How Monotheism As A Type Of Religion

Although religions today take on many shapes and forms, and may seem so dramatically different from each other, in order to study and understand these religions, their similarities must be identified. This paper will first present a definition of religion that will connect to all religions at the simplest base. Then this paper will examine the common practices and experiences that are present in both the primary religions of the world, as well as the indigenous religions. Finally, this paper will discuss the issues that are critical to the academic study of religions.

In modern times when one thinks of Monotheism, the first religion that comes to mind is Christianity. But what is Monotheism? Monotheism is the belief that there is only one god. But is Christianity the first group of people to believe in one god? The answer is no, monotheism comes a long way. Zoroastrianism was the first monotheistic religion approximately 3500 years ago. The religion was founded by Prophet Zoroaster in ancient Iran. The second monotheistic religion known to man kind is Atenism founded by the Pharaoh Akhenaten. And the third Monotheistic religion is Judaism.

In Kevin Riley’s article “From Tribal to Universal”, him and several other historians argue that religious traditions emerge within and through traditions and beliefs that already exist. These new religions borrow from, adapt, and reject older traditions. Their ideas along with beliefs, can often be traced back and connected to multiple existing systems of belief. The documents collected in “Tribal to Universal Religion” help us understand and analyze the relationships between various religions, some of which did not originate in the same place, and their common ideas. Kevin Riley is surely right about religions borrowing from, adapting, and rejecting older traditions. This idea is clearly seen through the creation of Buddhism and Christianity.

In A History of God: The 4,000 Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, author Karen Armstrong introduces readers to the vast history of human spirituality and the many facets of world religion. Though a complex and often controversial subject, Armstrong dedication to factual analysis and matter-of -fact tone makes comparing and explaining religious ideologies tangible. One of the many areas of religion that Armstrong puts heavy emphasis on (as shown by the title of the book), is monotheism and how it has morphed into the three major religions known today as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Armstrong’s writing reveals that although many different theories regarding divinity and a possible creator, nothing has been documented as certain and each system of beliefs has its’ own contradictions and inadequacies.

The Axial Age demonstrates a major shift in the way humans think from 700 B.C.E to 100 B.C.E. These ideas inspired a new set of more philosophical or spiritual explanations and became more widespread geographically from the East Mediterranean to China. Civilizations during this era of time witnessed the development of several new religions including Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Buddhism, and Christianity. Furthermore, thinkers led new discoveries within the developments concerning concepts of creation, monotheism, and divine love.

In conclusion religion has many forms and types throughout history. While technology changes religion changes with it. When people in the paleolithic time needed organization and religion to pull their groups together, they had polytheism. Later on when cities and groups were more advanced people had monotheism. Finally, when people were at the most advanced state of mind and technology they had atheism to prove science and facts based off of the universe. This was the final state of religion through time and technology changes it through

During The Sea and The Mountain, our first reading assignment, I found myself surprised that the founders of Judaism were polytheists; yet during this very same reading assignment I found myself shocked by the boldness of a single deity in a polytheistic world to announce that they were the one true God. I thought to myself, how could I possibly have been shocked by two complete opposite thoughts in one homework assignment? I recall thinking “this is the beginning of the One God school of thought.” (Kirchheim, Sakai Discussion Forum). Given the definition of radical coupled with my sincere awe of the boldness of the statement made in Exodus 20, I believe that the birth of radical monotheism lies in Exodus, thereby effectively disqualifying Isaiah from holding this title.

Over the course of human history every society, even the most culturally isolated of civilizations, has developed some form of faith-system for interpreting and understanding the spiritual and material worlds. Thousands of such systems have existed over the centuries, and as tribes and cultures expanded, these faith-systems inevitably met each other face-to-face and clashed. Two thousand years ago there was a particularly important collision; one between the Roman stoic and the gentile Christian. At this time in Western civilization, Christianity was just planting its seeds and beginning to grow, whereas stoicism was already legitimate in its foundation and strong in its following (Stavrianos 100). One might wonder

Religions have changed constantly throughout history, beginning with the Egyptians and continuing through current day. Most of all new religions begin as polytheistic. This most likely developed because the people of the ancient world suspected that one god could not take care of all their needs. Therefore, they created several gods to take care of everything in the natural world such as water, fire, animals, etc. The first evidence of written religion was on the Sumerian tablets, around 3,500 B.C. The Egyptians demonstrated the first progression of religion in the area, during the time period around 4,000 B.C. The Egyptians believed humans ranked as partners with the gods to maintain order; it characterized similarly to the Mesopotamian’s religion. After a while, a change in religion transpired.

The earliest monotheistic religion out of the three was the religion of Judaism. The founder of Judaism was Abraham, their current “leaders” are rabbis, and their deity is Yahweh. The religion of Judaism is to have originated in the area of Canaan. The holy book of the Jews is known as the Torah and covers the earliest history of the Jews and

The idea of the ancient Israelites not being monotheistic is a notion particularly outside of academia, one that is almost totally incomprehensible with the general perception of this people and their culture. However, this does not necessarily mean that the more general conception of them as monotheists is correct. Ronald Hendel, a prominent scholar seems to make the case for the Israelites not being the monotheists that traditionally the ancient Israelites are assumed to be, “It is inaccurate to characterize the religion of ancient Israel as monotheistic, if what is meant by that term is the belief that only one God exists. Indeed, an enormous range of sources, both biblical and archaeological, indicate that ancient Israelites not only

The stories which humans tell about their origins are always cherished and held in high regard. In fact, no culture has existed which has not created or attempted to create some story of origins. Every culture has had some means in which to say this is where we came from. Especially in cultures where religion found itself prevalent, the mythology of origins became not only a status or anthropology but also a theology. In which case, we find that Christianity is not alone in this struggle, though our struggle may be unique in kind.

Judaism as well as its offshoot and formation into the Christian religion both place great emphasis on the notion of their monotheistic God as revealed in the early scriptures. To them God has revealed Himself as the one Lord of all. Evident in the first Commandment that was

The rise, development, and spread of monotheism (the belief in one God), is one of the most significant and fascinating dimensions of human civilization. The three major monotheistic faiths are Judaism, Christianity and Islam, these religions have spread to other kingdoms throughout the world by use of missionaries.

Tylor sought to find the simplest, most basic definition of religion. Tylor came to think of religion, in its most minimal form, as a matter of belief and thus defined religion as ‘the belief in spiritual beings’ . With this basic premise, Tylor proceeds to ask how people came to believe in these spiritual beings. Tylor argued that Animism was both the first and the most basic religion and therefore the foundation of all religions. Tylor defined animism having two dogmas: a belief in spiritual beings and a belief in the human soul which lives on after bodily death: ‘Thus Animism in its full development, including the belief in souls, and in a future state, in controlling deities and subordinate spirits, these doctrines practically resulting in some kind of active worship.’ Tylor argued that the development of belief in souls was a natural result of efforts to explain phenomena such as dreams, shadows, trances, visions, apparitions, reflections, loss of consciousness, and death. Tylor thought he could explain why all known societies have conceived of the idea that all humans have souls, through arguing that belief in souls evolved from naturally occurring phenomena.