Polytheism
<p ><b>Polytheism</b> refers to the worship of or belief in multiple <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deity" title="Deity" >deities</a> usually assembled into a<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pantheon(gods)" title="Pantheon (gods)" class="mw-redirect" >pantheon</a> of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God" title="God" >gods</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goddess" title="Goddess" >goddesses</a>, along with their own <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion" title="Religion" >religions</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ritual" title="Ritual" >rituals</a>. In most religions which accept polytheism, the different gods are representations of forces of nature or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancestral_worship" title="Ancestral worship" class="mw-redirect" >ancestral principles</a>, and can be viewed either as autonomous or as aspects or<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emanationism" title="Emanationism" >emanations</a> of a creator <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God" title="God" >God</a> or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transcendence(religion)" title="Transcendence (religion)" >transcendental</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absolute_(philosophy)" title="Absolute (philosophy)" >absolute principle</a> (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monism" title="Monism" >monistic</a> theologies), which manifests <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immanence" title="Immanence" >immanently</a> in nature (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panentheism" title="Panentheism" >panentheistic</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pantheism" title="Pantheism" >pantheistic</a> theologies).<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polytheism#cite_note-1" >[1]</a></sup>
It is a type of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theism" title="Theism" >theism</a>. Within theism, it contrasts with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monotheism" title="Monotheism" >monotheism</a>, the belief in a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God" title="God" >singular God</a>, in most cases transcendent. Polytheists do not always worship all the gods equally, but can be <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henotheism" title="Henotheism" >henotheists</a>, specializing in the worship of one particular deity. Other polytheists can be <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kathenotheism" title="Kathenotheism" >kathenotheists</a>, worshiping different deities at different times.
Polytheism was the typical form of religion during the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bronze_Age" title="Bronze Age" >Bronze Age</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_Age" title="Iron Age" >Iron Age</a>, up to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axial_Age" title="Axial Age" >Axial Age</a> and the development of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abrahamic_religions" title="Abrahamic religions" >Abrahamic religions</a> which enforced strict<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monotheism" title="Monotheism" >monotheism</a>. It is well documented in historical religions of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classical_antiquity" title="Classical antiquity" >Classical antiquity</a>, especially <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Greek_religion" title="Ancient Greek religion" >ancient Greek religion</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Roman_religion" title="Ancient Roman religion" class="mw-redirect" >ancient Roman religion</a>, and after the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decline_of_Greco-Roman_polytheism" title="Decline of Greco-Roman polytheism" >decline of Greco-Roman polytheism</a> in tribal religions such as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germanic_paganism" title="Germanic paganism" >Germanic paganism</a> or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavic_paganism" title="Slavic paganism" class="mw-redirect" >Slavic paganism</a>.
Important polytheistic religions practiced today include <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduism" title="Hinduism" >Hinduism</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_traditional_religion" title="Chinese traditional religion" class="mw-redirect" >Chinese traditional religion</a>, Japanese <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinto" title="Shinto" >Shinto</a>, and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_paganism" title="Modern paganism" >neopagan</a> context.</p>