God, Gods, and Fairies by David Bentley Hart | Articles | First Things
Admittedly, I suppose, it is possible to mistake the word “God” for the name of some discrete object that might or might not be found within the fold of nature, if one just happens to be more or less ignorant of the entire history of theistic belief. But, really, the distinction between “God” – meaning the one God who is the transcendent source of all things – and any particular “god” – meaning one or another of a plurality of divine beings who inhabit the cosmos – is one that, in Western tradition, goes back at least as far as Xenophanes.
Source: God, Gods, and Fairies by David Bentley Hart | Articles | First Things
Some very interesting reflections on polytheism, monotheism, and the qualitative, not merely quantitative, difference between them – not to mention the effect this has on philosophy and metaphysics, and (in recent years) a fair amount of social discourse.
I have long asserted that atheists and fundamentalists share the same basic misconception: their view of God is far too small!