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: ''For the Celtic Frost album, see Monotheist (album) '' In s and the Platonic concept of God as put forward by Pseudo-Dionysius The Areopagite . The concept of monotheism has largely been defined in contrast with Polytheistic religions, and monotheism tends to overlap with other Unitary concepts, such as Monism . Ostensibly monotheistic religions may still include concepts of a plurality of the divine, for example the Christian Trinity , or the veneration of Saint s, as well as the belief in "lesser spirits" such as Angel s or Demon s. ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT The word ''. The concept sees a gradual development out of notions of Henotheism and Monolatrism . In the Ancient Near East , each City had a local patron deity, such as Shamash at Larsa or Sin at Ur . The first claims of global supremacy of a specific god date to the Late Bronze Age , with Akhenaten 's '' Great Hymn To The Aten '' (connected to Judaism by Sigmund Freud in his '' Moses And Monotheism ''), and, depending on dating issues, Zoroaster 's Gatha s to Ahura Mazda . Currents of monism or monotheism emerge in Vedic India in the same period, with e.g. the Nasadiya Sukta . Philosophical monotheism and the associated concept of absolute Good And Evil emerges in Classical Antiquity , notably with Plato (c.f. Euthyphro Dilemma ), elaborated into the idea of The One in Neoplatonism . In Islamic theology, a person who spontaneously "discovers" monotheism is called a '' ḥanīf '', the original ''ḥanīf'' being Abraham . Austrian anthropologist Wilhelm Schmidt in the 1910s postulated an '' Urmonotheismus '', "original" or "primitive monotheism", a thesis now widely rejected in Comparative Religion but still occasionally defended in Creationist circles. VARIETIES Some argue that there are various forms of monotheism, including:
On the surface, monotheism is in contrast with Polytheism , which is the worship of several Deities . Polytheism is however reconcilable with Inclusive Monotheism , which claims that all deities are just different names or forms for the single god. This approach is common in Hinduism , e.g. in Smartism . Exclusive Monotheism , on the other hand, actively opposes polytheism. Monotheism is often contrasted with theistic Dualism (ditheism). However, in dualistic theologies as that of Gnosticism , the two deities are not of equal rank, and the role of the Gnostic Demiurge is closer to that of Satan in Christian theology than that of a Diarch on equal terms with god (who is represented in pantheistic fashion, as Pleroma ). EARLY HISTORY In ancient Egypt Ancient Middle-East ern religions may have worshipped a single god within a pantheon and the abolition of all others, as in the case of the Aten cult in the reign of the Egypt ian Pharaoh Akhenaten , under the chiefly influence of the Eastern-originating Nefertiti . Iconoclasm during this pharaoh's rule is considered a chief origin for the subsequent destruction by some groups of idols, holding that no other God before the preferred deity (dually and subtly acknowledging the existence of the other gods, but only as foes to be destroyed for their drawing of attention away from the primary deity). Other issues such as Divine Right Of Kings may possibly also stem from pharaonic laws on the ruler being the Demigod or representative of the Creator on Earth. The massive Tomb s in the Egyptian Pyramids which aligned with Astronomical Observation s, perhaps exemplify this relationship between the pharaoh and the heavens. Zoroastrianism Zoroastrianism is considered to be one of the earliest monotheistic beliefs, but the Zoroastrian definition of monotheism is neither comparable nor compatible with the monotheism of other religions that - in addition to being monotheistic - are also Monist . In Zoroaster's revelation, Ahura Mazda is a transcendental and universal God, the one uncreated Creator (standard appellation) and to whom all worship is ultimately directed. However, Zoroaster also perceives Mazda to be wholly good, and that His creation is wholly good. In conflict with creation is ''anti-creation'', evident in the created world as decay and disorder. Since anti-creation is purely destructive it cannot have been created (otherwise it would self-destruct) and hence must - like the Creator himself - be uncreated. In the Gathas , Zoroaster does not acknowledge any divinity other than Ahura Mazda. However, the hymns of Indo-Iranian religious tradition (of which the Gathas are a part) are always addressed to a specific divinity and those closely associated with Him, and in this sense the Gathas are not (necessarily) a denial of the other divinities, but the exhaltation of a specific one. Although not mentioned by name (in the Gathas, {Link without Title} Mazda is itself an epithet, not yet a proper name), Zoroaster implicitly acknowledges the existence of other ''Ahura''s "Lords", as in "thou who art the mightiest Ahura and the Wise (''Mazda'') One" ('' Yasna '' 33.11). In addition to these lords that are "worthy of worship" ('' Yazata ''), Zoroaster also refers to the ''daeva''s as the 'wrong' gods, or 'false' gods, or gods 'that should not be worshipped' and whose followers are to be brought onto the path of righteousness. In later Zoroastrian tradition, the ''daeva''s are demons, but this is not yet evident in the prophet's own poetry. Zoroastrianism is thus monotheistic inasfar as all worship is untimately directed to Ahura Mazda. However, unlike - these are inherently unsuitable for that purpose. ABRAHAMIC RELIGIONS The major and basic source of monotheism is the narrative of the Hebrew Bible , the source of Judaism , which was created from the 10th century BC to the 2nd century BC. Judaism may have received influences from various non-biblical religions present in Egypt and Syria . This can be seen by the Torah 's reference to Egyptian culture in Genesis and the story of Moses, as well as the mention of Hittite and Hurrian cultures of Syria in the Genesis story of Abraham. In traditional Jewish thought, which provided the basis of the Christian and Islamic religions, monotheism was regarded as its most basic belief. Judaism and Islam have traditionally interpreted scriptures as Exclusive Monotheism whilst Christianity diverted to a more complex form of Tripartite Monotheism , as a result of attributing divinity to Jesus , a Judean Jew , in the first century AD, and later defining him as the physical son of God. Monotheism in the Hebrew Bible The Hebrew Bible takes a position of Henotheism . According to the book of Judith, the Patriarchs (starting with Abraham), left the gods of their fathers. (Jdt 5:7) God is later to reveal Himself not as the only God, but rather as the god whom Abraham knows. (Gen 15:17) In such a respect, God is not God alone, but the god who was worshipped by Abraham’s clan. In such a context, it is a type of tribal deity, that although was worshipped alone, did not explicitly exclude the existence of other gods, who were not relevant to them.R.G.Vincent, “Monotheism (in the Bible)” in New Catholic Encyclopedia, (1967), 9:1066. In the early Mosaic era, the possibility of other gods is left an open question, although by this stage Israel claims that their God is greater. (Ex 18:11) This same subtle shift is shown in 2 Chr 2:5, and could indicate that Israel understood that the God they recognised was God alone, and other gods were therefore false. This would be ''Monotheism'' in the proper sense of the word. By the time of the prophet Isaiah, ''Monotheism'' is solidly and explicitly accepted. “Thus says the , the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the of hosts: "I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god.” (Is 44:6) Thus, the development of the people of Israel to a true ''Monotheism'', appears to be a gradual process, with the exception of Gen 1:1. It is therefore likely that Gen 1:1 was redacted later than the other examples supplied, and so, the development of ''Monotheism'' comes firstly on a tribal level, and gradually advances to recognition that the God of Israel is the only God. It is into this context that Christianity emerges, and thus Christianity was from the outset ''Monotheistic''. (John 1:1) In the west, the all cultures believed in a variety of multiple deities such as in Idolatry , forces and creatures of Nature as in Animism , or in celestial bodies as in Astrology , but did not know the one and only true God . However, the Hebrew Bible teaches that, at Creation , Adam And Eve knew God (and so did their descendants) but that over the ages, God and his name were forgotten. This is how one of the most important Jew ish sages, Maimonides describes the process in his work the Mishneh Torah : In the days of , Jewish view Judaism is one of the oldest known monotheistic faiths. The best-known Jewish statements of monotheism occur in the Shema prayer, the Ten Commandments and Maimonides ' 13 Principles Of Faith , Second Principle: " {Link without Title} , the Cause of all, is one. This does not mean one as in one of a pair, nor one like a species (which encompasses many individuals), nor one as in an object that is made up of many elements, nor as a single simple object that is infinitely divisible. Rather, God is a unity unlike any other possible unity. This is referred to in the Torah (Deuteronomy 6:4): "Hear Israel, the is our God, the is one." There has historically been disagreement between the understanding of monotheism among Hasidic Jews and the original perspective of the Mitnagdim Jews on this issue. A similar situation of opposing views on monotheism is seen in modern times among Dor Daim , students of the Rambam , segments of Lithuanian Jewry , and portions of the Modern Orthodox world toward Jewish communities that are more thoroughly influenced by Luria nic Kabbalistic teachings such as Hasidism and large segments of the Sepharadi and Mizrahi communities. This dispute is likely rooted in the differences between what are popularly referred to as the "philosophically inclinded" sources and the " Kabbalist ic sources;" the "philosophic sources" include such Rabbis as Saadia Gaon , Rabenu Bahya Ibn Paquda , Abraham Ibn Ezra , and Maimonides . The "kabbalistic sources" include Rabbis such as Nahmanides , Bahya Ben Asher , Rabbi Yitzhak Saggi Nehor , and Azriel . The Vilna Gaon is usually granted great respect in modern times by those who side with both views; by the more kabbalistic segments of Judaism he is regarded as a great kabbalist; those who take the other side of the issue regard him as a strict advocate of the people of Israel 's historical monotheism. The Shema See Also: Shema Judaism claims to have an important advantage over all other religions because its earliest History , Beliefs , Laws , and Practices are preserved and taught in the Torah (the Hebrew Bible ) which provides the clearest textual source for the rise and development of what is named Judaism's Ethical Monotheism which means that: :''(1) There is one God from whom emanates one morality for all humanity. (2) God's primary demand of people is that they act decently toward one another...The God of ethical monotheism is the God first revealed to the world in the Hebrew Bible. Through it, we can establish God's four primary characteristics: #God is supernatural. #God is personal. #God is good. #God is holy. ...in the study of Hebrew history: Israel's monotheism was an ethical monotheism. When Moses returned with the . The literal word meanings are roughly as follows:
In this case, ''Elohim'' is used in the plural as a form of respect and not polytheism. Gen.1:26 And Elohim said, Let '''us''' make man in '''our''' image, after '''our''' likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. Elohim is morphologically plural in form in Hebrew, but generally takes singular agreement when it refers to the God of Israel (so the verb meaning "said" in this verse is ''vayyomer'' ויאמר with singular inflection, and not ''vayyomru'' ויאמרו with plural inflection), and yet in this case the "our" and "us" seems to create a presumption of plurality, though it may just be God talking to angels and not another god. Judaism, however, insists that the " is One," as in the Shema, and at least two interpretations exist to explain the Torah's use of the plural form. The first is that the plural form "Elohim" is analogous to the Royal Plural as used in English. The second is that, in order to set an example for human kings, Elohim consulted with his court (the angels, just created) before making a major decision (creating man). Christian view Christians profess belief in one God. Historically, most Christian churches have taught that the nature of God is something of a mystery. Among early Christians there was considerable debate over the nature of Deity , with some factions arguing for the divinity of Jesus and others calling for a unitary conception of God. These issues were to form one of the main subjects of contention at the First Council Of Nicea . The First Council of Nicaea, held in s of the Christian Church, and most significantly resulted in the first uniform Christian Doctrine , called the Nicene Creed . With the creation of the creed, a precedent was established for subsequent 'general ( Ecumenical ) councils of Bishops' ( Synod s) to create statements of belief and Canon s of doctrinal Orthodoxy — the intent being to define unity of beliefs for the whole of Christendom . The purpose of the council was to resolve disagreements in the Church Of Alexandria over the nature of Jesus in relationship to the Father; in particular, whether Jesus was of the same Substance as God The Father or merely of similar substance. St. Alexander Of Alexandria and Athanasius took the first position; the popular Presbyter Arius , from whom the term Arian Controversy comes, took the second. The council decided against the Arians overwhelmingly (of the estimated 250-318 attendees, all but 2 Voted against Arius). However, due to the machinations of Athanasius and others in his party, many of the Eastern bishops who were pro-Arian, were prevented from reaching the Council until after the vote had been taken. Most modern Christian traditions follow this decision, which was codified in 381 and reached its full development through the work of the Cappadocian Fathers . They consider God to be a triune entity, called the Trinity , comprised of the three "Persons" God The Father , God The Son , and God The Holy Spirit , the three of this unity are described as being "of the same substance" ( Ousia ). The true nature of the Trinity is held to be an inexplicable mystery. Some critics contend that the Trinity originated in the and Muslims , the idea of God as a Trinity is Heretical - it is considered akin to Polytheism . Christians overwhelmingly assert that monotheism is central to the Christian faith, as the very Nicene Creed (among others) which gives the orthodox Christian definition of the Trinity does begin with: "I believe in one God". Some groups, self-styled as Christian yet eschewing orthodox theology, such as the Jehovah's Witnesses , followers of Mormonism , and Oneness Pentecostal s, do not teach the doctrine of the Trinity at all. The Rastafarians , like many Christians, hold that God is both a unity and a trinity, in their case God being Haile Selassie . As well, individual Christians formulate their own opinions on the matter which may or may not follow the doctrine of their tradition. Some Christian denominations, such as the Roman Catholic Church practice Veneration of Saint s, which critics claim is a form of Polytheism , prompted by grave lay misunderstandings of the practice within and without the Roman Catholic Church. Islamic view See Also: Tawhīd Hanif Islam means "submission to God". In Islam monotheism is unambigiously absolute, not relative or pluralistic in any sense of the word, as emphasized for example in surah Al-Ikhlas . Islam accepts as its fundamental tenet the oneness and uniqueness of God, the Arabic word for monotheism is Tawhīd which means 'being one', i.e. alone, only one in number. The by Muslim s. To become a Muslim one just has to sincerely believe in the above statement inwardly and outwardly state this Shahadah . The Salaat (five daily prayers) in Islam, for example, involve explicit Abrahamic monotheistic testimony. According to Islam the "oneness of God" is the primary teaching of all prophets and messengers of God (including Jesus and Moses) sent to humanity for guidance. Furthermore, Islam considers Christianity's Trinity Polytheism a distortion of Jesus 's original message of oneness of God. Bahá'í view See Also: Bahá'í concept of God The Oneness of God is one of the core teachings of the Bahá'í Faith . Bahá'ís believe that there is one supernatural being, God, who has created all existence. God is described as "a personal God, unknowable, inaccessible, the source of all Revelation, eternal, omniscient, omnipresent and almighty."1 Bahá'ís believe that although people have different concepts of God and His nature, and call Him by different names, everyone is speaking of the same one Being. God is taught to be a Personal God in that God is conscious of His creation, has a mind, will and purpose. At the same time the Bahá'í teachings state that God is too great for humans to fully understand Him or to create a complete and accurate image of Him. Bahá'u'lláh teaches that human knowledge of God is limited to those attributes and qualities which are understandable to us, and thus direct knowledge about the essence of God is not possible. Bahá'ís believe, thus, that through daily prayer, meditation, and study of revealed text they can grow closer to God. The Obligatory Prayer s in the Bahá'í Faith involve explicit monotheistic testimony.23 INDIAN RELIGIONS Hinduism See Also: Hindu views on monotheism In Hinduism , views are broad and range from Polytheism , Monism , Dualism , Pantheism , Panentheism , alternatively called monistic theism by some scholars, to strict monotheism, see Hindu Denominations . Monotheism in Hinduism is known as "Ekanyana" and God Almighty is Ekam (''One''.) Many Hindus, including Smartas , believe in God having three aspects as Brahma , Vishnu and Shiva , the Trimurti (also called the Hindu trinity.) and these different aspects are part of the one and the same God. Four major sects of modern Hinduism, Vaishnavism , Shaivism , Shaktism , and Smartism , all believe in One God but differ in their conceptions. The two primary form of differences are between the two monotheistic denominations of Vaishnavism which conceives God as Vishnu and Shaivism , which conceives God as Shiva . Other aspects of God are in fact aspects of Vishnu or Shiva. Smartas , who follow Advaita philosophy, are Monists , and view multiple manifestations of the one God or source of being. Hindu monists see one unity, with the personal Gods, different aspects of only One Supreme Being, like a single beam of light separated into colours by a prism, and are valid to worship. Some of the Smarta aspects of God include Devi , Vishnu , Ganesh , and Siva . It is the Smarta view that dominates the view of Hinduism in the West. By contrast with Smarta/Advaita belief, Vaishnavism and Shaivism follows a singular concept of God, or Panentheistic monotheism or panentheistic Monism . A Smarta following the Advaita tradition can select their " Ishta-deva " (''God that one prays to most''.) This is not true of other faiths such as Vaishnavism . All the Hindu scriptures (The Vedas, Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita) ultimately stress the Oness of God and describe God as the Eternal Truth that is birthless, ageless, and omnipresent.Many scholars interpret the verses as either Monothiestic and Panthiestic or a combmination of both. The Rig Veda, the first book of the four Vedas at more than 3500 years old, contains evidence for monotheistic thought. Often quoted are Pada 1.164.46c, "There is one truth, though the sages know them by many names", Rigveda 1.164.46 Out of the many verse, some other popular verses (Atharva Veda) verse 13.5.20 "He is One and One forever remaineth alone; Believe it. There is no second in God" and the Nasadiya Sukta , dealing with a creator deity, especially verse 10.129.7: :"He, the first origin of this creation, whether he formed it all or did not form it, / Whose eye controls this world in highest heaven, he verily knows it, or perhaps he knows not." (trans. Griffith) Many Hindus believe that God has six attributes. However, the actual number of auspicious qualities of God, are countless, with the following six qualities being the ''most important.''
Sikhism Sikhism is a distinctly monotheistic faith that rose in northern India during the 16th and 17th centuries. Sikh s believe in one, timeless, omnipresent, supreme creator. The opening verse of the Guru Granth Sahib , known as the Mool Mantra signifies this: : : Transliteration : Ik ōaṅkār(or ikoo) sat nām karatā purakh nirabha'u niravair akāl mūrat ajūnī saibhaṁ gur prasād. : English : One Universal Creator God. The Name Is Truth. Creative Being Personified. No Fear. No Hatred. Image Of The Undying, Beyond Birth, Self-Existent. By Guru's Grace ~ The word "ੴ" is pronounced '''"Ik ōaṅkār"''' and is comprised to two parts. The first part is simply: '''"੧"''' - This is simply the digit '''"1"''' in Gurmukhi signifying the singularity of the Creator. Together the word means: '''"There is only one Creator God"''' It is often said that the 1430 pages of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib are all expansions on the Mool Mantra . Although the Sikhs have many names for God, they all refer to the same supreme being. The Sikh holy scriptures refer to the One God who pervades the whole of Space and is the creator of all beings in the whole Universe . The following quotation from the SGGS highlights this point: "Chant, and meditate on the One God, who permeates and pervades the many beings of the whole Universe. God created it, and God spreads through it everywhere. Everywhere I look, I see God. The Perfect Lord is perfectly pervading and permeating the water, the land and the sky; there is no place without Him." SGGS Page 782 The Sikhs believe that Allah - The name of God used by Muslim is a valid name to use. Similarly, the name Hari , Raam , Paarbrahm , Krishan which are names of God used by Hindu s are frequently mentioned in the Sikh holy scriptures. The same God of the Christian s, Muslims , Hindus , etc is known as the Akal Purakh (means the true immortal i.e God) or Waheguru , the primal being of the Sikhs. It is also stated in Guru Granth Sahi that: Awal Allah Noor Upaya, Kudrat kae sab bandey ek noor tae sabh jag upjaya, kaun bhaley kaun mandey Which means that from that god we all are created nobody is above or beneath anyone. NOTES FURTHER READING
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