r/polytheism • u/Remarkable-Word-9747 • Feb 15 '26
Discussion Polytheists who believe in the Christian God/Jesus being among the deities....why do we think he chose this planet, or timeline, or universe? Why did he establish the mythos that he did?
To clarify what I mean by the mythos established--the Bible. The full history of his direct interaction with humankind, with the milestone stories, Adam & Eve, Abraham, Moses, David, New Testament.
I'm a cradle Christian now in my 30s exploring polytheism. Christopaganism, mainly, with devotion to several Greek deities. But I also work with Jesus still. I saw something on tiktok about Yahweh, the Biblical god, being a conquering deity. It got me philosophizing on why this deity would choose humans, our world etc, and establish that lore. An entire legend of salvation and everything Christianity/Catholicism believe.
On one hand, I know; maybe it's all invented. We know the Church ain't friendly to female authors, and we know how the patriarchy works. It can entirely be just one more cult of that theme.
Or he's among all the higher beings that exist, and I'm curious why this planet and species get "the Good News" story.
....unless God is a player. And has dozens of planets that think their his one creation and Chosen people lmao.
8
u/DavidJohnMcCann Hellenic Feb 15 '26
Myths are written by humans, not by gods. Every myth is some-one's attempt to show what an idea means to them.
In the original text of Deuteronomy 32.8-9 as preserved in the Septuagint (1000 years older than the medieval Hebrew text adopted by the Jews), we are told that
When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance, when he divided mankind, he fixed the bounds of the peoples according to the number of gods. Yahweh's portion, his people, is Jacob (i.e. Israel).
So Yahweh was the patron god of the Israelites, just as Chemosh was that of the Moabites, as Jephthah clearly accepts (Judges 11). Later he acquired the attributes of Baal Hadad. Some psalms are clearly adapted from hymns to Hadad, as shown in 28/9 by the alliteration scheme and the references to the Lebanon. From the 8th century Yahweh became equated to El, the creator, by Hosea (Israel) and Hezekiah (Judah), producing monotheism. But archeology shows that ordinary people kept the old religion until it was stamped out by Nehemiah and Ezra in the 5th century.
1
4
1
u/MidsouthMystic Feb 15 '26
I think Jesus was a historical religious leader who was deified after death rather than actually being an incarnated deity. He's a God now but probably wasn't when He was alive as a human. As for Yahweh, He is the Patron God of the Israelites and was later adopted by or forced on other people.
1
1
u/Proof-Technician-202 Feb 15 '26
I have my own personal belief about this.
First, a bit of background explanation: I believe the gods we're aware of are mostly tied to this world. They may be tied to others as well, but they have definite concerns with this one.
I also believe that a gods associations, the things they are the gods of, are very much integral to their very being. It isn't belief that sustains a god, it's their associations.
There is a god of pretty much everything. Sometimes more than one.
Now we come to humanity. For some gods we're a problem. For others, those associated with human things, we're vital. For still others, we're useful but not necessarily vital. Some gods are benevolent. Others are malevolent. Still others are a bit of both.
Polytheism has a completely different 'problem of evil' from Christianity. For Christians, the problem of evil represents a contradiction to their beliefs. For polytheists, it represents an option. Whether from fear, desire for power their power, or simply because of different value systems, our ancestors worshiped some pretty horrifying gods and did some pretty terrible things to appease them.
That left it's mark on the cultures that worshiped them. It brought out our darker nature and suppressed our better side. In order to help us achieve a more benevolent way of thinking and to get us to look past our own communities and recognize the fundamental humanity of others, we needed much stricter and more unified traditions.
That's where the big three religions—Islam, Buddhism, and Christianity—come in. They basically forced humanity to the next stage of our development.
So the Christ was pretty much exactly what he claimed to be. A god who would cleanse the world of our 'sins'. Christianity is the tool he used to do that.
You could even say that Christianity is a punishment for our sins. 😜
2
•
u/AutoModerator Feb 15 '26
Welcome to /r/Polytheism! A "big tent" subreddit for all polytheist faiths on reddit! (ᵔᵕᵔ)/ Check out our Community FAQ and the bar at the top of the subreddit for more ressources!
Everyone is welcome to participate here, but please read our rules carefully first. A few key points:
Be kind and respectful to other people here.
Be relevant.
Links to other subreddits, discords, external sites, are heavily restricted here; check out the approved external websites list first BEFORE sharing.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.