Provides a theology of polytheism—the belief in many deities—using examples from a wide range of world religions. The Deities Are Many is a lively and learned introduction to polytheism. Drawing from both his scholarly research and his personal experience, author Jordan Paper is the ideal guide into this milieu. Paper was drawn to polytheism through his love of nature, seeing it as a source of the divine. In this book he focuses on Chinese and Native American religious traditions, as well as West African, African-Brazilian, Hindu, Polynesian, and circum-Polar traditions, to describe the theology of polytheism. The book provides a topology of polytheistic deities, focusing on the cosmic couple, Father Sky and Mother Earth; animal, plant, and mineral deities; ancestral spirits; divine ghosts; and culture heroes and tricksters. Paper also shows how monotheists misunderstand polytheism and provides a polytheist perspective on what it means to be human when the "deities are many." This is a fascinating, illuminating book, especially for those raised in monotheistic societies.

Table of Contents:
Preface Acknowledgments 1. Introduction Why a Polytheistic Theology? Whose Theology? The Varieties of Polytheism: The Structure of This Book A Few Caveats 2. The Cosmic Couple: Mother Earth and Father Sky Sky and Earth Circumpolar Rebirth Rituals Chinese Imperial Sacrifices to Sky and Earth Sun and Moon The Four Directions Morning Star / Evening Star Sun and Earth Stars and Planets Mountains and Streams Personal Relationships with Cosmic Powers 3. Numinous Nature: Animal, Plant, and Mineral Spirits Introduction Natural Plants Animals in the Wild Rocks and Minerals Domesticated Plants Domesticated Animals Modes of Interaction 4. The Family Deified: Ancestral Spirits Ancestral Spirits China Modes of Communication 5. Divine Ghosts: Functional Deities The Anthropomorphizing of the Divine Modes of Interaction 6. The Seminuminous: Culture Heroes and Tricksters Numinous Beings Unconnected to Rituals Trickster and Humorous Divinities Culture Hero Quasi Deities Re-creation of the World versus Creation Implications 7. One or Many: Monotheists' Misperceptions of Polytheism Polytheism Is Defined by Monotheism Ur-monotheism The Native American "Great Spirit" The "Master of Heaven" Theological Effects of Western Colonialism on Non-Western Traditions The "Creator" Taiping Religion and the Unification Church Contemporary Versions of Monotheistic Assumptions 8. Diversity and Accommodation: Human Life in a Polytheistic Milieu The One in the Many, The Many in the One A Polytheistic View of Monotheism Living Polytheism Conclusions Further Readings Index