Fuzzy Necromancer
Well-Known Member
Hope this is the proper place to post this. =s I guess it can get moved to hyde park if it gets too controversial.
How do you define a diety? What are the essential, minimal characteristics needed to consider something a god instead of merely an unusual being or natural force? The mythic accounts vary widely. Christianity defines a god as The God, Jehovah, the all-powerful, all-knowing, all-loving creator of the universe, but few commonly accepted mythologies can meet all of these criteria. Numerous gods have been killed in greek and mesopotamian mythology, although usually by other gods and often they are reborn in some fashion. Some religions have a potentially infinite number of gods, and the line between gods and other mythological or suprenatural figures is often blurred.
What is the narrowest universal standard for divinity? What sets gods apart from demons, angels, nymphs, nyads, faeries, sorcerers, and spirits, in terms of comparative mythology or theology?
I'm particularly interested in replies from polytheists, because that might shed light on some of my mythological difficulties and atheists, because it seems crucial to the notion of actively not believing in gods to define the thing that you are not believing in.
How do you define a diety? What are the essential, minimal characteristics needed to consider something a god instead of merely an unusual being or natural force? The mythic accounts vary widely. Christianity defines a god as The God, Jehovah, the all-powerful, all-knowing, all-loving creator of the universe, but few commonly accepted mythologies can meet all of these criteria. Numerous gods have been killed in greek and mesopotamian mythology, although usually by other gods and often they are reborn in some fashion. Some religions have a potentially infinite number of gods, and the line between gods and other mythological or suprenatural figures is often blurred.
What is the narrowest universal standard for divinity? What sets gods apart from demons, angels, nymphs, nyads, faeries, sorcerers, and spirits, in terms of comparative mythology or theology?
I'm particularly interested in replies from polytheists, because that might shed light on some of my mythological difficulties and atheists, because it seems crucial to the notion of actively not believing in gods to define the thing that you are not believing in.
