Understanding Culture Society and Politics

2. Monotheis
m
Understanding the
concept of
monotheism

3. Definition
Religions
History

4. Definition of
Monotheism
Monotheism is defined as belief in the existence of one
god or in the oneness of god and is usually positioned as
the polar opposite of polytheism, the belief in many gods.
However, the word monotheism is a relatively modern one
that was coined in the mid-17th century CE by the British
philosopher Henry More (1614-1687 CE). It comes from
the greek words, monos (single) and theos (god).

5. Definition
Religions
History

6. History of Monotheism
The earliest monotheistic religions can be traced back to the Aten
cult in ancient Egypt, the Nasadiya Sukta from the Vedic period of
India, and Ahura Mazda, the one uncreated Creator of
Zoroastrianism. There are also monotheistic denominations within
Hinduism, including Vedanta, Vaishnavism, Shaivism, Shaktism, and
Smartism.

7. History of Monotheism
The Torah (or Hebrew Bible), which was created between the 13th Century and
4th Century B.C., is the source of Judaism, and in turn provided the basis for
the Christian and Islamic religions (these three together being known as the
Abrahamic faiths). Jews, Christians and Muslims would probably all agree that
God is an eternally existent being that exists apart from space and time, who is
the creator of the universe, and is omnipotent (all-powerful), omniscient (all-
knowing), omnibenevolent (all-good or all-loving) and possibly omnipresent
(all-present). The religions, however, differ in the details: Christians, for
example, would further affirm that there are three aspects to God (the Father,
the Son and the Holy Spirit).

8. Definition
Religions
History

9. Judais
m
Judaism is the world’s oldest monotheistic religion dating back
nearly 4,000 years. Their belief is that the one God revealed
Himself through ancient prophets. The first prophet he revealed
himself to was Abraham who is now known as the founder of
Judaism. Abraham became the father of the faith, the foundation,
and link to the three monotheistic religions, Judaism, Christianity,
and Islam. These religions all uphold Abraham as the father of
faith and believe in fasting as a way to purify oneself and get
closer to God.

10. Judais
m
The Jewish people’s hope is pinned on a promised messiah. Their
God, known as YHWH, promised them a messiah who would be
their liberator, a righteous savior who would rule and judge them,
and the whole world.The Jewish people’s places of worship are
called synagogues. This is where the spiritual leaders also called
rabbis teach scripture with an emphasis on monotheism. The
teachings are from a sacred text called Tanakh or the Hebrew
Bible which includes the Old Testament books (which is also in
the Christian Bible in a different order).

11. Christiani
ty
Christianity was birthed from Judaism. Christian scripture includes the
Jewish scriptures, referred to as the Old Testament. The Old Testament is a
foreshadowing of the New Testament. Jesus is the fulfillment of all the
messianic prophecies in the Old Testament. Judaism ends in the Old
Testament but, Christianity continues from the Old Testament to the New
Testament.In the New Testament, the Jewish Sacrificial system is still fully
functioning up until Jesus Christ is crucified and he becomes the final
ultimate sacrifice that takes away the sin of the world permanently. In
Christianity, the Jewish sacrificial system and laws are all fulfilled in Jesus’
death on the cross.

12. Christiani
ty
Monotheism is important to Christianity. The Christians believe
in one God, but this God is three in one, also referred to as the
Trinity. The trinity has been a controversial subject which has
created arguments that the Christians actually have three gods,
and are thus not practicing monotheism. The members of the
Trinity are God (YHWH), Jesus (the son of God), and the Holy
Spirit (who is the spirit of God). The triune God is a stumbling
block to many because it is unfathomable for many people to
believe in a God who is supposedly one but also is three distinct
individuals.

13. Islam
Islam is also an Abrahamic monotheistic religion. The word Islam
means submission to the will of God. Muslims worship an all-
knowing God who is called Allah. Muslims believe that
Muhammad is the messenger of God.They believe that Allah’s
word was revealed to the prophet Muhammad through the angel
Gabriel. Several prophets were sent to teach Allah’s law. Some of
the Muslim prophets are the same as those of the Jews and
Christians such as Abraham, Moses, Noah, David, and Jesus.

14. Islam
The Muslims also have a sacrificial system. Sacrifice is an
important concept in Islam, as it is in Judaism, and Christianity
through the final sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Eid-al-Adha or the
Festival of Sacrifice (the second major Islamic holiday which falls
on the tenth day of the month after the pilgrimage) is when
Muslims offer sacrifices to Allah. During this period animals are
sacrificed, usually lambs or goats. There is no intermediary in
Islam, instead, Muslims have a direct relationship with God. Their
prayer, also known as salat is ritual worship which is done five
times a day at dawn, noon, late afternoon, sunset and night.

15. Different
Types of
Monotheis
m

16. Exclusive Monotheism
The belief that there is only one deity, and that all other claimed
deities are distinct from it and false. The Abrahamic religions, and
the Hindu denomination of Vaishnavism (which regards the
worship of anyone other than Vishnu as incorrect) are examples
of Exclusive Monotheism.

17. Inclusive Monotheism
The belief that there is only one deity, and that all other claimed
deities are just different names for it. The Hindu denomination of
Smartism is an example of Inclusive Monotheism.

18. Substance Monotheism
The belief (found in some indigenous African religions) that the
many gods are just different forms of a single underlying
substance.

19. Pantheism
The belief in one God who is equivalent to Nature or the physical
universe, or that everything is of an all-encompassing immanent
abstract God.

20. Panentheism
The belief (also known as Monistic Monotheism), similar to
Pantheism, that the physical universe is joined to, or an integral
part of, God, but stressing that God is greater than (rather than
equivalent to) the universe.

21. Deism
A form of monotheism in which it is believed that one God exists,
but that this God does not intervene in the world, or interfere
with human life and the laws of the universe. It posits a non-
interventionist creator who permits the universe to run itself
according to natural laws.

22. Henotheism
The devotion to a single god while accepting the existence of
other gods, and without denying that others can with equal truth
worship different gods. It has been called "monotheism in
principle and polytheism in fact".

23. Monolatrism (or
Monolatry)
The belief in the existence of many gods, but with the consistent
worship of only one deity. Unlike Henotheism, Monolatrism
asserts that there is only one god who is worthy of worship,
though other gods are known to exist. This is really more
Polytheism than Monotheism.

24. Misotheism
The belief that a God exists, but is actually evil. The English word
was coined by Thomas de Quincey in 1846. Strictly speaking, the
term connotes an attitude of hatred towards God, rather than
making a statement about His nature.

25. Dystheism
The belief that a God exists, but is not wholly good, or possibly
even evil (as opposed to eutheism, the belief that God exists and
is wholly good). There are various examples of arguable
dystheism in the Bible.

26. The End