Instead of being eternal, I believe that goddess and gods are potentially immortal. Here's why:
First, within our visual range most, if not all, of the living things we see are conceived by parents in some sense of the word, they are born in some sense, grow to maturity, decline, die, decompose, and are reborn in some sense of the word. Consider the life cycles of oak trees and cats for illustrations. It seems reasonable to me that the life cycles of living beings outside our visual range would follow the same pattern. Living organism too seen only with microscopes follow this pattern. It seems that goddesses and gods would follow the same pattern.
When we consider the narratives about goddesses and gods handed down to us from our Greek, Roman, and Norse ancestors, we see the same pattern with one exception. Goddesses and gods are conceived by their parents, born, and grow to maturity. The difference is that they consume food and drink that keeps them young and makes them potentially immortal. The Greek deities consumed nectar and ambrosia. The Norse deities consumed golden apples.
The Greek, Roman, and Norse goddesses and gods can also die. For example, most of the Norse gods die in Ragnarok.
The deities of our Greek, Roman, and Norse ancestors live and act in the same world as do we and the rest of nature rather than an eternal, unchanging realm apart from this world. They even involve themselves in human events, such as war and and sex. Their existence is consistent with the rest of living beings that we know. Rather than devaluing life they value and live it as do we.
I can believe in such beings that value and affirm life.
No comments:
Post a Comment