People of R&S: How do you define polytheism?

Certainly, people have Iong recognized gods who they feared rather than revered and worshiped. Think of the Mayans, who engaged in human sacrifice to propitiate their gods.

Today, both monotheists and polytheists are living several centuries back, when the best informed of people were ignorant of all but the most elementary scientific knowledge. Anyone who continues to be a theist in 2012 is the victim of arrested development.

It is interesting that surveys have shown the fastest growing belief system among young Americans today is atheism. That gives me hope for the future, since one can profit by taking the best that religion has to offer, after throwing out all of the metaphysical nonsense.

The recently published book, _Religion for Atheists_ covers approach well.

Define Polytheism

Well, obviously if you worship multiple gods, you believe in them.

I think polytheism would be the belief in multiple gods. Your level of worship is up to you, but it's the belief in more than one god that define polytheism.

I would say technically that it's the belief of multiple god/desses. However, I would argue that it's the belief and worship of multiples based on the fact that many people don't simply believe in the existence of any specific deity(ies) without paying some sort of honor to them (altar devotions, meditations, prayers, etc etc).

I think it is more along the lines of the belief that multiple gods exist. When you study Greek Mythology, you read about cities (such as Athens) who worship Athena verses other Greek gods. But they still believed the other Greek gods existed.

Theism technically refers to beliefs, but it's rarely used that way. Worship falls under cult/cultus, just like the narrative (story) elements are myth/mythos. None of these are negative terms, btw.

Because polytheistic religions are so diverse, I try to keep my references as specific as I can without getting too bogged down in words. It's not a term I tend to use much.

I would define it as the belief in multiple gods, whether they are worshipped or not.

Belief in and worship of multiple gods.

Polytheism is simply the 'recognition' that divinity is a plurality. For example, Judaism has always been the worship of one god, but has its roots in polytheism. Many gods were recognized in the pantheon, but worship was withheld for the one tribal deity, and the Jews took their cultural identity in being that gods chosen people.

Belief in or worship of multiple gods. It is not the acknowledgment that multiple gods exist.

Paul spoke on this in 1 Corinthians 8 when he talked about many gods and many lords, but for him (Christians by extension) there is only one God (the Eternal Father) and one Lord (Jesus Christ).