this post was submitted on 11 Aug 2023
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Asklemmy
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I've been musing on this a bit. Like, what is it REALLY like in someone's head, spiritually, if they literally grow up with a non-monotheistic religion?
I read a lot of books, esp. sci-fi and fantasy which are prone to messing around with all sorts of things including religion, but I haven't actually read a good one that really "demonstrated" what having a polytheistic or animist spirituality is like.
Maybe taking a look into eastern asian cultures would be close enough? A good portion of their mythos treat gods as powerful beings that can fall from grace and be defeated. Also, in Chinese Taoism, humans responsible for great deeds can ascend into godhood
Most of India might also provide a very good look into how people who grew into a polytheistic society act and think about their own spirituality. Japanese Shintoism might be the closest look into an "easily accessible" animist look