I want to talk about something a little different today. I’d like to talk about some ideas on the concept of gods that other religions worship over the history of humanity.
1 God takes His position in His assembly;
He judges in the midst of the gods.
2 How long will you judge unjustly
And show partiality to the wicked? Selah
3 Vindicate the weak and fatherless;
Do justice to the afflicted and destitute.
4 Rescue the weak and needy;
Save them from the hand of the wicked.
5 They do not know nor do they understand;
They walk around in darkness;
All the foundations of the earth are shaken.
6 I said, “You are gods,
And all of you are sons of the Most High.
7 Nevertheless you will die like men,
And fall like one of the princes.”
8 Arise, God, judge the earth!
For You possess all the nations. - Psalms 82: 1-8
I will never pretend like I know for a fact what I’m talking about with all of this church, theology, and religion stuff. I just try to look at things in this world from a Biblical perspective and try to make some sense of it. Especially from the perspective of the modern church caving to the whims of the world. But today I want to look at something I think is interesting and just throw out some thoughts I have on the topic.
Based on the scripture listed above, would you say it’s a safe assumption that there are “lesser gods” or something of that general nature? God, the one true God, is and always has been. He created the angels to serve and praise him. Why wouldn’t he have created other celestial entities as well? There is the fall of Lucifer and the realm of Hell (which obviously isn’t “below us” in the core of the earth or something of that nature). We have numerous accounts of encounters with angels in the Bible where they are described as things that could not be considered humanoid. And clearly Heaven isn’t floating in the clouds. So could there be other planes of existence? Other realms or dimensions? And would it really be out of the realm of possibility that, in those other realms and dimensions, there also exist other beings that God created before he made us here on what we call Earth?
My theory (everything stated in this article is strictly a possibility I think could have some level of probability, none of this is based on anything more than that…just to be totally clear) is that the concept of parallel dimensions could be correct. I highly recommend checking out the final book of The Chronicle of Naria, The Last Battle, to get a glimpse of C.S. Lewis’s ideas of how heaven and hell might look.1 What if this world, and this life, are but a realm of reality we are currently occupying? And what if the gods of Asgard and the Hindu faith and every other religion exist in some other realm? That they have, at times, been permitted to traverse the realms and visit with the inhabitants of Earth and have had some level of influence and sold our young species on the idea that serving them can earn us a spot in their realm some day?
I realize all of this is hypothetical, but there are multiple instances throughout the Bible that point to the concept of the existence of celestial or interdimensional beings who are older and greater than humanity, but pale in the image of the one true God, who created all things. And when it is said that every knee shall bow and tongue confess the authority of the one true God, it means even those celestials and their followers.
So, The Last Battle also explores what could be described as the Narnian version of the Islamic faith. 60+ years later arguments are made that the book is somehow racist, but everything is racist and it’s written very matter-of-factly taking a look at what modern Islamists of the 1950s would have practically and realistically looked and behaved like. It’s not racist to factually and accurately portray people as they exist. But I digress… The Last Battle deals with the ideas of other religions who worship a higher god, but not The One God. It also deals with false teachers and what happens to those who follow those teachings.
Whether you want to believe in alternate dimensions, the existence of lesser gods, or anything to do with the unseen realms2, we cannot deny that other religions exist all over the planet. Some old and forgotten, some new and growing, many that have been around for centuries and carry strong followings. How do we approach those of other faiths? What will happen to their souls when we exit this realm? I refer back to C.S. Lewis and the ideas he stirred in me with The Last Battle and gave me something to think about with how I deal with other faiths since I was a teenager.
"There are people in other religions who are being led by God's secret influence to concentrate on those parts of their religion which are in agreement with Christianity, and who thus belong to Christ without knowing it. For example a Buddhist of good will may be led to concentrate more and more on the Buddhist teaching about mercy and to leave in the background (though he might still say he believed) the Buddhist teaching on certain points. Many of the good Pagans long before Christ's birth may have been in this position." - C. S. Lewis (Mere Christianity)
We’re all going down a path in this world. I would like to think that the all powerful, all knowing God who fathered all of existence would be able to use the contributions of any good and faithful servant toward His glory and kingdom. We all belong to Christ, whether we realize it or not.
Going to Heaven With C.S. Lewis ~ The Imaginative Conservative
The Unseen Realm - documentary film with Dr. Michael S. Heiser - YouTube