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An investigation into the underpinnings and superstructures of the Pagan world view Pagan religions have tended to be more concerned with practice that with theory and in a system that has no dogma - no legislated doctrine - that is as it should be. Yet as the movement grows and matures, it is inevitable that we will begin to think in a more abstract way about our models and systems. John Michael Greer has provided a primer on the kinds of ideas and themes that must be included in any discussion of the theology and philosophy of Neo-pagan religions. Much of the book takes shape in a dialogue with existing ideas in theology, philosophy, and comparative religion. It looks to find a middle ground between too much and too little reference to the work of other scholars to find a comprehensible yet intellectually rigorous middle ground. It aims to be part of a conversation, that stretches out over the centuries. Voices of polytheist spirituality have had little place in that conversation for many years, but much of value has been said in their absence. The rebirth of polytheism as a living religious tradition in the Western world will inevitably force a reassessment of much of that heritage, and pose challenges to some of its most cherished assumptions. Yet reassessment is not necessarily rejection, and the traditions of modern polytheism are deeply enough indebted to legacies from the past that an attentive ear to earlier phases of the conversation is not out of place.… (more)
User reviews
"A World Full of Gods" begins by suggesting that the conception of a "god" is fundamentally different in polytheism than it is in monotheism, but this premise is abandoned as Greer time after time imagines the monotheistic God as just a trumped-up and xenophobic version of the polytheist understanding of deity. Rather than a thoughtful and careful comparative study (or a work that explores the inner workings of polytheism without having to resort again and again to a defensive anti-monotheism position), this book is likely to frustrate sincere monotheists seeking to understand their polytheist counterparts, while perpetuating a misunderstanding of monotheism among polytheists themselves. Considering the insight of Greer's other books, this text is vastly disappointing. Perhaps its biggest flaw is over-extension, with great ambitions not only to describe and elaborate upon polytheism within the modern Pagan movement, but to sum up millennia of religious and theological debate in a scant two-hundred pages. Such an endeavor is doomed to failure. When Greer isn't defining polytheism in not-monotheistic terms, he inevitably wastes time reducing complex philosophical concepts to claims which, naturally, border on nonsense. He then proceeds to use this reductionist view as supposedly compelling evidence that monotheism cannot hold up under scrutiny. It is understandable, then, that only readers who have already decided on the nonsensical uselessness of monotheism will find this book enjoyable in its affirmation of what they see as a foregone conclusion.
All of that said, "A World Full of Gods" can offer some insight into polytheism for the "creative" monotheist interested in learning about alternative theologies, if she is patient enough and willing to slog through a constant misrepresentation of her own religious views. Greer's brief list of key polytheistic concepts on p. 11 (it would have been nice to see a book structured around exploring these key concepts), as well as his discussion of sacred gift-giving in pagan worship on pp. 114-120, are examples of some diamonds in the rough to be found throughout the text.
From the second chapter onwards, I was able to follow the arguments being put forward for
I feel this book could have been so much more; I just don't know how it could have been improved. This book just didn't flow for me; I felt like I gained nothing from reading it; and it left me feeling rather frustrated.
The quality of this edition was poor, with the words crammed into the margins, causing me to often read the title of the book rather than the follow-on from the previous sentence, spelling and grammatical errors. I would have preferred either footnotes or endnotes position at the back of the book; I gave up reading the notes as it was too fussy to find them before reading each new chapter.
Modern Western culture tends to view monotheism as the only truly mature and legitimate form of religiosity, based on the idea that cultures "grow out of" polytheism
I would recommend this book to any student of comparative religion, or anyone with an open mind who wants to gain an understanding of the rapdily growing communities of polytheist spirituality.