What monotheism means is surprisingly hard to pin down
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Re: What monotheism means is surprisingly hard to pin down
#2The word monotheism didn’t even exist until the 17th century.
I’m doubtful of some of the article’s claims, that seem to project our modern ideas onto the ancient world.
But I think ancient israel saw there were many “gods”, but they viewed Yahweh as “God most high” or even “creator God”.
It’s like saying “Hinduism” is this singular religion, that is actually full of different gods and different practices, but we just lump it all together as one thing.
We just really like taxonomies.
Re: What monotheism means is surprisingly hard to pin down
#3> but there’s a reason it swept the world.
Monotheism didn’t really sweep the world, though. Christianity and its sequel did.
Is it critical that these are monotheistic religions, anyway, or is there something in common within the meme complex of these two religions that enabled their spread? Like we actually don’t know if the monotheism part matters at all right?
Re: What monotheism means is surprisingly hard to pin down
#4> but there’s a reason it swept the world. Monotheism didn’t really sweep the world, though. Christianity and its sequel did. Is it critical that these are monotheistic religions, anyway, or is there something in common within the meme complex of these two religions that enabled their spread? Like we actually don’t know if the monotheism part matters at all right?
The class of research invalidated by a famous tweet:
> cars have windows and can move. houses have windows and can’t move. so it’s not the windows that make the car go, it’s something else entirely
Re: What monotheism means is surprisingly hard to pin down
#5The word monotheism didn’t even exist until the 17th century. I’m doubtful of some of the article’s claims, that seem to project our modern ideas onto the ancient world. But I think ancient israel saw there were many “gods”, but they viewed Yahweh as “God most high” or even “creator God”. It’s like saying “Hinduism” is this singular religion, that is actually full of different gods and different practices, but we jus…
I don't think you have ancient Israel quite right here. Much of the old testament assumes that Yahweh is the god of Israel, and that other nations have their own gods. The idea of one most powerful god took time to develop.
Re: What monotheism means is surprisingly hard to pin down
#6> but there’s a reason it swept the world. Monotheism didn’t really sweep the world, though. Christianity and its sequel did. Is it critical that these are monotheistic religions, anyway, or is there something in common within the meme complex of these two religions that enabled their spread? Like we actually don’t know if the monotheism part matters at all right?
The vast majority of religions historically have been polytheistic (or atheistic).
Islam and Christianity being monotheistic was probably relevant to their expansion because they proposed a total replacement of the prevailing polytheistic belief system wherever they spread. It seems usually when polytheistic religions collide, their gods tend to merge into a syncretism.
Another way to think about it is that it's not their expansion that's remarkable. It's the fact that they preserved the original system so well, despite expansion across literally multiple continents and cultures. For this it helps to have one prophet, one book, one God (, one Pope / one Mecca).
Re: What monotheism means is surprisingly hard to pin down
#7> but there’s a reason it swept the world. Monotheism didn’t really sweep the world, though. Christianity and its sequel did. Is it critical that these are monotheistic religions, anyway, or is there something in common within the meme complex of these two religions that enabled their spread? Like we actually don’t know if the monotheism part matters at all right?
The vast majority of religions historically have been polytheistic (or atheistic). Islam and Christianity being monotheistic was probably relevant to their expansion because they proposed a total replacement of the prevailing polytheistic belief system wherever they spread. It seems usually when polytheistic religions collide, their gods tend to merge into a syncretism. Another way to think about it is that it's not…
Christianity was monotheist because it began as a cult of Judaism. Islam was monotheist because it began as a cult of Christianity. It's a mistake to treat these religions as entirely separate, even though dogmatically each believes the others to be heretical. And Judaism itself was probably just cribbing from Zoroastrianism.
Although I would argue the Trinity (which is a modern Christian invention) and many aspects of reverence for saints and angels is pseudo-polytheistic, and likely a result of the syncretism of the various pagan traditions into Christianity as it spread throughout Europe, although that came later.
Re: What monotheism means is surprisingly hard to pin down
#8> but there’s a reason it swept the world. Monotheism didn’t really sweep the world, though. Christianity and its sequel did. Is it critical that these are monotheistic religions, anyway, or is there something in common within the meme complex of these two religions that enabled their spread? Like we actually don’t know if the monotheism part matters at all right?
I think what matters in the case of the Abrahamic religions (or any religion) is the power of the military that spreads it. Christianity was forced onto the Western world by Rome and later Spain, Britain, Portugal and other powers as a means of consolidating imperialist control and the slave trade.
But remember a similar process happened with Buddhism and Confcucianism across Asia. Native religions were oppressed and state religions established.
Re: What monotheism means is surprisingly hard to pin down
#9> but there’s a reason it swept the world. Monotheism didn’t really sweep the world, though. Christianity and its sequel did. Is it critical that these are monotheistic religions, anyway, or is there something in common within the meme complex of these two religions that enabled their spread? Like we actually don’t know if the monotheism part matters at all right?
The vast majority of religions historically have been polytheistic (or atheistic). Islam and Christianity being monotheistic was probably relevant to their expansion because they proposed a total replacement of the prevailing polytheistic belief system wherever they spread. It seems usually when polytheistic religions collide, their gods tend to merge into a syncretism. Another way to think about it is that it's not…
The Abrahamic narrative is that everyone started from Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve believe in one single God in the heaven.
Adam was sent down from heaven to the earth, to be the successor (Arabic caliph) to the "one" God. In Semitic language "one" is literal one, not 2 or 3. For example the name Allah in Arabic and Hebrew by definition does not has plural equivalent or gender, like Gods or Goddest.
But overtime by ignorance, people started worshipping idols alongside the original God. These idols were originally in the physical form of pious people. Case in point, Christian "worship" Jesus via Trinity concept invention and, Buddhist worship Buddha idol. It is the job of these later messengers/prophets to remind these ignorant people to worship one true God, some of them have book/kitab/suhuf/scripture from God as guidance. Muslim believe Quran is the last and the only uncorrupted holy scripture remaining.
For muslim, however, Jesus (or most likely Buddha as well), is just another messengers/prophets from the long list of messengers/prophets than ended in Muhammad.
Fun facts all of the main major religious scriptures Hindu, Jewish, Christian, Buddhist has description or prophecy of Muhammad one way or another.
In Jewish tradition it is well known that they are waiting for three prophets at the the time of Jesus (Messiah) arrival, but denied all of them including Muhammad the last one.
Another fun facts, in the science of human genetic it has yhr concept of mythocondrial eve [1]. This is the proof that we human all come and originated from a single parent, regardless of races.
[1] Mitochondrial Eve:
Re: What monotheism means is surprisingly hard to pin down
#10Earlier quoted context omitted.
The vast majority of religions historically have been polytheistic (or atheistic). Islam and Christianity being monotheistic was probably relevant to their expansion because they proposed a total replacement of the prevailing polytheistic belief system wherever they spread. It seems usually when polytheistic religions collide, their gods tend to merge into a syncretism. Another way to think about it is that it's not…
The Abrahamic narrative is that everyone started from Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve believe in one single God in the heaven. Adam was sent down from heaven to the earth, to be the successor (Arabic caliph) to the "one" God. In Semitic language "one" is literal one, not 2 or 3. For example the name Allah in Arabic and Hebrew by definition does not has plural equivalent or gender, like Gods or Goddest. But overtime by ign…
Buddhists do not usually worship the Buddha like God. Buddhists revere him as wise teacher, especially in modern times.