Religions and Other Gods

WisdomTree

Philosopher
Feb 2, 2012
4,016
170
Lincoln
✟15,879.00
Country
United Kingdom
Faith
Catholic
Marital Status
Single
No. Any Christian who says they believe in other gods isn't Christian. The Father, son and holy spirit are part of a trinity and they are together the one and only god.

Christianity is the only true religion and people who follow another religion are either misguided or they never received the truth.

The Jews are correct except they have accepted their Messiah yet but they will.

Muslims have some stuff right but that is only because their religion is based on a mixture of Christianity and Judaism. They were misguided by the false prophet Muhammad.

The rest are carry overs from the point in time when God cut himself off from humanity because of their sinful nature. They were not ready to accept the message of the one true god. They created their own gods because in their hearts they knew of god but they didn't have his guidance and truth yet. God made his covenant with Abraham because he was ready to accept God's message and god promised to take care of his descendent's. God sent Jesus to humanity as a gracious offer of eternal life. All who accept Jesus and live by his message will receive everlasting life through him.

Yup, monotheism is essential to Christianity regardless of denominations.
 
Upvote 0

Crandaddy

Classical Theist
Aug 8, 2012
1,315
81
✟21,142.00
Faith
Anglican
Marital Status
Private
Some Christians, mostly the mystics, seem to talk about the "experience" and "presence" of God through the lens of the Panentheist.

.

It is entirely congruent with orthodox Christianity to say that creation reflects the glory of its Creator, and that it is possible for us to perceive this more or less clearly. Perhaps the mystic has the ability to perceive this more clearly than our faculties will naturally allow.
 
Upvote 0

Greg1234

In the beginning was El
May 14, 2010
3,745
38
✟11,792.00
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Private
I was just wondering if the Christians on here believe in the existence of other gods,

If by gods you mean spirits then yes. By addressing to you I'm interacting with a spirit/god. By viewing you as a separate entity from myself, I believe in another god.

and if people belonging to other religions believe in the existence of other gods and the christian god.

That goes without conveying it. One who is inclined to Christianity would be viewed as a "Christian god" and might call other gods by names reflective of their inclination.

If you do believe in their existence, what brought you to the deity you currently interact with

I sometimes bring myself to them and other times they come to me. In actually, however, I am never separate from one, either. As children of God, there is always the interaction with gods at every point.
 
Upvote 0

Lord Emsworth

Je ne suis pas une de vos élèves.
Oct 10, 2004
51,745
421
Through the cables and the underground ...
✟61,459.00
Faith
Atheist
Marital Status
Private
Any thing could be a god!
but
There is no god worthy to be worshiped except Allah.
لا إله إلا الله
Do you like the idea that a piece of rock or a rat is your beloved god?! because there are millions who believe in it.

Says an adherent of a religion that calls it blasphemy if material ink and paper take harm.

And dances around a piece of rock!
 
Upvote 0

Sister of Faith

{Guide us to the straight path[1:6]}
Jun 1, 2011
338
10
✟8,047.00
Faith
Muslim
Marital Status
Single
I think that you are miss-representing.

The essence of the rock, rat and all of life including you and I are an "activity" of God. With out God, nothing can exist. God is with in all of Creation. One can "see" the Divine impulse through His Creation.

That's a very different take than what you described.

.

Will you please explain what have you understood from my post?
I said "beloved god" and I didn't say "beloved God". I know that there are millions of people who worship e.g. a cows!
 
Upvote 0

dlamberth

Senior Contributor
Supporter
Oct 12, 2003
19,212
2,813
Oregon
✟723,684.00
Faith
Other Religion
Politics
US-Others
I know that there are millions of people who worship e.g. a cows!
They don't worship cows per say...they see the Divine impulse through cows. Actually, they see the Divine with in all of life. And it's the Divine that they see...that's what they are worshipping, not the cows.

.
 
Upvote 0

elephunky

Previously known as dgirl1986
Nov 28, 2007
5,497
203
Perth, Western Australia
✟14,441.00
Faith
Humanist
Marital Status
Single
Politics
AU-Greens
لا إله إلا الله
Do you like the idea that a piece of rock or a rat is your beloved god?! because there are millions who believe in it.

I wouldnt have a problem with a rock or rat being filled with the spirit of a god or goddess, they are not below me.

Who? I'd be interested to know. I've never met one.

I honestly cant remember, it came up in a discussion in the moral and ethics area I think.

No. Any Christian who says they believe in other gods isn't Christian. The Father, son and holy spirit are part of a trinity and they are together the one and only god.

I am always wary of these kind of statements. I think it is possible to believe in their existence without giving up on deeper beliefs. I mean, you have to wonder about his existence to begin with. Wouldnt make sense for there to be only 1.
 
Upvote 0

elephunky

Previously known as dgirl1986
Nov 28, 2007
5,497
203
Perth, Western Australia
✟14,441.00
Faith
Humanist
Marital Status
Single
Politics
AU-Greens
From my own point of view I see gods and goddesses as not necessarily some great big mystical beings or physical beings etc but more on a metaphysical level and as seperate higher entities. I also think that there are some that go by different names in different cultures.
 
Upvote 0
This site stays free and accessible to all because of donations from people like you.
Consider making a one-time or monthly donation. We appreciate your support!
- Dan Doughty and Team Christian Forums

dlamberth

Senior Contributor
Supporter
Oct 12, 2003
19,212
2,813
Oregon
✟723,684.00
Faith
Other Religion
Politics
US-Others
From my own point of view I see gods and goddesses as not necessarily some great big mystical beings or physical beings etc but more on a metaphysical level and as seperate higher entities. I also think that there are some that go by different names in different cultures.
I've heard that term, "Higher Entities", but have never understood what it means. Could you explain it please?

.
 
Upvote 0

elephunky

Previously known as dgirl1986
Nov 28, 2007
5,497
203
Perth, Western Australia
✟14,441.00
Faith
Humanist
Marital Status
Single
Politics
AU-Greens
I've heard that term, "Higher Entities", but have never understood what it means. Could you explain it please?

.

Well...there are many entities and spirits. Think of it like a food chain...I consider higher entities to be higher in the food chain.
 
Upvote 0

Jane_the_Bane

Gaia's godchild
Feb 11, 2004
19,359
3,426
✟168,333.00
Faith
Pagan
Marital Status
Legal Union (Other)
Politics
UK-Greens
I guess you can always lump things together. The most basic entity or entities = God.
Well, I'd still like to hear what kind of argument could be made that renders the existence of exactly ONE deity (no more, no less) a "metaphysical necessity".

I don't expect it to be particularly convincing (having read some particularly bad Islamic defenses of monotheism that mostly revolved around divine jealousy and a thirst for exclusive glory), but I'm always interested in different POVs.
 
Upvote 0
This site stays free and accessible to all because of donations from people like you.
Consider making a one-time or monthly donation. We appreciate your support!
- Dan Doughty and Team Christian Forums

Jane_the_Bane

Gaia's godchild
Feb 11, 2004
19,359
3,426
✟168,333.00
Faith
Pagan
Marital Status
Legal Union (Other)
Politics
UK-Greens
Interestingly enough, quite a few religions (past and present) conceived of the difference between people, spirits and gods as one of degrees rather than essences.

The Shintoist kami can be the spirits of deceased ancestors, they can be "genii loci" (that is, spiritual manifestations of a particular site, such as a river, a mountain, or even a man-made structure such as a temple), and they can be more universal gods associated with specific phenomena.

The same applies to native African religions (including their "exported" versions that are practiced in the Caribbean and parts of the Southern United States), Siberian Shamanism, and - judging by what we know about them - several variations of "classical" paganism.
 
Upvote 0

Crandaddy

Classical Theist
Aug 8, 2012
1,315
81
✟21,142.00
Faith
Anglican
Marital Status
Private
"Metaphysical necessity"? Now I'm all curiosity.

A metaphysically necessary being is a being that cannot possibly not exist. By saying that “[t]here is of metaphysical necessity exactly one God,” I'm basically asserting two propositions:

(1) that necessarily, God exists,

and

(2) that necessarily, the essence of godhood is not multiply instantiated.

The sense of “necessarily” here is that of broad logical necessity, as in, e.g., necessarily, no circle is a square.

Why do I say this? Well, Christians (or traditional, orthodox Christians, at any rate) understand God to be the ultimate metaphysical foundation of all of reality. This entails that God is aseic (from the Latin a se [from himself]). Because God is aseic, he is entirely independent of absolutely anything at all besides himself for his existence. He alone of everything that exists is entirely sufficient for his existence all by himself.

Divine aseity, in turn, implies that God is metaphysically simple. What this means is that God is not composed of any parts whatsoever. For if God were composed of parts, then he would be dependent upon those parts for his existence, and those parts would be ontologically prior to the whole that is God.

Not only is God not composed of spatial or temporal parts, but neither is he composed of ontological parts. This includes the ontological parts of essence and existence. God's essence (i.e., what he is) is really identical to and metaphysically inseparable from his existence (i.e., that he is, the concrete fact of his existing). What this means is that God simply, absolutely IS. Thus understood, the proposition that “God exists” is necessarily true, because the existing expressed by the verb "exists" is what God is.

And so, the reason that there cannot be more than one God (in the sense of “God” that I mean) is because the term “God” does not express an essence that can be instantiated in multiple individuals. For, properly understood, the term “God” does not express or entail a “this” in terms of individual token-identity, since token-identical “this-ness,” when applied to multiple discrete individuals of a certain type, arises only posterior to an essence that enters into (or has the potential to enter into) metaphysical composition with existence, and the term “God” does not express any such composition (or potential composition).
 
Upvote 0
A

All Souls

Guest
I was just wondering if the Christians on here believe in the existence of other gods, and if people belonging to other religions believe in the existence of other gods and the christian god.

If you do believe in their existence, what brought you to the deity you currently interact with and does it impact your practices/faith at all?

Good question, I think the most helpful solution is to ask first, who or what is God? In the same way that we can ask this, so the religions of the world have developed an answer to this question, this is what Schleiermacher called the feeling of complete dependence or God-consciousness. This is helpful, as is Tillich's understanding of God as being-itself or the Ground of Being. In this sense, God is personal yet not a person. The experience of being-itself can differ according to cultures, and there is a general evolution in humanity's God-consciousness. We see this even in the history of Israel and Judah where belief shifted from polytheism to monotheism.
 
Upvote 0

Greg1234

In the beginning was El
May 14, 2010
3,745
38
✟11,792.00
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Private
Good question, I think the most helpful solution is to ask first, who or what is God? In the same way that we can ask this, so the religions of the world have developed an answer to this question,

I take it by "religions" you are referring to theistic religions, and by "developed" you mean man's heritage was clarified by the prophets of old?

The experience of being-itself can differ according to cultures,

In what way?

We see this even in the history of Israel and Judah where belief shifted from polytheism to monotheism.

They are polytheistic and monotheistic simultaneously. That is, though there are many spirits taking on flesh, they are all part of the One.
 
Upvote 0
This site stays free and accessible to all because of donations from people like you.
Consider making a one-time or monthly donation. We appreciate your support!
- Dan Doughty and Team Christian Forums

Zoness

667, neighbor of the beast
Supporter
Jul 21, 2008
8,384
1,654
Illinois
✟468,399.00
Country
United States
Faith
Pagan
Marital Status
Married
They are polytheistic and monotheistic simultaneously. That is, though there are many spirits taking on flesh, they are all part of the One.

But that wouldn't be accepted as mainstream today; Judaism and Christianity identify as aggressively monotheistic.
 
Upvote 0