quote:
Originally posted by Garnet FalconDance:
But in my most basic beliefs, all gods are One. It's man who has divided and differentiated.
Cerek,
As fable (I believe) is asking, cannot more than one culture believe in 'God' and simply call upon him by a different name and in a different manner? I realize that a number of Christian denominations do not believe in this sort of pluralism, but neither do *all* Christians call upon God in the same manner!
The important thing, as you say, is the *faith* not the name we call our Deity.
It has been posted that "all or most pagans worship more than one god" (paraphrased, I'm sure) and also "worship nature in some way". I would take issue with that statement. I do *not* worship nature--I recognize (God's) hand in all creation. Is not the butterfly or the oak tree a beautiful and miraculous creation? I can rejoice in their existance without deifying them in any manner.
And most pagans I know (and they number substantially) do not believe in multiple gods. They tend to believe in one, manifest for our limited perception in a male-female parity (the Lord and the Lady). (Now here's where it gets dicey and difficult to explain as beliefs and approaches differ widely.) Some call upon aspects of deity to ask for aid with a certain problem (similar to the idea of petitioning a Catholic saint), and these aspects usually carry the names of gods and goddesses from the classical pantheons of the past.
Important to note: while I say this, I am mindful that there are those who consider these 'aspects' full fledged gods and goddesses in their own right.
IMO, no one religion has a *monopoly* on 'God'! He (or She) is such a vast and omniprescent presence, I firmly believe that all the 'gods' and 'goddesses' of mankind are but a tiny piece of the whole power and magnificence!
And as I said originally--it is man who has divided and differentiated when it comes to religion.