nessa20x

Ok the bible mentions god, a son of god, angels and archangels.
These angels have the power to appear and have some supernatural powers. The son of god can perform miracles, walk on water, transform water. To me this is just like Zues, his sons, and the other lesser gods.

There is even an evil angel of god, satan. He can shape change into a snake, make people disobay god...etcetc.

What is the difference then btwn chritianity and polytheism?

Evolutionist

polytheists admit they are polytheists....

GakuseiDon

It's to do with the number of gods. Polytheists have many gods. Christians only have one god: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Plus there are the angels Gabriel and Michael of course. Not to mention the rest. And the angel that looks like Peter O'Toole with the glowing eyes.

nessa20x

quote:
It's to do with the number of gods. Polytheists have many gods. Christians only have one god: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Plus there are the angels Gabriel and Michael of course. Not to mention the rest. And the angel that looks like Peter O'Toole with the glowing eyes.

So it is polytheism.... Is islam a true monotheism??

Marduk

Islam & Judaism are true monotheists, Christians who claim to understand the Trinity might be, but then they elevate Satan or Lucifer to such a powerful character that it gets rather fuzzy. IMHO

Postcard73

I think a lot of xians would claim that they are monotheists because Yhwh is the one true God, and the lone object of xian worship. Though powerful and supernatural, Satan and the angels are viewed by xians as subservient to Him. If a person worshipped Satan, then they would no longer be a xian, but a Satanist...

Also, the individual pieces of the Trinity represent three separate forms of one entity: to worship the Holy Spirit is to worship the Father and Son as well...

I guess the main questions concerning this issue would be whether or not the Trinity is really one God, and whether or not belief in multiple supernatural beings is monotheism if you only worship one of them...

nessa20x

If monotheism is the belief in one supernatural being
and
polytheism is the belief in several supernatural beings
and
the way a supernatural being is worshiped and belief in a supernatural being are two seperate things

Then doesn't christianity have to be polytheistic regardless of the interpretation of the trinity. Just because there are lesser supernatural beings, doesn't mean that there is only one supernatural being. Saying that there is only 1 perfect supernatural being, and then saying but there are also many other lesser, imperfect but supernatural beings...is still polytheism...believing in several supernatural beings. Just because you call the perfect supernatural being god and the lesser ones angels, satan, archangels etc doesn't change the fact that there is belief in several different supernatural beings.

Unless of course my definitions are wrong.

Also does judiasm also have angels, arch angels, satan etcetc?

GakuseiDon

On a more serious note: the "theism" part refers to gods, not supernatural beings. In Christianity, there is only one God, so it is monotheism. The fact that there are a lot of supernatural beings as well doesn't affect the "theism" part.

Think about this question: can an atheist believe in ghosts, and still be an atheist?

nessa20x

Ok I couldn't believe in ghosts and I equate souls, ghosts, supernatural beings, and gods...So what is the difference btwn a god and a supernatural being, such as an angel/satan etc.
I always thought of gods/supernatural beings/invisible pink unicorns as the same thing. How do you discern btwn them?

Postcard73

If nothing else, a xian can discern between God and other supernatural beings because God created the other beings. Furthermore, the other supernatural beings hold the role of worshippers as opposed to being objects of worship...