I know there are dozens of Hindu Gods, and I think the Egyptians had more than their fair share, but I’m looking for the religions (ancient, modern, or in-between) which have the largest pantheon. Anyone?
There’s a tradition that Shinto has eight million gods (kami) – but that might just symbolise a very large number.
Ha! Interesting site I found while trying to research this:
**What religon has the most Gods? **
American Exceptionalism has about 300 million who think they are gods.
:D&R:
I was actually looking around for an organized religion that claims this (all humans are gods), since it would be a pretty definitive answer to the original question
You’ll find it where the NeoPagans and the Libertarians meet:
Though a lot of those are the same God to be fair, if you read in the Devi section- it states:
Also it points out that
The Devas, though supernatural, are considered all still aspects of the main God for some in Hinduism, with the supreme being being either Brahman, as pointed out there, or for others Vishnu, or for others Shiva as by the line:
Depending on which branch of Hinduism you follow, and of course there are those who will state all three are one and the same, and it’s all the same in the end, and there are those who will state, “yeah, but there’s a hierarchy!”
It’s a tricky subject, as one is many and many are one- so one could easily say Hinduism is monotheistic and one could say they’re polytheistic and Hindu, and both would be correct.
Though the murtis that are mentioned- they’re a bit lesser than the Devi’s and Devas, murtis are more like household gods (similar to *lares *and *penates *of Roman Mythos), and they could simply be objects or statues/idols that have religious significance and power- sort of a way to connect to the higher spiritual world by praying through the various murtis that a household or temple may have. I wouldn’t count those “supernatural” items as deities themselves, but more like aspects or connections to the divine, but as soon as I say that, I’m sure there’ll be someone who points out that their murti is divine and they believe it IS a Deity.
So fair enough.
That’s why Hinduism should have the most Gods and the Fewest Gods. 0 to everyone on earth, because both sides have been taken- That we are all nothing and that this is all an illusion; that we are all nothing and that there is only one supreme being and we are all a part of it (and thus each of us Divine in ourselves); and the polytheistic view that- yes, there is one supreme being, but he’s totally My God and all the others in the pantheon are subservient to him!
It’s a really interesting subject, and I do get weird looks when I point out I’m a Hindu Monotheist, and then you have to go into the whole explanation issue, and then in the end you’ve lost about 15 mins and you’re still getting nowhere fast.
So yeah- “Hinduism is what you want it to be, I’m sure you’ll find something that’ll prove your side right.” is pretty much the gist of it. Wouldn’t surprise me if there was a person out there who had written that every single living creature is divine in its own right, and that we are all divine aspects of a supreme being.
A person using that phrase doesn’t necessarily believe that their interlocutor is an individual deity; they could mean that the person is part of deity or that deity is immanent in them (and everything else in the Universe). Other Neo-Pagans are hard polytheists, but they tend to go less for the Thou art God idea.
Obviously, pantheism.
I suspect that by far the majority of the possible gods i these huge pantheons aren’t ever named, let alone codified.
If you want an impressive listing of “gods” 9many of which aren’t “gods” by many definitions), have a look at Alice Getty’s wonderful book The Gods of Northern Buddhism.
Thought about that. A matter of interpretation - either exactly one or infinite. In the latter case, I’m not prepared to make a guess as to the cardinality.
I don’t know if it’s precisely “pantheism”, but the pre-Greek Roman religion held that everything had a spirit associated with it: There would be a spirit of all plants, and a spirit of grass, and a spirit of each individual blade of grass. The spirits of big or important things, like the sky, might be called “gods”, but there’s no qualitative difference between Jupiter and the spirit of that blade of grass.
Tutelary deities, which occur in many traditions:
Pantheism is generally the belief that nature, or the universe itself is God. The belief can mutate into many forms, but think it’s stretching to cover tutelaries with it.
I seem to recall that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has taught of “Gods without number” or somesuch.
Heh. I was reading your very thoughtful exigesis, and when I got to the end I thought, “What a very spiritual cat— I think I’ll scroll up and see what intense, spiritual screen name he or she has chosen.” Then I did, and I lol’d.
At first I would have thought Hindi. But then after reading the thread, I have to agree it’s got to be…
SouthPark/
Man from Crowd: Well who was right? Who gets in to Heaven?
Hell Director: I’m afraid it was the MORmons. Yes, the MORmons were the correct answer.
/SouthPark
They do teach God is only one of many Gods and that the whole idea of believing them is that YOU TOO will be a God!
Sinisterniik should be happy now. Your search is over.
And btw, now that I’m God I grant you all eternal bliss.
*Minor Nitpick, not really a big deal, but Ignorance fighting and all that Jazz:
Hindi is the language of a majority of Indians.
Hinduism is the religion practiced by many of them.
A follower of Hinduism is a Hindu, who may speak Hindu (I don’t).
Also, thanks for the compliments,**Finn**. The name is from a character from a Sega Genesis Game, [ToeJam and Earl](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ToeJam_%26_Earl). A great and righteous game :DSee how easy it is to slip up? 
Also, do (native) Hindi-speakers really comprise the majority (> 50%) of Indians? I would’ve thought it would be somewhat lower, but I don’t know anything.