What is monotheism and how did it come about?

Today in the world there is a huge number of different religions, traditions, mystical and philosophical schools, teachings, cults, organizations. And even a person far from all this one way or another heard the term "monotheism". Interestingly, the direct synonym of this word is "monotheism". But how to understand this term? What does he conclude in himself? What is monotheism?

Definition

It should be noted that monotheism is a philosophical, theological (theological) and religious science concept. What is monotheism? This is the belief in a single God-Creator and the principle exclusion of faith in any other gods. Also, worship is possible only for one God, but if a person prays to two or more - he already becomes a polytheist (pagan).

Monotheism in Religious Concepts

What is monotheism? As already mentioned, this is a synonym for the word "monotheism". In the world there are multiple forms of religion. The most vivid belief in one single God-Creator is represented in the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam), it is clearly possible to find similar notes in Iranian Zoroastrianism. What is curious, in some areas of Hinduism, too, there are monotheistic moments. Religions that recognize only one God always have their founding fathers. For such traditions, the belief in the fact that they are based on a divine and sacred revelation given above is fundamental.

History of monotheism

What is monotheism and when did it appear? For the first time, certain elements were discovered in the study of the history of Ancient China (the cult of the Shang-di - the supreme god), India (the doctrine of the one God-Creator Brahma), Ancient Egypt (especially after the reform of King Akhenaten Amenhotep, who introduced the worship of the one God-Sun) Ancient Babylon (many gods were considered only as manifestations of the supreme deity of Marduk). The ancient Jews also had their national tribal god - the Sabaoth (Yahweh), which was initially revered along with others, but eventually turned into the One. Christianity, however, having acquired and accepted the cult of God the Father (supreme and sole Creator), supplemented it with faith in the "God-man" of Jesus Christ, God the Son. One can confidently say that the Christian faith is a religion of monotheism, but it is necessary to take into account the doctrine of the Holy Trinity. Jewish monotheism at the end of the sixth - the beginning of the seventh centuries was received by some Arabs from the sect of the so-called Hanifites, where Islam originated. The founder of it is the Prophet Muhammad. Monotheism in Islam manifests itself more clearly than in all other religions. Many theories relied on the thesis that monotheism (as faith in a single higher God-Creator) is the original form of religion, and also an unequivocal source of all other traditions and teachings. This concept was called "pramonoteism." Some other theories have called monotheism the completion of the evolution of the philosophical and religious thought of mankind, believing that monotheistic teachings will supplant all other forms of religion in time.

Monotheism as a philosophical and theological (theological) concept

In philosophy and theology this term is close to the word "theism". For the first time it can be found in the Platonist Mora of Cambridge. Theism meant something equivalent to the term "deism" and the opposite of "atheism". Only gradually, largely thanks to the efforts and works of Immanuel Kant, there were conceptual differences between deism and theism. An innovative point of view was expressed by Hegel, who counterposed monotheism to pantheism rather than polytheism. In such a notion as theism, the term "God" means "an absolute, spiritual reality transcendental to the material physical world, which acts as a creative single source, while preserving a presence in the world and possessing an unlimited degree of influence and influence on it."

Arguments in favor of monotheism

What is monotheism and why is it so common? There are many arguments in favor of this doctrine.

1. If there were more than one God, then there would be a mess in the Universe because of the many authorities and creative workers. Since there is no confusion, then God is one.
2. Since the Creator is a perfect person with absolute consciousness, there can not be another God, as he by definition would be less perfect.
3. Since the Lord is infinite in his existence, it means that he can not have any parts. If there is a second infinite personality, then it will be different from the first, and the only complete difference from infinity is absence. Therefore, the second God should not exist at all.
4. The theory of evolution can not know the real state of things, since the type of development described by it does not occur in nature. In fact, one can observe historically progress towards monotheism.