Are polytheistic gods really demons?

tonychanyt said:

There is only one true God, 1 Corinthians 8:


Other so-called "gods" are demons, 1 Corinthians 10:


Demons are angelic beings who rebel against the one true God.

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My workplace has some Hindu/Buddhist art on the first floor, and that stuff makes me feel uncomfortable, as there is little to no Christian art in the building. Luckily, the floor and room that I work on does not have any Hindu stuff in it.

And yes, polytheistic gods are demons, my friend David V. is into polytheism, so I am afraid that demons are leading him astray.

I don't believe non-Christian religions necessarily worship demons. I think that is a potentially toxic belief that "poisons the well" and encourages prejudice against non-Christians.

All images of God are just anthropomorphic representations. After all, God's true nature is incomprehensible to the human mind. This is not radical theology, it is quite old in the Christian tradition and is called apophatic theology. Yet the Bible still has images of God to help us, giving us some languages to use for God so that we can grow in love, compassion, and wisdom. I believe it is possible other religions contain the same sort of images.

I am not a Christian because I believe all other religions are evil, but because that was the way I was raised and the way I find that speaks most to me. That doesn't mean I'm unwilling to learn from or respect other spiritual traditions or religions and learn from their wisdom.

If you want to understand where I am coming from, there is an Eastern Orthodox philosopher and theologian named David Bentley Hart. His translation and exposition of the New Testament is also excellent, and is the most coherent understanding I have come across.

FireDragon76 said:

That doesn't mean I'm unwilling to learn from or respect other spiritual traditions or religions and learn from their wisdom.

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Syncretism is a dangerous path, my brother. There is only one way, and that way is Jesus.

John 14:6 (NKJV): "Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.'"

AlexB23 said:

Syncretism is a dangerous path, my brother. There is only one way, and that way is Jesus.

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That verse is read out of context much of the time. Also, if you are a Catholic, everything I said is more or less in the Papl encyclical Lumens Gentium and is compatible with the Christian tradition.

Syncretism is another bogeyman. In reality the early Church was highly syncretistic in some ways, particularly when it came to engagement with neoplatonic philosophy. Which in some cases was as thoroughgoing explanation for reality as what we see as religion today, including what we would recognize as spiritual practices. In fact, engagement with Platonic, Hellenic, and Persian thought even shaped Second Temple Judaism.

FireDragon76 said:

That verse is read out of context much of the time. Also, if you are a Catholic, everything I said is more or less in the Papl encyclical Lumens Gentium and is compatible with the Christian tradition.

Syncretism is another bogeyman. In reality the early Church was highly syncretistic in some ways, particularly when it came to engagement with neoplatonic philosophy. Which in some cases was as thoroughgoing explanation for reality as what we see as religion today, including what we would recognize as spiritual practices. In fact, engagement with Platonic, Hellenic, and Persian thought even shaped Second Temple Judaism.

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We're done here. Do not reply to me anymore in this thread. Don't go using your history lessons to excuse this.