Zero sum game
- “National anthem, Cashmereyaut, suppression of dummy grad students etc are mere facades for the really elephant in the room that H themselves are afraid to see – there can be no coexistence between Abe and the heathens & Abe will do all it takes to make us fertilizer for the soil.” [TW16]
Why natural polytheisms? Why the big deal?
Objections
- “Let everyone get along by just belonging to the same religion - all roads lead to God. Why the confusion?”
- “polytheism can continue with angels and saints under monotheism (as in folk catholicism) - so no need to resist and fuss about its preservation”.
Objective Answers
- Monotheisms are a serious memetic disease of epidemic proportions which naturally sap the genius and vitality of individuals and communities. So, it is best to fight and minimize this disease as much as possible.
- Better connection to the universe, better care for our environment, more creativity (via greater freedom and superior access to truly divine inspiration), less energy spent on proselytization that uproots people from their ancestral cults …
- Intolerance for intolerance is essential - anything else is suicidal. More in tolerance page.
- “You live in a world of multiplicity. Multiplicity is inherent in just you alone, a single being; with multiple limbs, organs, sensory faculties, etc. Multiplicity in colours, tastes, smells, etc. Why won’t there be a multiplicity on the divine? Polytheism recognises this ubiquitousness of multiplicity & offers you a way to access this divine multiplicity in this very mundane world through these very mundane things. Suddenly, the 8 directions of the compass, colours, shapes, etc have something transcendental to offer. Monotheism only offers you a gloomy, empty & sinful world and a permanently displeased singularity of “God”, outside whom there is no choice to access the divine as per one’s proclivities and nature. You have to be a very insipid/dry human being to be a monotheist.” - GA. (Another response in the same vein - KV19)
- Also see: particular benefits of hinduism
Fat tail risk analysis
- namby pamby polytheisms - get gobbled up by monotheist contagion. Examples:
- most polytheisms - especially those of senescent pagan civilizations.
- monotheisms (eg. Islam) - make anti-science nuts, overconstrain creativity, bloody “real monotheist” squabbles, spur dark ages.
- virile polytheisms: ~0. Examples:
- japanese shinto + buddhists who expelled Portuguese and stamped out Christianity
Subjective
- Having to hide and secretly preserve one’s polytheistic beliefs from dormant or active monotheist enforcers is irksome for polytheists.
- “Our Gods are real and desire and deserve devotion without being hidden inside an oppressive faith”.
- Further, it is in a sense “claustrophobic” and ugly for polytheist devotees.
- As a certain pUjA put it: “Sauron has reached out far and stretched his nazgul arms wide indeed. What will the hobbits do now? Gandalf? Aragorn? The elves? The hobbits are all drinking to their health in the Green Dragon while the shire, no - Middle earth, is threatened. Dark days are indeed at our doors. I hope the Frodo in us is kicked up back alive by the ever loyal Samwise.”