Today, someone on facebook posted a lovely photograph with a sweet refrain that ended with “all gods are one god.” Now, I like this person and the picture was charming, but really, I am tired of reading that “all gods are one god.” They are not.
How can you conflate, for example, Gaia with Lucifer or Pele with Hel or Ogun with Jesus? I’m not judging any of the divine beings, and I do not want to discuss whether one is better than another one. I am stating, for the record, stop trying to make my god the same as yours. Stop merging the deities in the name of harmony. Stop trying to tell me that Odin and Brahman are really the same as the Christian Father God. Truly, even if there are similarities, they are not the same thing. (And no, I’m not talking about historically provable times when different names were used for the same divine being.) How can we compare Yahweh, the god of the Old Testament who demanded that the Hebrews decimate their enemies, killing them to the last person, with Kwan Yin, bodhisattva of compassion who chose not to enter Nirvana until every person on Earth would be released from suffering?
Frankly, if the gods were cookies, no one would say that Oreos were the same as Tollhouse. Sure, they are both cookies, and tasty ones at that, and they might have some of the same ingredients, but that’s about all they have in common. No one who has tasted both types of cookies would ever confuse them.
I understand the desire for peace and good will — we do need a lot more of that on this planet. However, peace and good will cannot be achieved by making each of us fit into the same mold. Rather than trying to get rid of differences, let’s learn how to accept each other’s differences. If we truly want harmony, peace and good will, we need to learn to acknowledge that people have the right to choose their own god or to choose to have no god. Let’s recognize and appreciate the awesome diversity of beings that exist on this planet and stop trying to force them to be alike.
Lillith ThreeFeathers 
I couldn’t agree more. My gods are not the same as the god of my Christian friends, nor are they the same as my Heathen husband’s gods. They are unique and beautiful and terrible and wise and wonderful and wide ranging in who they are. I’m good with the differences in my own gods and I’m okay with the fact that they aren’t the same as the gods of other faiths. Recognizing and accepting that there are differences in this world, whether it be between deities or individuals, is the only way in which we will move forward and survive. Otherwise wars and violence and all other sorts of “bad” things will continue to happen until there is no one left to fight.
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Mary, you expressed it very well. If we accept that the gods are divine, then they are greater than a simple explanation, and so, they would be “unique and beautiful and terrible and wise and wonderful and wide ranging.” I will pray that things don’t get so bad that no one is left. Thanks for the wonderful comment!
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That’s because some religions believe that there is one and only one god. Therefore, in order to reconcile other people’s beliefs in other gods they have to say that all gods are the same one god.
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Hello. You are correct that many of the people who say ‘all gods are one god’ do believe in one and only one god. However, I have also heard that from a number of people who claim to non-monotheistic. Perhaps those people are trying to find common ground with the monotheists. Since it belittles the multitude of deities worshiped on this planet, I don’t approve of that phrase. Thanks for your response.
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I loved the cookie comparison!
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Thank you!
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I loved the cookie comparison too, and I’m going to steal—I mean—borrow it. As a Wiccan, I believe every God and Goddess is separate, whole and unique. That includes Herne being a different God than Cernunnos, and Aphrodite being a different Goddess than Venus. If two women of relatively close age both have blond hair, I’m not going to assume they’re the same woman. Many of us, most of us, come to Paganism from Christianity, which has rammed down our throats that “there can only be one God.” This has caused a serious shift of focus in Paganism, where Pagans want to be Pagan, but they want Paganism to look familiar to them. So presto: there’s only one God!! With lotsa’ names…. I agree, this is completely antithetical to my experiences and my beliefs. Well said, Lillith.
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Hello Kenny. I agree that some pagans want familiarity. Others want to be able to easily explain their beliefs in terms they think will be accepted. I am confused by those who want to merge the gods. Why study paganism or follow a different deity if they are going to assume the divine beings are all the same? Wouldn’t it be easier to pick a more mainstream religion?
I agree that Herne and Cernunnos feel different, but I have no personal experience with Venus or Aphrodite, and so I cannot judge if they are the same or different deities. However, I accept your determination that they are different with the realization that neither one is diminished by that.
I’m glad my cookie analogy makes sense to people. Feel free to quote me anywhere you want. Thank you for your reply.
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Thank you, Stephan! I appreciate your comments.
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“All gods are one god” is an extension of the saying “We are all one”. Separation is an illusion. Everything in the universe is connected, even the gods.
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Hello Chicgoja. Just because everything is connected, does not mean they are the same. For instance, all individuals are connected, but they are not the same people.
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