Essay Monotheism vs. Polytheism

Questions about morality are at the very center of heated debates and discussions surrounding the topic of religion. This theme, the potential interlinking between religion and morality, is explored by Plato in his work Euthyphro. The foundational question that Plato asks is how is something determined to be good or moral: through independent reasoning or by divine prescription. I believe that the only rational position to take on the issue is to conclude that morality must be separate from religion. This position, however, spawns many questions about what role religion does have in life. Ultimately, I believe that having an independent morality standard does change the way religion is used, but religion is still an

Morality, traditional culture and belief, is what is coupled with the human's all time. Since the ancient times to the present, every nation, every language has these are engaged. Which is what should be treated and hold for living. If none of these societies from ancient to present may not be the society to this day

The term "Ethical monotheism" can be broken down into two meanings: 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. When it comes to the relationship between Jews and Ethical monotheism, it is expected of Jews to be the ones closest to holding its values. In some important ways, this is true. Jews do hold that God judges everyone, Jew or Gentile, by his or her behavior. This is a major reason that Jews do not force their religion on others or try to convert people to view their same opinions: Judaism has never believed that non Jews have to embrace Judaism to attain salvation or any other reward in the afterlife.

Monotheistic religions, especially Judaism, Christianity, and Islam promote the belief in One God; all that exists is because of God. Through prophets and scripture, God portrays moral goodness and truth. Essentially, these three religions believe that God speaks to us, unveils God’s Being, and seeks to guide us through life. In turn, humans should embody the moral goodness and excellence that is revealed to us by God. These religions are taught based upon both scripture and reason. When reading traditional texts, the tools of reason and social sciences are required. However, dilemmas arise when there is inconsistency between reason and scripture. Some believe that is we side with reason, we betray God. Others believe that if we side with

In historical context, time and time again, God is depicted as a perfect being and the creator of all things living. In a Monotheistic approach, God is portrayed as “the Supreme being”, and in some philosophical texts, God is said to be omnipotent, omnibenevolent, all loving, and all knowing. As The Supreme Being, God cares for all of his creations and has even been described to put his arms out for the people who obey him and whom he loves. Even though God shows love, compassion, and sympathy for humans, his creation, there are times where even an omnibenevolent God can exhibit the opposite behavior.

Firstly, just as Islam is considered to be a monotheistic religion, the same idea applies to Christianity and Judaism. The three faiths worship one God, who is believed to be the Lord of all the creation. A common belief of God is shared among all the religions. The religions extend their similarities by having a belief that there is an existence of prophets, angels, and Satan. The three religions do stress the need for moral responsibilities and accountability within individuals in the society. Relatively, basing on the

Monotheist believe we can only discover “why we are here” through our Creator. Our creator is the only who reveals our purpose and can release authentic joy. The answer to “Why Am I Here” rest on the relationship we build with the Creator. Furthermore, monotheist believe their Creator has given them a conscience to comprehend right from wrong. On the other hand, Judaism, Christianity and Islamic have varying views of values. Jews derive their moral codes from the Torah and the Jewish commentaries. Christians ethics come from the Old Testament and New Testament teachings. Muslims developed their ethical teaching from parts of the Old Testament, New Testament, Koran, and teachings from their Islamic sects. Additionally, monotheist believe we

While there is no way of knowing which reality is the truth, there are two that are more widespread throughout the world. Polytheism and monotheism are the prevalent philosophies in the modern world. Religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, and tribal religions are representative of polytheism. Meanwhile, the most popular religions in the west like Christianity, Judaism, and Islam make up the monotheistic religions. As a Catholic, my beliefs are pulled towards the direction of monotheistic beliefs. It is easier for me to imagine that there is one independent God looking after us and once our time on this Earth is done we will be judged for our

The term of Ethical monotheism emphasizes the existence of a single god, and the way he desires to be honored. It underlies the expression of the idea that God is the supreme creator, sovereign king, owner of everything that exists and does not need anything from anyone because it has

The progression of morality as it relates to the influence of family, religion and society varies between Asia, Africa, and the Americas. Our contemporary society has been influenced tremendously in many different areas by these different societies.

God has fashioned the natural universe in an ethical format, which constitutes to humanity exist there. Everything is related to being in God’s hands. The value system, system of belief, and the system of action are all determined significantly in propagation of God’s uniqueness and personal status. The conviction behind monotheism gives no room for other religion, and to some extent, other religions are termed as idolatrous, i.e., discarding to what is less reduced than divine since only the stated religion is religion that is considered to be the only true one. This has often played a primary role in justification of the fanatical action. (Richter,

The perspective that morality and religion are linked is strengthened by the belief in Christian existentialism in that the presence of God as Jesus Christ on earth gives us an ideal example of what morality and goodness exactly are, as this view supports the fact that God in his self is morality. In addition, another strength of the view that morality and religion are linked is that it makes it possible for humans to avoid the problem of ambiguity. This simply means that humans do not have to worry about their actions being morally acceptable in various conditions, place, time or generation to which they find themselves in. On the other hand, the view that morality and religion are linked also has its weaknesses, which include the fact that God’s will might be arbitrary.

The second reason lies in the fact that the scope of basic principles of religious and secular morality is the same. For instance, the norms of moral behavior that are contained in the Ten Commandments (e.g., the prohibition of murder, adultery and theft) are shared both by deists and Atheists. Thirdly, religious people tend to think that God had created everything in the world. Therefore, it is quite natural for them to think that God had created morality. Thus they see morality and religion as either two inseparable notions or even the one that finds its roots in the idea of God.

Another view of morality could be through South Asian Christianity. Morality in South Asian Christianity is “shaped primarily by worship in the church, reading the Bible, and home based religious practices” (Pechilis 181). Due to that in doing these three main things you religious life continues to grow and never weakens. It identifies what your real faith is. In where worshipping on Sundays, though being a Hindu tradition it has trespassed into south Asian Christianity. It has also, “brought along with it a love for liturgy and hymns” (Pechilis 177). In where reading of the Bible from as soon as you learn to read is commonly seen. Since it is “a matter of pride and dignity” (Pechilis 180), and as a marker of your religious faith. While home based religious practices that are a passage into your own religious life and a way of confirming the faith you have already in this religion. This is what morality is in South Asian Christianity.

Modern monotheistic religions, such as Christianity, take an absolute view on morality. They define right and wrong as the rules set by their gods and as interpreted by religious leaders within that faith. Many people look at religion as a foundation of morality, but does that mean the two are intertwined? There are a few ways to view this topic. One is through the divine command theory, it states that “ethical principles are simply the commandments of God” (Pojman, 195). Another view is secular morality, and this states that “good life is inspired in itself because it promotes human flourishing” (Pojman, 201). Both theories suggest valid arguments, but I believe that secular morality has a stronger case. I will argue that religion and morality both are interconnected in many ways, but after closer examination of divine command theory and secular morality, it is clear that secular morality theory provides the best reasons of why religion is not the foundation of morality.