What's it like to be a polytheist in America?

I'm practically the only person within my social circle who believes in multiple deities. Now most of my friends don't have a problem with my religious beliefs, but acquaintances and other people who I encounter in life most certainly do.

Whenever I tell people that I think there are multiple Gods and Goddesses floating around in the universe and influencing our lives, they think I'm nuts.

I've encountered this dismissiveness from both monotheists (Christians, Jews, Muslims) and atheists alike.

The monotheists tell me that I'm a heretic because I don't believe in one supreme deity, while the atheists tell me there's no scientific evidence for my religious beliefs and that it's all a part of my imagination.

Both camps scoff and belittle me.

Most often, it seems to be agnostics (along with Wiccans and other Pagans, of course) who empathize with my frustration.

And, much like the atheists, I don't dare run for public office if I'm openly honest about my polytheism.

Of course, if I object to the "In God We Trust" on money or the Pledge of Allegiance, people look at me like a have five heads with sixteen eyeballs each.

Gotta love our "land of the free"...

Who else is in this same boat?

You mean there isnt a leader God is above the rest of them.

If there was I would just call him God.

I sort of believe in other "gods." But I was raised Catholic and the way I looked at it what we call Saints and Angels or whatever were the other gods.

Sort of like what if the old Roman gods just sort of evolved to go along with what people wanted to believe.

I think God is out there in the universe elsewhere doing more interesting or important things and letting us just play out.

I don't know anyone who believes in multiple dieties. But if I did I won't care. It is your own personal religious belief. It has just as much truth as any religion.

Anyone who runs for office and admits to being an athiest/agnostic/pagan or whatever is committing political suicide.

Now that you mention polytheism I have been interested in Viking gods lately. I have been reading a little about Odin and Thor and that kind of thing. It is pretty interesting.

But believing in multiple dieties would be great to tell the next Jehovas Witnesses that come to the door. :)

"American Gods," by Neil Gaiman.

I thought it was a pretty good book.

I will go down to the local bookstore anyway for some christmas presents. I'll check it out. Although Al Franken's Lying Liars book has caught my eye.

I think Gaiman did better with his Sandman stuff. American Gods seemed to be a weaker version of what he did in Sandman.

I've never read Sandman, I've heard about it but I havent heard enough to know what its about other than dreams or something.

I picked up American Gods because someone told me about it, and I've always been interested in mythology, and I thought it had a pretty cool cover.

I thought the ending could have been better, but over all I enjoyed it.

The Jehovah's Witnesses came to my door in 1999, asking me about my thoughts as to why there's so much evil in the world, and then they tried to give me a Bible.

I went on and on about my religious beliefs. The lady (who was at my door with her daughter, even though it was school hours) just smiled and nodded...

I felt proud of myself for *wasting* her time ;)

America is not a monolithic place, and the reactions you'll get to a polytheistic belief will vary from region to region. If you're in a major cosmopolitan city, you're likely to find many institutions like Buddhist temples and Hindu temples and such that support polytheistic beliefs. And you're far more likely to find pagan shops in cities than in rural towns. If you're on an Indian reservation, I suspect you might find yet another reaction to polytheistic beliefs.

Personally, I'm agnostic. Don't know, don't care. :)

Being a Wicca, I obviously have no problem with a polytheistic belief system. I do find it odd that people who willingly choose an unconventional belief system and lifestyle, so often feel themselves to be victims.

It's just what I believe...what makes more sense to me than anything else.

I can't really "will" myself into thinking differently - - otherwise I'd just be kidding myself.

I have to pull out a lexicon to determine which God or Goddess to blame.

Sucks.