January 22, 2025
Spirits of Nature
Ultimately, when we talk about spirits of natural forces, we explain nothing, as we merely add invisible forces to visible ones, without addressing why they exist or their purposes.
For example, if we claim that the winds are the work of spirits, we are left with the question of who created the spirits of the wind. It is not an explanation but merely deferring the explanation.
I would also add that the two conceptions are not contradictory, as one could think that spirits are the work of God, just as material entities are.
In short, when we say that the ancients were polytheists because they believed in many gods (who were, moreover, highly anthropomorphized), we overlook the fact that they often placed a creator god above them all.