03178nam 2200613Ia 450 991082088690332120200520144314.00-7914-8362-21-4237-4393-8(CKB)1000000000458814(OCoLC)461442407(CaPaEBR)ebrary10579054(SSID)ssj0000136256(PQKBManifestationID)11150473(PQKBTitleCode)TC0000136256(PQKBWorkID)10064269(PQKB)10915157(MiAaPQ)EBC3407631(OCoLC)62734630(MdBmJHUP)muse6256(Au-PeEL)EBL3407631(CaPaEBR)ebr10579054(DE-B1597)681664(DE-B1597)9780791483626(EXLCZ)99100000000045881420040329d2005 ub 0engurcn|||||||||txtccrThe deities are many a polytheistic theology /Jordan PaperAlbany State University of New York Pressc20051 online resource (170 p.) SUNY series in religious studiesIncludes index.0-7914-6387-7 Includes bibliographical references (p. 145-152) and index.Front Matter -- Contents -- Preface -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- The Cosmic Couple: Mother Earth and Father Sky -- Numinous Nature: Animal, Plant, and Mineral Spirits -- The Family Deified: Ancestral Spirits -- Divine Ghosts: Functional Deities -- The Seminuminous: Culture Heroes and Tricksters -- One or Many: Monotheists' Misperceptions of Polytheism -- Diversity and Accommodation: Human Life in a Polytheistic Milieu -- Further Readings -- IndexThe Deities Are Many is a lively and learned introduction to polytheism. Drawing from both his scholarly research and his personal experience, author Jordan Paper is the ideal guide into this milieu. Paper was drawn to polytheism through his love of nature, seeing it as a source of the divine. In this book he focuses on Chinese and Native American religious traditions, as well as West African, African-Brazilian, Hindu, Polynesian, and circum-Polar traditions, to describe the theology of polytheism. The book provides a topology of polytheistic deities, focusing on the cosmic couple, Father Sky and Mother Earth; animal, plant, and mineral deities; ancestral spirits; divine ghosts; and culture heroes and tricksters. Paper also shows how monotheists misunderstand polytheism and provides a polytheist perspective on what it means to be human when the "deities are many." This is a fascinating, illuminating book, especially for those raised in monotheistic societies.SUNY series in religious studies.PolytheismReligionsPolytheism.Religions.211/.32Paper Jordan D673083MiAaPQMiAaPQMiAaPQBOOK9910820886903321The deities are many3928561UNINA