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These essays lay the groundwork for a practice of philosophical inquiry adequate to polytheistic or "Pagan" religious traditions, including in particular the non-reductive hermeneutics of myth and the theory of the polycentric divine manifold. Includes the previously published articles "The Theological Interpretation of Myth", "Offering to the Gods: A Neoplatonic Perspective", "Polycentric Polytheism and the Philosophy of Religion", as well as the previously unpublished "Neoplatonism and Polytheism" and "A Theological Exegesis of the Iliad, Book One".
The essays in this book provide the principal theoretical foundation for the 'henadological' approach to theology in the polytheistic philosophy of religion. Previously published articles by author, gathered into one volume "without comment or elaboration". Also includes two previously unpublished works from 2010 and 2012.
Theology, the discipline that analyzes, examines, and seeks to explain religious ideas, is a vibrant area of inquiry. Scholars and philosophers have produced countless works of theology over the past several thousand years.In the West, however, virtually all theology concerns monotheistic faith systems. Polytheism escapes the notice of most scholars, and those who do address it rarely write books intended for a general, non-academic audience. Polytheology must become its own active discipline if modern Pagan practice is to deepen and grow. Monotheistic assumptions so pervade our culture that even those few people born into polytheist religions (or those who grew up with no religion at all) cannot help but be influenced by them. Polytheology raises questions that cannot be adequately addressed by answers originally developed in a monotheistic context. Because polytheism is inherently open to variation, the goal of polytheology is not to arrive at a single truth so much as to elucidate the possibilities, to honor and embrace differences, to explore the nature of the Gods and their relationship to humanity. These philosophical ideas provide a greater understanding of the Cosmos, Gods and humanity, and topics such as morality, mortality, and myth. This volume -- with contributions from Edward P. Butler, Patrick Dunn, John Michael Greer, Brandon Hensley, Wayne Keysor, and Gwendolyn Reece -- is, we hope, a useful addition to this young but growing field.
Polytheism: from the Greek poly for "many" and theos for "god." While the term itself may be simple enough to define, the traditions, beliefs, and practices that fall under it are complex and diverse. Contemporary Reclaiming Witchcraft, early Medieval Heathenry, the native practices of the Aztecs, Shintoism and Taoism, and present-day Hellenismos - to name just a few - all fall under the wide umbrella of polytheism. Yet they are often radically different in their cosmologies, mythologies, ethics, eschatology, sacred rites, and other practices. These four essays exemplify that diversity of beliefs and practices. In "The Dawning of the Equinox," Katie Collins delves into the history and theology behind one of the most important rites in Thelema; Reverend Amber Doty examines "The Nature of Evil" in a number of ancient mythologies, and how that influences modern practitioners of those traditions; in "Soul, Felt Experience, and Divinity," Tom Cabot discusses the visible and invisible realms of Nature and the striving of the human soul towards the divine; and Nicholas Mennona Marino delves into the orations of Isocrates in "'Venerate What Relates to the Gods.'" These essays are only a beginning, though. The complexity of polytheism cannot be contained in a single text. We hope that you will find these essays illuminating and thought-provoking - and that they will inspire you to make inquiries of your own into the nature of the Gods, humanity, and our collective relationships with one another.
Philosopher and historian Christian Jaramillo puts forward new and revolutionary approaches to understanding God, the stances that religions should adopt, the development of science, and the States role in the pursuit of human freedom. By studying the evolution of mankind and its religious societies over the past thirteen thousand years, Jaramillo demonstrates that, through syncretism, man has ultimately worshipped the same one God under different names. The author reaffirms the existence of God, the validity of universal philosophers and the significance of religions in the construction of ancient and modern societies. In this book, Jaramillo proposes a new theology for life, rejects immortality after death, and unravels some of the religious myths that have created structural flaws for humanity in constructing their societies, such as the deterioration of human habitat, the destruction of ethnic groups and the many confrontations between races and peoples. Jaramillo denounces the powerful obsession of religions in controlling mankind through their influence over State decisions, to the detriment of the spiritual freedoms and inalienable natural liberties of man, which supersede the State and inhibit science. We believe that the works of this brilliant thinker will kick-start a revolution in theological, philosophical and social approaches ? all of which will remain the subject of hot debate in the coming centuries.
Preface / Antony Flew and Alasdair MacIntyre -- Can religion be discussed? / A.N. Prior -- Metaphysics, logic and theology : The existence of God / J.J.C. Smart -- Can God's existence be disproved? / J.N. Findlay, G.E. Hughes, A.C.A. Rainer (Windsor), J.N. Findlay -- A religious way of knowing / C.B. Martin -- Theology and falsification : the University discussion / Antony Flew, R.M. Hare, Basil Mitchell -- Arising from the University discussion / I.M. Crombie -- Religion as the inexpressible / Thomas McPherson -- Divine omnipotence and human freedom / Antony Flew -- Creation / Antony Flew and D.M. MacKinnon -- Tertullian's Paradox / Bernard Williams -- The perfect good / C.B. Martin -- Demythologizing and the problem of validity / Ronald W. Hepburn -- Miracles / Patrick Nowell-Smith -- Visions / Alasdair MacIntyre -- Death / D.M. MacKinnon, Antony Flew.
The central topic of current philosophy of religion has been the meaning and the truth of the assertion that God exists. The roots of this preoccupation lie in the natural theology, and the criticism of that theology, of the eighteenth century in the West. The arguments of Hume and Kant are still the basis of contemporary discussion. While this attachment to eighteenth-century concerns may manifest a laudable sense of reverence for our ancestors, it has led the philosophy of religion into lamentable delinquencies and impoverishments.