Clash of the Gods, or Perhaps Here Be Aliens! Part One

Has Planet Earth been home to thousands of gods, or just one God, or both, or neither? If neither, then our over fertile active imaginations have run riot populating the four corners of the globe with fictitious characters. Perhaps the gods and/or God exist, but not in any sort of theistic sense. Enter ET, stage left!

Throughout human history humans have populated their world with thousands of gods (like Zeus), goddesses (like Hera – Mrs. Zeus) and demigods (like Hercules, son of Zeus, but not of Hera), along with many associated assortment of beasties, often half-human, half-something else (usually animal), or else humanoid with associated ‘defects’ like the one-eyed Cyclops or the Medusa. Add to that zoo, our monotheistic God and associated hangers-on, like angels, etc. What are we to make of this menagerie? 

Postulate One: All of these beings are mythical and imaginary. To be honest, that’s the most likely scenario, though of course millions of Christians, Muslims, and Jews would have one survivor from the deity zoo – God. However, if thousands of gods don’t exist, then isn’t it logical to assume that thousands and one, gods plus God don’t exist?

Assuming neither the gods nor God exists – then we play the ‘what if’ game…

‘What if’ no deities exist or have ever existed?

Then billions of people, over thousands of years, have spent trillions of ultimately wasted hours in prayer, attending church, observing/attending various religious rituals, spent in religious/Biblical study, door-knocking, preaching, discussing, arguing, going on pilgrimages, etc.

Then all those religious rituals, the do and do not rules that govern things regarding food, dress codes, ceremonies, relationships, sex, and etc. ultimately have been meaningless. 

Then millions of people have been tortured, murdered or executed, imprisoned, ridiculed, humiliated, exiled, and hated for no reason.

Then billions of dollars have been spent on cathedrals instead of say hospitals; Bibles instead of textbooks; educating priests instead of medical doctors, nurses and scientists.

Then for those formally educated and qualified in religious studies, spending entire careers preaching, etc. they have wasted their lives in devotion to an invisible friend(s) that has all the reality of Casper, the Friendly Ghost.

Then multi-millions of animals have been sacrificed and offered up to a supernatural being(s) that doesn’t exist.

Then you can’t blame all your aches and pains, your bad back and creaky joints, on some all knowing great intelligent designer(s), who apparently bioengineered you (from dust or a rib or whatever) while simultaneously failing Bioengineering 101. I mean placing the food tube right next to the breathing tube was a disaster waiting to happen, as evidenced by all those people who choke to death every year. And how many women have died giving birth because the compatibility between the birth canal and the size of the baby, well just wasn’t! A divinely created human wouldn’t be flawed and have need of eyeglasses or a hearing aid. God wouldn’t create a human with jaws to small to allow for wisdom teeth. As to the appendix organ, that’s just another oops.

Postulate Two: Some or all of these beings exist and are associated with the realm of the supernatural.

Assuming both supernatural God and gods exist…

1) Both might exist quite independently from each other in space, in time, or both. One doesn’t know about the existence of the other.

2) Both might exist as independent entities (not of the same family) in the same time and space, but choose to have no interactions.

3) Both might exist as independent entities (not of the same family) in the same time and space frame and interact.

4) Both might exist, but God is just one of the gods. That is, there is no independence between God and the gods; they’re all kin.

5) God and the gods do not get along, be it #3 or #4. But while the gods are silent on God, God doesn’t overly love His god kin, since He instructs us not to have any other gods before Him!

God or the gods: who comes first?

1) In terms of human history, the gods existed before God. Polytheism existed prior to monotheism.

2) Therefore, the gods, if responsible for all things created, created God. Monotheism is subservient to polytheism. God answers to the gods.

3) If God came before the gods, and God is the supreme creator, then God created the gods. Polytheism is subservient to monotheism. The gods answer to God.

4) However, if God created the gods, God is ultimately jealous of the gods (as per His Commandments), and therefore of His own creation. God, being all-knowing, foresaw this, but did it anyway. That’s illogical. 

Assuming God exists and the gods don’t – well, that’s pretty much the status quo today. What few believers still exist in worshiping Zeus, Jupiter, Odin and associates aren’t sufficient to cause any resurgence in polytheism.

Assuming the gods exist, and God doesn’t – well, a significant percentage of the inhabitants of Planet Earth over the past several millennia have got lots of collective egg on their faces. Much of the ‘what if’ given above applies equally well. However, in one sense, the gods make more sense than God.  Contrast the following. There’s this God, your invisible friend who art in heaven, which is also invisible and a place you can not travel to. Contrast that vis-à-vis the Greek gods say, who were visible to and interacted (i.e. – mated usually) with the mortal Greeks. Further, they lived right next door up on Mount Olympus, a place you could actually climb up and visit. I mean the gods are practically your next door neighbour. How could the Greeks get something that obvious so wrong? Maybe they didn’t – get it wrong that is. So who is more likely to be mistaken, the monotheist who has never seen God or heaven, or the Greek polytheist who has their gods living in the neighbourhood? Who has more credibility?

To be continued…