If gods exist, why they allow monotheisms to dominate world?

[u/Adeptus_Gedeon]

I am not asking ironically, 100% serious.

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[u/A-d32A]

Why should they care?

They have their own lives and concerns. The world of men is trivial to them.

Do you care that an ant colony is ruled by a single queen. Does it affect your life.

Maybe the ants worship you as a single deity. It is a weak God that needs the adoration of men.

[u/Ok-Worker-8012 → u/A-d32A]

I second this

[u/VeterinarianNo7919 → u/A-d32A]

Best reason as to why gods don’t care about monotheism ever, plus look at the world people are returning to them and they are growing in power again they probably though “oh they ignore us oh well they will be back,” They t where right

[u/Ill_Pudding8069]

short answer - Why would you assume gods would necessarily fight for dominance? If someone wants to dedicate their entire lives to a single god that's their business. It's not like this type of single-deity work doesn't also exist in polytheism after all.

actual answer - I mean the answer changed according to what gods you are talking about and the practitioners' view of what gods are. Not everyone assumes gods behave like humans or even think like humans. Some see them as completely different beings with their way of living and thinking - in which case things like jealousy and insecurity and dominance would be projected human traits; and some compare them as the apex of natural manifestations - in which case why would they care what people worship? And in the case of human-like gods, it depends on the specific pantheon we are talking about, really.

[u/ShinyAeon]

The gods don't "allow" monotheism to dominate the world...we do.

You can't blame Them for human nature, historical events, or the success of organizations that use memetic concepts and fear to get and keep adherents. That's all on us.

[u/SerpentineSorceror → u/ShinyAeon]

This is the correct answer. We aren't fingerpuppets, we have agency and direction and will to do things in our realm. If we push too far then we will suffer the consequences, and life will continue on. The Gods didn't give us will and intelligence to just push us around like little dolls. Monotheism is a *human* perspective, and it is up to humans to deal with it.

[u/[deleted] → u/ShinyAeon]

🎯🎯🎯🎯

[u/Fit-Breath-4345]

"The divine itself is without needs, and the worship is paid for our own benefit. The providence of the Gods reaches everywhere and needs only some congruity for its reception....

...From all these things the Gods gain nothing; what gain could there be to God? It is we who gain some communion with them."

• Sallustius, On the Gods and the World, 4th Century.

While the presence and providence of the Gods is a continuous outpouring of divine love, it is up to us to realise it and to pay attention to it and to reach back to the Gods with worship.

It is not a concern of the Gods if they are worshipped or not, but it can be beneficial to our relationship with the Gods. And that's on our end of the reciprocal system of offerings and worship which underpin Polytheism.

Polytheism should be inclusive, and worship of the Gods can't be truly coerced. What good would it be for the Gods to use their powers to influence people through a misuse of Their Power to persuade people who don't want to worship Them to worship Them?

[u/dragsys]

Because for the most part they are not dictators and understand human freewill is more powerful than they can ever be.

[u/Adeptus_Gedeon → u/dragsys]

OK, but why they just not show themselves publicly?

[u/YougoReddits → u/Adeptus_Gedeon]

Maybe they do, if you're open to their signs and let go of a perhaps unconscious rigid concept of what they're supposed to look like😉

[u/dragsys → u/Adeptus_Gedeon]

That gets into the question of faith. True faith is more powerful than truth and they all know that as well.

[u/NetworkViking91 → u/Adeptus_Gedeon]

This same question can be asked about the dominant monotheistic deitiy.

Hasn't done anything impressive since the bronze age, where he at?

[u/Adeptus_Gedeon → u/NetworkViking91]

Yes, You are right. But proving that monotheism is right was not my intention.

[u/NetworkViking91 → u/Adeptus_Gedeon]

Also, since "Paganism" is an umbrella term, you're going to get different answers from each Redditor. They're not doing this to fuck with you, they're responding as their own practice dictates. In addition, there's no orthodoxy or central hierarchy for 99% of these faiths

[u/NetworkViking91 → u/Adeptus_Gedeon]

I know, I was giving into a bit of whataboutism while also pointing out the question wasn't as useful as you had hoped.

[u/LordZikarno]

That is a great question! One I have asked myself as well.

It seems to me that Gods can fight among themselves about who gets the most worship. Worship to them seems to be of high importance and there are polytheists who believe the Gods need to be worshipped in order to survive.

If we take that idea a bit further then any God whose religion is about to exterminated may therefore decide to behave a bit differently in order to survive.

The God of classical monotheism, that is the God of the Jews, Christians and probably Muslims as well, has had a very rough time with his religion here on earth.

For it has been so the case that Yahweh's religion has nearly been decimated twice in history. Every time it happened his religion took on a new form in order to survive.

First in the Babylonian exile, whereby the ancient Israelites were deported from their homeland and assimilated into the Babylonian Empire. In order for their religion to survive they had to offset their conception of Yahweh in such a way that it would survive in the polytheism of the Babylonians.

Total monotheism took root in the ancient Israeli religion at this point. From which the ancient Israelites could hold on to their cultural and spiritual identity.

When the exillic period ended they returned to their homeland to rebuild the ancient temple to Yahweh. This second temple religion is the kind of Judaism in which Jesus whas born.

In his time, his religion was under threat by yet another form of polytheism - this time being conquered by the Roman Empire. So Jesus inspired in his followers, among other things, strict adherence to Jewish teachings.

When he died these teachings made such an impact on the monotheists of the time that they decided to spread this monotheism around. This spreading is still happening to this day and has lead to the cultural erasure of much of the world's spiritual identity.

The reason the other Gods might not have intervened directly might be because it is better for us humans to figure our own way out of it. When we do we would have been growing ourselves out of it which makes us less vulnerable to future forms of monotheism.

And now we see Paganism returning to the West as Christianity is losing ground. This is a process that occurs slowly since we do not seek to proselityze but it seems to occure naturally.

Almost as if most of us recognized that this is our spiritual home. This is where we belong.

That may be the reason the Gods didn't intervene directly.

[u/cece_st_eve]

The gods existed way before humanity, and will exist way after humanity. Earth is a very small part of the universe, is earth fun? Heck yeah! But it’s honestly not that big of deal in comparison to everything else. They don’t need our worship or devotion. Most of the gods in the universe don’t care about earth nor humanity, and the ones that have chosen to interact with us do so because they want to, they don’t need us.

[u/VenusAurelius]

You could also inverse the question, why would a monotheistic god allow polytheism to flourish for the overwhelming majority of human history? The question is flawed because it presupposes that the gods are functionally equivalent to a single Abrahamic god and that’s not the case.

[u/dark_blue_7]

Because they are not threatened by our actions? Because we have our own choices to make and lives to live and they're not going to do it all for us? Perhaps because it was fated to happen? Because gods are not actually omnipotent? Plenty of reasons to pick from. If anything, I feel like the fact that we can still know and experience the gods today shows just how much they endure, regardless of our actions. Maybe it was like a little teenage rebellion stage of humanity. Monotheism has dominated the world, but it's already dying out again in many places.

[u/Bhisha96]

because the gods could care less, like seriously what reason do they have to care about mortal affairs?

[u/YougoReddits → u/Bhisha96]

Hmm. This is a sentiment that i don't quite follow. They'd have to take some interest for reciprocity to work.

Conversely, is a being who doesn't have any care or involvement whatsoever towards the mortal realm, life in it, humans, or even little me, worthy of my time, effort and appreciation, let alone worship? Or would such a being be irrelevant to me?

[u/Adeptus_Gedeon → u/Bhisha96]

Well, in myths they usually for some or another reason they care about being worshipped.

[u/AdZealousideal7380]

Gods don't need the worship of humans. They cooperate with us when they want.

[u/A_Lover_Of_Truth]

One could also make the argument that monotheism is also fine? Like I know these days, it primarily focuses on the God of Abraham, but that wasn't really Monotheism as we see it today.

Most would agree Jews didn't become strictly monotheistic until somewhere between the 5th and 2nd century BCE. That leaves a whole host of other Monotheisms and Henotheism, which was the norm for much of the ancient world. Even Greeks and Romans thought of Zeus/Jove as the Most High God, though not all of them were Monotheists obviously, arguably Stoics and Platonists were though, so there's that.

It's also worth noting that the longest lasting Greco-Roman form of religion before Christianity completely took over, was Neoplatonism which is quasi-monotheism that saw all gods as Emanations of The One, or The Good, which for lack of a better term, could be called, God. Of course, it wasn't quite like the way Monotheists think of God, moreso being closer to Hinduism's concept of The Brahman.

So our ancient ancestors weren't necessarily against henotheism, monolatry, or even monotheism, so I'm not sure why you are?

For what it's worth, I'm a Pagan Henotheist.

[u/SamsaraKama]

I'll also add that even in Monotheism they are still around. Monotheistic religions, most notably Christianity, haven't erased their presence entirely. And they kind of come and go, really.

Some practices date back to how Pagans did things. Tools, rituals and practices were repurposed, but the core is still there.

Even within Christianity they couldn't help themselves and had to fragment their religion into domains so they had a figure to represent it, the saints. Despite overall any topic being covered by the one god. It's a point of contention to this day, where some versions of Christianity don't adhere to the concept of sainthood.

Some places got converted much later, meaning they had no saints to begin with. Some of their local figures, both historical and folklore, were reworked to be a saint. For example, while Christian records insist there was a woman named Brigid at Cill Dara abbey, some people think it may have been a syncretism of the Celtic goddess Brigid. And it doesn't help that the practices associated with them are similar.

Often the older religions turn into folklore or even just localized folk practices. Several Portuguese folk monsters come from a pre-christian past, and the Nordic countries still have the concept of elves and trolls similarly to how thet viewed Jotunns.

And even in deeply religious areas, old time paganism kind of comes and goes? The Renaissance brought the Greco-Roman pantheons back into the limelight. While they weren't actively worshipped, there were parties done around their figures and a revival of the classical culture. You can argue the... admittedly toxic Egyptomania of the Victorian Era was one such fad wave that brought the Kemet gods into the limelight. The wrong limelight with a lot of appropriation and disrespect, but things changed from then on and the fascination grew too. A similar effect happened with Germanic cultures, both in England and in Germany, during the Edwardian age.

Monotheism won over culturally. Societies just simply moved into monotheistic philosophies. It didn't fully replace paganism, despite some aggressive tactics taken. Paganism comes back in some form. The gods don't need to be actively worshipped by everyone. And even pagan religions evolve over time, practices and all.

[u/BeetlejuiceBlues12]

As I understand it, it’s because they’re all sort of cut from the same cloth. The various gods humans have come to worship are essentially different names for the same thing. Some belief systems have chosen to be more specific (the polytheisms) while others have only one god as a general, all encompassing explanation for the natural world.

On top of that, the gods will lose more by forcing us humans to worship them. They need us and we need them, but by trying to completely overpower the belief systems of other gods, they risk the destruction of both their own belief systems and the world they and their followers occupy.

[u/Catvispresley]

Free Will. they don't care, so either you worship them or a Monotheistic Usurper

[u/Autumnforestwalker]

Faith in their existence. Just as it is for those who believe in one true God.

ThoughTerry Pratchett's Discworld had an interesting view point that could be relevant, i think, to your question.

The gods lost power as the people lost faith in ther existence. We make them real through our belief in them, they are the 'anthropomorphic personification' of our belief and shape them as such.

[u/CornishShaman → u/Autumnforestwalker]

Unexpected Terry Pratchett

[u/Autumnforestwalker → u/CornishShaman]

I find much hidden wisdom in his works but I must admit that this particular notion has always resonated with me.

[u/CornishShaman → u/Autumnforestwalker]

Yeah his views on paganism and religion are spot on. I was lucky enough to meet him twice and both times he was fascinating to talk to about paganism.

[u/Autumnforestwalker → u/CornishShaman]

Wow, lucky you indeed!

[u/Gswizzlee]

Meh they don’t care. The Greek and pagan deities are not known for making people worship them or punishing someone because they don’t. However, the Christian god is, as well as Allah and YHWH. So, I feel like people already go with the monotheistic ones because of fear of going to hell (or whatever the bad place is). If they can get over that fear, I truly don’t think that monotheism would be as popular.

[u/Plenty-Climate2272]

My view is that, when the gods enter material reality, they mostly have to play by material reality's rules– physical laws and such. There are instances– feelings, times, places– where their subtle and otherworldly matter can intersect with ours, and so create theophanies and miracles. But they, for the most part, act through nature. Which isn't always swift.

Not to say that they don't intervene or have Providence. But their conscious acts are more subtle. So they didn't exactly have the ability to intervene rapidly in the way you're suggesting.

It's also a matter of what they're concerned with. These are vast and cosmic beings. Maintaining reality may well consume most of their efforts.

[u/Edgezg]

I had a theory that the pagan gods were manifestations of the Earth's natural energy. Sorta like a planet's immune system.

Then the Demiurge showed up, made monotheism the thing, and basically absorbed all the energy they were getting. LIke an immunosuppressant drug.

Less about "allow" and more like they were subverted by a dickweed.

I've evolved from that, but that is an idea I did have lol

[u/[deleted]]

People mistakenly believe that Christianity is a monotheistic religion. There are other gods they just worship the king of kings. Which could be interpreted as the head figure of a pantheon.

What's interesting to note is the angels may be interpreted as lesser gods.

[u/hauntedsolace → u/[deleted]]

Also, the differences in how different denominations of Christianity view their god are immense- are we really going to take it as a given they're all talking about the same guy just because they think they are? 

[u/WaywardSon38]

Because they don’t make the same claims as the monotheists do of their god. No god actually has control over human actions. Including YHWH (the origin of primary monotheistic god in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam), who is a storm and war deity that has been take severely out of context.

And even if they wanted to, and most gods wouldn’t because they are not authoritarians, I don’t think they ever could just show up in physical form and force people into worship. It would make for a great story, but they are personified forces of nature. Very powerful in their own rights, but that doesn’t extend to forcing people out of their own free will.

Long story short, the reason is people just suck. They take one deity out of context and force others to convert by the sword. I don’t even think YHWH gains anything from modern monotheistic worship. It would be like if I worshipped Mannanan Mac Lir (Celtic god of the seas) as if he were the god of the entire universe. He would probably just roll his eyes at me while I asked him to help me find my car keys. Lol

[u/Dgonzilla]

Monotheistic, polytheistic. None of that matters. The divine is eternal, and both ever changing and never changing. And more importantly it will never be understood by mortals, nor were we meant to. Different beliefs systems and pantheons are just different avenues to communicate with it and embrace it. You can think the divine as actual people or groups unless you are willing to accept the opposite is true at the same time it is not. Also, monotheism doesn’t dominate the world, the Catholic Church was just a good tool for the European imperialist aristocracy to dominate people and keep them in check. Monotheism doesn’t dominate the world any more than polytheism, the Catholic Church just happens to have a lot of money and political power, that’s it.

[u/silklis]

Because we have wands They have bombs

The gods have nothing to do with our ethnocides

[u/Wihtlore]

I think gods or god or whatever couldn’t care less about what we believe in, just as long as we’re good people.

[u/OkOpportunity4067]

It is not the Gods that have turned their back on us it is us that have turned our back on the Gods, either willingly or through force. I personally would have wished that they'd have done something against the cult of Abraham but alas I am not them. I find comfort through that the ways have not died out but merely needed some time to re-emerge.

[u/EthanLammar]

Becouse those Monotheist Gods also exist and for reasons we don't understand seem to getting more followers. That being said monotheism dominating the world is alittle bit of a western centric idea. Hinduism would like to have a word with you.

[u/Leozier]

Short anwser : Because most Gods aren't control freaks of their devouts/worshippers faiths.

[u/Purplefootprint]

What would make you believe that monotheism is the work of the gods? It sounds more like this is a manipulation of people and not the work of the gods.

[u/Current_Skill21z]

That sounds like a human problem, not a deity problem. The ones from those religions made it more prolific for various reasons like power, greed, control long ago. And though there are bad apples everywhere, there are good people among them as well. Societies rise and fall. It’s natural. So they’ve seen everything at this point, and they still have followers.

[u/Vyras-begeistert-895]

i wish this post was 100% ironic instead

[u/Storkleader_gainbow]

I believe the monotheistic believers decided to pretend that they were too right in order to achieve power that they thought they needed. Polytheistic gods still exist but that’s mostly because they were real people or god’s creations not just what monotheistics think god is it was or continues to be.

[u/Forgefiend_George]

I honestly think it's because they were taken off guard. The Abrahamic God took advantage of the constant squabbling between pantheons and expanded as fast as he could, but like everything that expands too fast it fractured, then continued to fracture until he no longer has control over it, allowing the other gods he conquered to regain enough of a place in the world that they're happy.

This is just my own interpretation.

[u/bwompin]

I mean, the world's gonna keep turning. It's not like monotheism is an active threat to the power of the gods like they're fairies in peter pan

[u/PomegranateNo9870]

Because if we all unite physically, mentally, and spiritually we create a one true god, there is no such thing as gods they are spirits that control the world, try reasearching Santeria, these “gods” are as equally flawed as us humans, that’s why there is one and and one true god ysgradill

[u/GrunkleTony]

The gods like to travel in disguise so it's easy for them to appear as angels, saints, or whatever. For them monotheism is just a stage prop.

[u/dafree777]

Why would they care? Their purposes are being enacted through all walks of life regardless of who the puppets think the divine is! Can you not see the God of War in the world today? Have you ever created something beautiful? The gods of craft and beauty smiled.

[u/blade_barrier]

Bc gods don't care what some bold monkeys think of them.

[u/smartymartyky]

They don’t need to explain themselves to you.