polytheism

(noun)

The worship of, or belief in, multiple deities, usually assembled into a pantheon of gods and goddesses, each with their own specific religions and rituals.

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(noun)

The worship of or belief in multiple deities usually assembled into a pantheon of gods and goddesses, along with their own religions and rituals.

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(noun)

The belief in, or worship of, more than one god. 

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Examples of polytheism in the following topics:

  • Culture and Religion in Pre-Islamic Arabia

    • The nomadic tribes of pre-Islamic Arabia primarily practiced polytheism, although some tribes converted to Judaism and Christianity.
    • Religion in pre-Islamic Arabia was a mix of polytheism, Christianity, Judaism, and Iranian religions.
    • Arab polytheism, the dominant belief system, was based on the belief in deities and other supernatural beings such as djinn.
    • Before the rise of Islam, most Bedouin tribes practiced polytheism, most often in the form of animism.
    • Both religions also reject atheism on one hand and polytheism on the other.

  • Flight from Mecca to Medina

    • Muhammad’s earliest teachings were marked by his insistence on the oneness of God, the denunciation of polytheism, belief in the last judgment and its recompense, and social and economic justice.
    • According to Ibn Sad, one of Muhammad's companions, the opposition in Mecca started when Muhammad delivered verses that condemned idol worship and polytheism.
    • The ruling tribes of Mecca perceived Muhammad as a danger that might cause tensions similar to the rivalry of Judaism and Bedouin Polytheism in Yathrib.

  • Ancient Egyptian Religion

    • Ancient Egyptian religion lasted for more than 3,000 years, and consisted of a complex polytheism.

  • The Sumerians

    • Sumerians believed in anthropomorphic polytheism, or of many gods in human form, which were specific to each city-state.

  • Ancient Carthage

    • Carthaginian religion was based on Phoenician religion (derived from the faiths of the Levant), a form of polytheism.

  • Etruscan Religion

    • The Etruscan system of belief was an immanent polytheism; that is, all visible phenomena were considered to be a manifestation of divine power and that power was subdivided into deities that acted continually on the world of man, and could be dissuaded or persuaded in favor of human affairs.

  • The Origins of Etruria

    • The Etruscan system of belief was an immanent polytheism; that is, all visible phenomena were considered to be a manifestation of divine power, and that power was subdivided into deities that acted continually on the world of man and could be dissuaded or persuaded in favor of human affairs.