Polytheism, the belief in many gods. Polytheism characterizes virtually all religions other than Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, which share a common tradition of monotheism, the belief in one God. ... Polytheism can bear various relationships to other beliefs.

What was polytheism known for?

Polytheism often incorporated new ideas and gods into their beliefs, allowing for multiple gods to exist simultaneously. The end of polytheistic beliefs was due to the rise and power of the monotheistic beliefs.

What is polytheism in Christianity?

'Polytheism' is most commonly defined simply and without qualification as 'belief in more than one god', and a god is most commonly understood to be any being that is fully divine. Thus, on the most common way of understanding polytheism, orthodox Christian belief is not monotheistic, but quite clearly polytheistic.