Princess Leia Illustrates Rhetorical Monotheism

Even when it comes to something as clearly in the realm of the study of religion as the rhetoric of monotheism, science fiction and humor prove to be relevant.

Marc Cortez shared this Savage Chickens cartoon:

 The first thing that came to mind was what a nice illustration this provides of how one often finds what can be called “rhetorical monotheism” in religions which are polytheistic. A deity is appealed to as the only one who can save from a particular situation, but that monotheistic-sounding language does not translate into exclusive worship. (This is a subject I discuss further in my book The Only True God and it is one of the issues that makes identifying monotheistic texts more challenging).

There is a powerful and moving scene in the Indian movie Lagaan in which the locals go to a temple to beseech divine assistance for a decisive cricket match against their English colonial overlords, a match that will affect their taxation for the immediate future. While the language of that particular god being their only hope probably reflects the sort of “rhetorical monotheism” I’ve mentioned above, the scene also illustrates to non-Hindu viewers how many of the same religious impulses drive practices such as worship and prayer even across significant cultural and theological boundaries.