people found this helpful

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Sena

The best available book on the philosophy behind polytheism

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 9, 2015

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It is interesting to compare this book, written by a non-academic, with "A Million and One Gods: The Persistence of Polytheism" by Page duBois, a Professor of Classics and Comparative Literature. The latter book refers to philosophy only in passing. J.M. Greer, on the other hand, carefully considers the arguments for monotheism put forward by modern gurus like Alvin Plantinga and Richard Swinburne, and explains why he finds these arguments unconvincing. He points out that it is only the ontological argument of Anselm which could justify the belief in a single god as opposed to many gods. Anselm's argument was countered by Gaunilo, an 11th century Benedictine monk.
It is the "problem of evil" which provides the strongest argument against the existence of a single omni-benevolent, omnipotent god. Why could not have such a god prevented the Holocaust by giving Hitler a serious speech defect? The problem of evil cannot be used to argue against polytheism. The gods of polytheism are limited in power and knowledge, and are associated with specific moral ideals and qualities rather than goodness in general. The benevolent action of one god could be countered by the opposing action of another god. The only way to reduce evil and suffering in the world is by understanding better how the gods interact with one another.
Greer provides many insights into the nature of polytheism which are surprising to someone indoctrinated into monotheism. For instance," Since humans, gods, and all other beings inhabit a common world and share in a network of reciprocal relationships of exchange, every being is connected to every other being in a closely woven fabric of reciprocity.....Human beings and. indeed, all other beings have the capacity to give as well, and in giving, to imitate the gods."

2 people found this helpful

Pronoiac

Amazing. A must read for polytheists

Reviewed in Canada on October 30, 2017

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Amazing. A must read for polytheists, pagans, as well as students of world religion and philosophy. It is academic, and provides sound theological arguments for spiritual plurality, religious tolerance and diversity. It illustrates the implications of polytheism as benefiting cultural diversity, environmentalism, and a de-colonization.