In the chapter of
the Moran Themes textbook titled Ancient Religion, Kirsch explains that
a completely polytheistic world could result less violence and extremism than
in a monotheistic world. This is because monotheists who believe that their supreme
being holds the absolute truth cannot co-exist with individuals who believe
otherwise. This often leads to
violent clashes. Kirsch argues that a polytheistic world would allow
individuals to be more tolerant of others’ belief systems. However, I would argue that a
polytheistic world could cause just as many conflicts as a world dominated by
monotheism.
The first reason
that a polytheistic world would not necessarily reduce conflicts is that even
though individuals may be more tolerant of others’ gods, disagreements on
principles of belief could still arise.
For example, even though individuals might accept the existence of each
other’s gods, the practices derived from one god may contradict those of
another god. Polytheistic
tolerance simply means that an individual can live with the notion that there
are other gods in addition to the ones he or she worships. This does not necessarily mean
that an individual’s beliefs will not contradict another’s.
The second reason that
polytheism may bring as much conflict as monotheism is because polytheism does
not provide a dominant moral code for everyone to follow. Polytheism does not
require individuals to follow a common moral code or to share similar
values. In this type of society,
there is no one absolute truth that states which laws must be followed and what
is good and what is evil. The
absence of this means that everyone can have their own moral code, and that value
systems can vary widely across society.
Because there is no one supreme power that everyone is supposed to
believe in, it can lead to a world of conflict.
One of the main objectives
of monotheistic religions is to enforce a code of law supported by a supreme
being that knows the absolutely truth.
Because followers of monotheistic religions are expected to believe in
this supreme power, they are expected to follow its laws. However, a
polytheistic society means that individuals can follow an array of value systems. If one person believes that murder is
acceptable, and another person believes that it is not, there is no one
religious code to decide who is right.
This can lead to chaos and possibly increased conflict.
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