Seanachai wrote:
Now, how would you call na Barim (apart from an obvious hybrid of Celtic and Hebrew traditions)? Monotheistic because they deny the absolute godhead of other gods, or monolatrisic because they accept the existence of other gods while choosing to worship one?
At a first glance, definitely not monotheistic. It is the defining characteristic of monotheism that it totally denies the very existence of all supernatural beings unattached to their one god. Supernatural beings other than the deity can either be weaker than and subservient to the deity (e.g. angels), or inimical (e.g. demons). They can not be unattached – monotheism denies the existence of all supernatural beings unattached to its god, or else it’s not monotheism. However, when you say
Seanachai wrote:
You are either part of na Barim or you are macim romekà , sons of the idolatrous traitor Romek, worshiping diabghal, powerful evil spirits.
it sounds as if it was monotheism. Other entities exist and are worshipped by other people, but they are evil spirits and not true gods, like
Lo-Ruma is. A monotheistic system, with its invariable need to place its deity right in the centre of creation, would also certainly integrate such evil spirits into its theology, finding explanations for how they came into being nd for why their deity allows them to exist.
However, it all sounds less clear cut here:
Seanachai wrote:
Now, the remaining tribes known as na Barim believe that Lo-Ruma is the only true god (Lo). But they have no doubt that other powerful entities (perhaps such as Orea, though they would not claim to know their names). They don't believe that they worship one of many gods, but that these other powers and entities, while powerful and revered as gods by others, are not god.
It’s not really possible to say from your example alone wether the
na Barim practice monolatrism, henotheism or animism. One needed to know the stance of
na Barim theology on exactly what the other powerful entities are.
If
na Barim theology holds that the other entities must never be turned to in worship either because they are too weak, or do not care for the
na Barim, or that it is somehow disadvantageous for the worshipper, or that it would gravely insult
Lo-Ruma, this is most likely monolatrism, but it might also be animism; much depended on the
na Barim’s opinion on exactly who the other entities are and how they interact with
Lo-Ruma. If, on the other hand, the
na Barim do at times, maybe even in secret and against the prescriptions of their religion, turn to some other entity besides
Lo-Ruma in worship, they are practicing henotheism.
Seanachai wrote:
Have you guys talked about deism as opposed to theism?
No, we haven’t. Nobody else brought it up, and I didn’t because it an intellectual construct of the 17th century and the Enlightenment. Also, deism isn’t a type religion, it is a belief about the nature of god – that god has created the world and now doesn’t interfere anymore. That was of course handy for the thinkers of the Age of Enlightenment with their emphasis on man’s own responsibility, as it is a clever way to remove god from all that’s going on in the world without having to deny his existence.
Most importantly, deism denies any active involvement of divine powers in the world. Divine agency set everything in motion, then it removed itself from creation. A deist can therefore venerate the divine, but he can never
ask anything of it – by his believes, the divine does not interfere.
Seanachai wrote:
In the end, of course, it wouldn't matter an Anderan kopper piece to them.
That’s certainly true. Terminology is only important for a flawless communication among those talking about something, it’s all the same for those practicing it.