Anthropolatry
Anthropolatry
(Gr.) The worshipping or cult of a human being conceived as a god, and conversely of a god conceived as a human being. The deification of individual human beings was practiced by most early civilizations, and added much colour to the folklore and religion of such countries as Egypt, Greece, India and Japan. The human origin of anthropolatry is illustrated by the failure of Alexander the Great to obtain divine honours from his soldiers. In contrast, the Shinto religion in Japan still considers the emperor as a “visible deity”, and maintains shrines devoted to brave warriors or heroes. Monotheistic religions consider anthropolatry as a superstition. — T.G.