Christian Polytheism

[strawdawg]

I was raised a Catholic and we were taught that the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit were three distinct individuals. Wouldn't that be polytheism?

[Brian37]

I was raised a Catholic and we were taught that the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit were three distinct individuals. Wouldn't that be polytheism?

Of course, but when you take into account antiquity, there was tons of polytheism during the start of that splinter spin off off Hebrews. And even the Hebrew religion itself stems from Canaanite polytheism.

You wont get either to admit it is nothing more than just another superstition in competition with other superstitions.

[Drich]

I was raised a Catholic and we were taught that the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit were three distinct individuals. Wouldn't that be polytheism?

No polytheism says there is more than one God.
Even Catholics say there is only one God. But at the same time we have been given three distinct deities identified as that one God. That simply means God is a title and not a name. As in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

That is how three indivisuals can be only one God.

[Brian37]

I was raised a Catholic and we were taught that the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit were three distinct individuals. Wouldn't that be polytheism?

No polytheism says there is more than one God.
Even Catholics say there is only one God. But at the same time we have been given three distinct deities identified as that one God. That simply means God is a title and not a name. As in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

That is how three indivisuals can be only one God.

Missing the point and proving my point.

No one is arguing the Catholic god as their fans interpret him as being polytheistic.

What we are arguing is the behavior of praying to multiple icons stems from polytheism. The reason is that back in that time early Christianity was literally competing with polytheism. That is why you have a three headed/entity that is one. On top of praying to Mary and Saints. Just like the Greeks and Romans, prayed to more than one god.

The trinity motif is actually NOT unique to Christianity or Catholics. The divine family of the Ancient Egyptians was three headed too. Rey or "Ra" the head god was the top deity, and under him was Osirus and Horus. And they also had that trinity in Judgement of the dead where all three sat in judgment of humans.

Even today in Mormonism you have Joseph Smith and Jesus sitting in final Judgment.

Catholics pray to Marry, and Jesus and Saints just like the Egyptians prayed to the Sun, to Osirus and Horus.

How about you consider that humans make up religions and the only reason that any religion exists is because humans compete to create new ones and get their ideas from prior and surrounding religions.

Yes the Catholic god as the followers view it IS monotheistic. But the act of praying to different icons within the religion stems from the reality at that time that they were competing with polytheism.

[Mr Greene]

I was raised a Catholic and we were taught that the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit were three distinct individuals. Wouldn't that be polytheism?

Sounds like Arianism to me; Link
Odd coming from a catholic source as the catholic church declared it to be a heretical belief worthy of being burned at the stake for...

[vorlon13]

Glad to see the saints and Mary noted above. Idolatry in some eyes,

And what can Jesus know or experience that would be unique to himself and not 'god the father' ?? Nothing, right ? So what was the point of Jesus wandering around Jerusalem all about ?

As for the saints, while there probably aren't any direct analogs between specific members of the Greek/Roman god squad to individual saints, the perceived 'powers' of the saints would be comparable to the 'lesser' gods. IOW, when a given Roman peasant went to the pantheon and 'prayed' in a specific stall, he had similar expectations as to needs and results as compared to a modern era catholic pausing in front of the St. Ignatius berth at his local catholic franchise.

For the catholics at least, they get to claim monotheism while fully embracing polytheism.

[abaris]

I was raised a Catholic and we were taught that the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit were three distinct individuals. Wouldn't that be polytheism?

I was also raised a Catholic, but I was taught they were one. Sort of a personality disorder thing if you asked me today.

[Chad32]

From what I've heard, the bible doesn't even talk about the three being one. Jesus certainly doesn't act like he's the same guy as Yahweh. It was likely added in because people accused them of being polytheistic, when they want to be monotheistic. I think that's the main issue muslims have with christianity. They accuse it of being polytheistic.

That's the reason I kind of reject the idea of Jesus being Yahweh. For all his faults, Jesus is actually a step in a better direction from what Yahweh was, and he addresses Yahweh as a separate person.

[abaris]

From what I've heard, the bible doesn't even talk about the three being one. Jesus certainly doesn't act like he's the same guy as Yahweh.

Yes, Jesus doesn't act the part. If they were one, he would constantly refer to himself in third person, he would beg himself to take this cup away from him and ultimately he would sacrifice himself to himself.

That's why I call it personality disorder, since you are taught to believe that they are one. My best guess as to the origins is, that trinity deities were prominent in ancient politheism and like so much else in christianity, they simply took a known concept and tagged their own meaning on it.

[Chad32]

Hinduism basically has the same trinity concept going, and Mithras from Hinduism has a similar life to Jesus. So it's quite possible that christianity just borrowed from hinduism or something like that. Or maybe it was zoroastrianism.