Those Darn Gods!   ^{(part 1 of 2)}

RESOURCES

THEMES

  Deities are tricky entities, by all accounts. People have devised many of the buggers. Hey, I carved a couple myself, just this morning. There is no consensus about ANY points regarding deities - their existence, numbers, origins, characteristics, behaviours, desires, any of that stuff. In this quasi-FAQ I'll attempt to point you to methods for obtaining answers to your questions about deities, if any. May the Force be with you. Or else.

SOME QUESTIONS ASKED ABOUT DEITIES

1. DO ONE OR MORE DEITIES EXIST? HOW CAN YOU TELL?
2. HOW MANY DEITIES ARE THERE? WHAT ARE THE POSSIBLE DEITY-COUNTS? HOW DO I COUNT DEITIES?
3. WHAT ARE THEIR POSSIBLE ORIGINS? HOW CAN I LEARN WHERE DEITIES COME FROM?
4. WHY DO WE HAVE DEITIES? HOW CAN I DETERMINE WHY DEITIES ARE HERE? ARE DEITIES REQUIRED?
5. WHAT ARE THE ATTRIBUTES, QUALITIES, DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS OF DEITIES? WHAT MAKES A DEITY DIVINE?
6. WHAT ARE THE ATTITUDES, PROPENSITIES, LIKELY BEHAVIORS OF DEITIES? WHAT'S A DEITY GOING TO DO?
7. OTHER QUESTIONS:

  I can neither guarantee the applicability or accuracy of, nor assume liability for, any of the questions or answers listed here. If you inquire into these realms, you must accept full responsibility for what you ask, how you search, and what you learn. If you have any comments, suggestions, questions, answers, improved methodologies, substantial bribes, or nude pictures of cute goddesses, please email me immediately. Carved deities, gemstones, fetishes and copies of the Desert Rat Scrap Book (DRSB) may be sent to me via the address given near the bottom of my home page. Thanks in advance.

§  DO ONE OR MORE DEITIES EXIST? HOW CAN YOU TELL?

  This is the most basic of questions, and about the thorniest. It has been shown that deities definitely exist WITHIN human consciousness (see MAPPING THE NEXT MILLENNIUM, by Stephen S. Hall [Random House, 1992] for more on this); however, there's no consensus as to the meaning of 'exist' in this context. People can certainly THINK about deities, thus giving them virtual existence, at least. The evidence of the existence of deities OUTSIDE human consciousness is controversial. But people believe whatever the hell they want to believe.

  Determining the existential nature of one or more deities usually involves one or more of the following:

1. Documentary evidence:
     Select, study, interpret and absorb the 'sacred' literature of your choice. Be aware that, once you 'buy-into' any belief system, you are morally obliged to assume PERSONAL responsibility for the creeds / texts / oracles / imagery of that system, and the actions of other followers of that faith. Failure to accept this responsibility indicates moral & spiritual & intellectual bankruptcy.
     Also, different groups accept / reject, translate / interpret, apply / ignore subsets of the same piles of 'sacred' writings in vastly different ways. Be assured that whatever documents are holy to you, surely constitute rank heresy / distortion / evil to someone else. Bet on it.
   
   
2. Physical evidence:
     Select, study, interpret and explain the phenomena and artifacts that indicate the observable existence of one or more deities. But be aware that, if you even CONSIDER that your god(s) created, modified or otherwise manipulated this physical evidence, they COULD have done so in such a way as to FALSIFY that evidence. The 'evidence' is thus tainted, and must be dismissed from further consideration. Failure to discard any tainted evidence also indicates moral & spiritual & intellectual bankruptcy.
   
   
3. Personal experience:
     Select, study, interpret and justify the divine messages that have been imparted unto you. But be aware that the messages could be erroneous, garbled, forged, malevolent; they may be complex beyond your capacity to comprehend; they could be self-generated; they could be due to human | alien | robotic mind-control efforts. Failure to accept these possibilities indicates a tendency to self-delusion.
   
   
4. Testimonial evidence:
     Select, study, interpret and swallow what others tell you about their own divine experiences / learning / revelations / channeling. See the caveats listed above -- they all apply. Who do you really trust? Why?

  In short, determining the existence of deities require careful consideration, extensive study, extreme sensitivity and judgment. More research is needed. Can we get a grant?

§  HOW MANY DEITIES ARE THERE? WHAT ARE THE POSSIBLE DEITY-COUNTS? HOW DO I COUNT DEITIES?

  The number of deities depends on how you define 'deity'. I propose that major | true deities be counted as integers, and minor | false deities and other supernatural entities be counted as fractions. Given this, the possible count of deities (where N is the number of gods) includes these sets:

1. N < 0:   ANTITHEISM
   There is a definite non-existence of deities of any sort, anywhere, anytime, for any reason. That's definite. I'm absolutely sure.
2. N = 0:   ATHEISM
   There are no deities, at least none that intrude upon my concerns / consciousness / reality. What, me worry?
3. N = 1:   MONOTHEISM
   There is only one deity, no other true of false gods, none of that infidel crap. None. Like it or lump it.
4. 1 < N < 2:   MONO-PLUS
   There's only one true deity, but other false gods, spirits, demons, etc are floating around. Yow.
5. N >= 2:   POLYTHEISM
   Two or more significant deities exist, as well as (possibly) some number of minor gods, spirits, devils, etc, etc.
   

   This last enumeration, POLYTHEISM, can be further divided into even more sets:

6. N = 2:   DUALISM
   There are exactly two deities or aspects of deity, usually represented as a duality such as good & evil or light & dark or male & female or hot & cold or high & low or on & off or me & you or these & those, etc.
7. 2 < N < 3:   DUAL-PLUS
   There are two true deities / aspects, plus some number of minor entities.
8. N = 3:   TRINITARIANISM
   There are exactly three deities / aspects, variously represented as such persons as maiden & mother & crone or father & son & ghost (a dead mother?) or me & you & it.
9. 3 < N < 4:   TRINITY-PLUS
   There are three true deities / aspects, plus some number of false | minor | pesky godlings.
10. N --> (infinity):   PLURALITY
    The number of gods approaches infinity, the uncountable, more than you can shake a stick at.
11. N = (all):   PANTHEISM, UNIVERSALISM
    Divinity is in everything, everywhere, always; everything is divine. We are all one with the infinite. Screwing you is just like screwing everybody you've ever screwed. But that's OK, it's all divine love. Gods, what an orgasm!

  Counting deities can be a tricky business. The number of deities, sub-deities, spirits etc recognized in a society, as well as the very existence and nature of paranormal beliefs in a society, correlates strongly with social structures. Hierarchical societies tend to be monotheistic; if a society has several strong power centers, polytheism is likely; if certain socially divisive forces exist, demons may be present; if strong clan structures exist, we find inclusion of ancestral spirits in the belief mix. See THE BIRTH OF THE GODS: The Origin Of Primitive Beliefs, by Guy E. Swanson [University of Michigan Press, 1960] for more on this.

  So, a good place to start counting deities in your culture, is to note the nature of your society. Then, query all the constituent groups within your society, tallying all the deities | godlings | spirits | angels | demons they may mention. Then multiply that count by three or ten, just to be safe. You don't want to miss counting any gods carelessly; they may become quite annoyed at being overlooked in your enumeration, and you don't want to have to deal with THAT, now do you?

§  WHAT ARE THEIR POSSIBLE ORIGINS? HOW CAN I LEARN WHERE DEITIES COME FROM?

  The purported origins of many deities are greatly disputed by adherents of different faiths. Some say this; some say that; Allah knows best. Maybe. Some of the supposed origins of deities include the following:

1. They pop out of nowhere, are just spontaneously generated by no mean(s) and for no reason(s) knowable by humans. Look no further - there's no 'there' there.
2. They're generated by natural forces, which may or may not be knowable by humans.
3. They're generated by other deities or supernatural entities, for purposes of their own, which may or may not be knowable by humans. But then, who / what created those creating entities? And who / what created them? And so on...
4. They exist forever; or possibly, they exist along a time axis that does not accord or correlate with time as we know it in our observable reality. But be aware that this explanation really "begs the question" of divine origin, the same as the previous item, placing it into a realm that cannot be explored rationally. Bother.
5. Humans and/or other corporeal, sentient beings create deities by 1) physical or 2) mental or 3) spiritual or 4) other means.
6. Deities are irrevocably bound to the existence of all living and/or non-living objects in the universe, and possibly to thought-patterns, observable phenomena, and other portions of reality. That is, deities aren't born, they just are.

  You can explore the origins of divinities by 1) examining evidence, 2) experiencing revelations, 3) the experimental method, 4) authoritative proclamations, 5) querying focus groups and polls, 6) computer simulations, 7) role-playing games, 8) controlled fusion, or 9) other means. Whatever works best for you, eh? Be sure to email me your answers.