A Million and One Gods: The Persistence of Polytheism

by Page duBois

Many people worship not just one but many gods. Yet a relentless prejudice against polytheism denies legitimacy to some of the world’s oldest and richest religious traditions. In her examination of polytheistic cultures both ancient and contemporary―those of Greece and Rome, the Bible and the Quran, as well as modern India―Page duBois refutes the idea that the worship of multiple gods naturally evolves over time into the “higher” belief in a single deity. In A Million and One Gods , she shows that polytheism has endured intact for millennia even in the West, despite the many hidden ways that monotheistic thought continues to shape Western outlooks.

In English usage, the word “polytheism” comes from the seventeenth-century writings of Samuel Purchas. It was pejorative from the beginning―a word to distinguish the belief system of backward peoples from the more theologically advanced religion of Protestant Christians. Today, when monotheistic fundamentalisms too often drive people to commit violent acts, polytheism remains a scandalous presence in societies still oriented according to Jewish, Christian, and Muslim beliefs. Even in the multicultural milieus of twenty-first-century America and Great Britain, polytheism finds itself marginalized. Yet it persists, perhaps because polytheism corresponds to unconscious needs and deeply held values of tolerance, diversity, and equality that are central to civilized societies.

Genres: Religion, History, Philosophy, Nonfiction, Spirituality, Paganism

208 pages, Hardcover

First published June 16, 2014

Reviews

[Jules · Rating 5 out of 5]

I disagree with some of the other reviews. It's obviously not 100% comprehensive, but that some people think it's "slandering monotheism" is ridiculous. It only challenges monotheism more because it has become the overwhelming religious norm (literally what the book is about) and the point of the book is to have people think about things they usually wouldn't. I really enjoyed, had some interesting insights on the interaction between different religions in history.

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

[DW Rowlands · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was really impressed by the author's depth of research, and I found the topic very interesting. A number of the books she cited also sound quite good, so it's added a bit to my reading list.

[Margaret Young · Rating 3 out of 5]

This felt like a cursory and unconvinced examination of polytheism.

[Min · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book's greatest feature is the extensive research. Its pages are loaded with an amazing array of texts, periodicals, interviews, and references discovered that show, through history how the monotheistic bias bloomed from decidedly polytheistic roots, particularly what is often perceived as 'original' monotheisms of the Abrahamic, and Zoroastrian groups.

Several points were so filled with scattered information, there was no clear narrative, it felt dry, and dragging, yet, it is an impressive collection of information to begin and re-evaluate how the Modern World treats and interprets polytheistic ideologies.

There is very little about the present movements in the West to reconstruct and/ or revive these past cultures that have been lost to time, and conversion. I had hoped for some examination of these groups however, there is plenty to glean from these pages.

[Nrtashi · Rating 2 out of 5]

So, the author's thesis goes as follows

Polytheism=good
Monotheism=bad
Monotheism=Polytheism

Which she proves with a bunch of generalized, carefully nitpicked examples.
And of course, in typically postmodernist fashion, Page duBois sincerely believes that accepting these totally logical conclusions will lead humanity to a brighter, happier future of more-then-tolerance where the grass is greener and people smile 24/7.

[Andrea Hickman Walker]

I'm not rating this at this stage because I'll hopefully go back when I'm able to actually sit with this for a while. It doesn't work for reading piecemeal.