All Gods are One... or are they?

This is something that was taught to me years ago and, at the time, I didn't really get it. But now I do. And I agree with it.

I think divinity is really just the energy of life. And we give it faces and names so that we can relate to it.

So with that in mind, certain statements seem contradictory to me:

#1. My religion is right, yours is wrong. That's a contradiction to me, since in my view we are touching the same source of energy and therefore all end up in the same place when we die.

#2. Wiccans don't believe in Satan. That's another contradiction, since all faces and names are really just ways of touching the one source. I mean, why believe in every other deity EXCEPT Satan. That seems ridiculous to me.

#3. I don't believe in the Christian God. That's a big contradiction, see reasons stated above.

Keep in mind this is just my personal opinion based on my own experience and learning and revelations over the years.

What do you think? What are your thoughts? How did you come about these thoughts?

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Permalink Reply by CrystalStorms on November 1, 2009 at 9:51pm: It is a wonderful break in TIME when a person can depart from what they were told to believe. Divinity is a hard question because most of us are still thinking in the past, with Heaven and Hell. Why don't we see past that and as you describe this as energy, then does it make sense to say that the theory of Heaven and Hell was used by the higher authority to control the peasants and community? Bad people, the captives were enslaved into places highly decorated with pictures of doom, hell, fire and suffering. So, to oppress is to be right? No, not in my book and I hope not in yours either. So, think about the history of this subject and how witches who worked the paranormal energies to their righteousnes were seen as a danger to the authority of the Kings, Government, Dictators, and All enforcement. If people continued to see their righteousness, as Jesus too was a miracle worker, then you see by past example that this will forever be a problem and a struggle for those outside the monotheism religions.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Mer on November 14, 2009 at 8:07pm: Here are my thoughts:

#1 I agree with you.

#2 I think this just sloppy use of the English language. When I was 16 I was blessed to live in South Tx and in a very multicultural area. I had a Geography teacher who had worked PR and had traveled to every country on the planet (except for 2 that were closed to US citizens at the time) prior to settling down and becoming a high school teacher. Feeling that it was best for us to learn by first hand experience whenever possible as we studied a country she would allow a student from that country to give a presentation on their culture.

When we got to the unit on India a girl who was born in India gave a presentation. Unlike myself and many of us here she was born and raised Polytheist. When she touched on her religion people in the class tried to trip her up with these very questions and arguments.

How can there be many Gods? How do you know which ones to worship? What about Satan? Heaven? Hell?

Until that moment Polytheism was something that I never understood. Her answer changed my worldview forever.

She said that all Gods are One and that One is All (us included). However, the One is to big for us to connect with and yet we must because to be cut off from the One is to be cut off from ourselves. Therefore we must make a way--> Deities. Are these Deities/facets/aspects real? Yes because we make them so by our perception (Thought is form). As for worship/acknowledgement we only need to concern ourselves with those Deities that are relavent to us (the facets that we see from our vantige point)... I feel that this is what people mean when they say they do not "believe" in Satan. The more correct statement would be "That particular manifestation of the All holds no relavence on my life path." We aren't denying Satan's existance only his relevance.

The same goes for #3 Sloppy use of English. The Christian concept of god has little relevance on the Pagan path so as lazy speakers we say we do not "believe". I say we because I am as guilty as any of lazy speech.

Words are tidious things aren't they!

Also, growing up 2 of my 3 parents were fundamental Baptists and as far as I was taught Satan is not, scripturally speaking, a Deity so a good polythiest is free to deny his existance if they like.

All of the above is just my personal opinion shaped by my life experience to date.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Maire Hel Wolf on November 14, 2009 at 8:24pm: hmmm
IMHO just a way to avoid any conflicts among followers of different paths.
Maybe the various gods are all made of that one divine energy or something and therefore present aspects, but how come a few of them deny the others?

In Hindu religion they say that all deities actually are one single deity in the end, the original force of all life.

1) could as well mean: your deity is just made up, mine is made of the real stuff.
2) blah. one could say: Satan is not a Deity, but maybe he is made of the same stuff like a) your made up deity b) the real stuff c) trash from the real stuff
3) it could more be a political statement, or see 1)

The only statement I could identify with would be:
I have my religion. you have yours. If I want to know about yours, I will ask. If you try to shove yours down my throat I will hurt you or make something hurt you.

I think there is a christian god, I just think he is of ill attitude, overchallenged and overrated.
I do not know what Wiccans believe. They believe all kinds of things. I don't know actually.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Kalamus on November 14, 2009 at 8:53pm: in the druid teachings they talk about the 1 god as having many faces and the giving the name to represent each relm/element etc.; ▶ Reply to This