Replies

I was visiting Taiwan once and I got to visit a bunch of Buddhist temples. The devotees of one god carried his statue to the temple of another god for a visit, they do it once a year, apparently. I had fun at the ceremony but it caused me to ponder the differences between our Western God and their gods. They are neighborly and go to visit each other regularly. Our God is a jealous god and says "thou shalt have no other gods before me." If you had a child acting like that you would think his or her character needed a little reforming. That's part of the reason I left Western religions behind and developed an interest in Eastern philosophy. I think trashing anyone's religious symbols is in very bad taste and is the mark of uncivilized, vulgar person. I don't think "art" like Piss Christ has any value or should be considered art, let alone high art. I don't think should be illegal, but civilized people shouldn't condone such trash. Likewise, the "pagan elephant god" you mentioned is a beloved part of Hindu mythology. Ganesh (or Ganesha) is rooted in deep and elegantly beautiful symbolism that would take even a fine scholar a lifetime to explore. All religions have beauty and wisdom in them, but all have their limitations as well. I am an atheist and culturally Christian, but I love and value Hinduism and Buddhism. All religions and their followers deserve our respect and deference to the symbols that bring the lives of their followers, and by extension our lives, a wonderful amplification of life's blessings. Before you dismiss Ganesh as a "pagan elephant god," read a little about Hinduism and enrich en your life. When I returned to civilian life after Vietnam, I found great solace in reading The Bhagavad-Gita. It is one of the deepest and most beautiful books ever written, and I highly recommend it.

You prefer polytheism over monotheism. There is good reason for debate between competing claims about a reality we did not cause or bring into existence. We face it and in doing so have come to realize we make mistakes. So we make claims and some use reason to argue, others preference.

Monotheism in Christianity (you say Western God) looks to the resurrected Christ as the revelation of the one true God.