There are many advantages to believing in multiple gods. This religion is a way to avoid many of the problems that monotheism can cause, such as evil and omnipresence. Polytheists are less likely to be intolerance of other gods. Avoiding both these problems is easier than with monotheism.
Monotheism
Monotheistic Christianity emphasizes God's singularity. The religion of Israel, which started with the Mosaic texts, was monotheistic from the start. One God was the result of multiple gods.
Polytheism
Polytheism (or believing in multiple gods) is a religious practice that involves believers worshipping several gods. Polytheism is often confused with paganism, but is a separate category. Some religions are polytheistic and worship all gods equally. Others place gods in hierarchical orders. They all have different powers, and not all of them can grant the wishes of their followers.
Henotheism
Henotheism is also known as polytheism. It holds that there are many gods. While henotheists do not deny the existence of other deities, they do believe that there is only one primary deity. The term henotheism derives from the Greek words 'heis' meaning one and 'theos' meaning God. Henotheism is different from monotheism because belief in multiple gods is a choice rather than a religious obligation.
Pantheism
Pantheism refers to a philosophy that believes there are multiple gods. Pantheism places an emphasis on science and inquiry. It believes that understanding the universe will lead to the understanding God. This philosophy does not require the belief in an afterlife nor strict rituals. This philosophy is found in many nonChristian religions.
Animism
Animism can be described as a belief that many gods or spirits are involved in the lives of people. Animists believe that all things are interconnected, including humans and animals. They believe that every thing is spiritual, however not all spirits share the exact same characteristics. Pantheists believe all things have a single spiritual essence. Animists, however, believe every spirit has its own personality. Animists see their self as part of nature and equal to the other forces.
Plant deities
Aztecs worshipped plant goddesses such as Mayahuel who is the goddess of the maguey. The deity is thought to have the blood in the sap from this plant. Centzon Totochtin refers to her feeding 400 rabbits.
Polytheistic rulers
Polytheism can be viewed as a flexible system. It is a flexible framework that allows for the integration of local cults into regional and supraregional contexts. Contrary to monotheism which has a fixed set gods, polytheism doesn't have one. Researchers tend to discredit the idea of polytheism as an evolutionary stage. Instead, they argue that multiple gods indicate an imbalance in cultural thought.
Monotheistic religions
Monotheistic religions believe in multiple gods. Often, they believe in many more than one. The majority of people worldwide practice one or more of these faiths. While some religions share similar beliefs about God's existence, others have different views. These three monotheistic religions are Christianity and Islam.