Why is monotheism 'best'?

[DeviChaaya]

Namaste

Why do you feel monotheism is best? Why is the Abrahamic model of monotheism so revered and touted as the best form of worship?

 

[glass]

Namaste

Why do you feel monotheism is best? Why is the Abrahamic model of monotheism so revered and touted as the best form of worship?

Hello.

Who ever said that monotheism is best?

 

[DeviChaaya]

Much of what I have read and the rhetoric of Islam and Christianity are always touting how much better monotheism is to all the other theisms. Why is it best? What makes one god better than several? What makes one god that keeps one form and only one form better than a God with many manifestations?

I've never quite understood.

 

[Gharib]

Do you know how good things come in small packages?

Well, God comes only in one package.

It is not about one God vs many Gods. It's just that God is something 'different', unlike anything else. Things which are most valuable in this world, are those which are one and unique.

To believe in other Gods or that there are many Gods, then there must be one God who is greater than all those others and who is 'different' in many ways and aspects.

You have that same thing in Hinduism, there are other lesser Gods and then there is Brahman, who is superior to everything and everyone in every way.

We don't believe that God is within everything because God is the First and the Last. No beginning and no end. He is limitless and nothing is comparable to him. If you have that information and then put limits on God or his eternal attributes then that contradicts itself. If God has no limits and is not bound by his creation, then how can that which is limitless be confined to a human body among other things?

 

[beerisit]

Monotheism has never won a gold medal at the Olympics. I checked.

 

[glass]

Much of what I have read and the rhetoric of Islam and Christianity are always touting how much better monotheism is to all the other theisms. Why is it best? What makes one god better than several? What makes one god that keeps one form and only one form better than a God with many manifestations?

I've never quite understood.

I guess Monotheism looks better is because:

1.) There are more Monotheists in the world today
2.) These Monotheists always discredit Polytheists (like yourself)
3.) Polytheism looks superstitious because they (most) pray to trees, cows, rats, etc.
While Monotheists worship a more, mystical, mundane, invisible being.

 

[Sgloom]

the abrahamic monotheism of christianity and islam both promise an eternal afterlife in heaven or paradise... which is the only reason i can see it being so popular, wihtout the promise of an afterlife it would have died out a long time ago or never caught on in the first place

 

[Thief]

In the scheme of greatness...There can be only one Creator...one God.

Lesser beings having some ability?...sure why not.

All answer to God...sooner or later.

 

[Quintessence]

the abrahamic monotheism of christianity and islam both promise an eternal afterlife in heaven or paradise... which is the only reason i can see it being so popular, wihtout the promise of an afterlife it would have died out a long time ago or never caught on in the first place

I think it's more complicated than that. IIRC, the reasons for the rise of Christianity are largely political rather than related to the content of the beliefs. Without the Roman Empire's endorsement, it would likely have remained a marginal belief system.

So I think the sort answer is monotheism is "best" because powerful men in history had the clout to make it popular. Unfortunately, this often involved authoritarian and draconian measures, notably a religious exclusivism that stated "my way or the highway." Through force and propaganda, they sought to wipe out the competition rather than adopt a more tolerant, pluralistic approach to theology. Monotheism's "superiority" comes from its willingness to wield an iron fist and demolish its opposition by any means it finds appropriate.

But I am overgeneralizing here. The above comments apply mostly to Christianity and Islam, but very little to Judaism.

 

[F0uad]

Is Christianity monotheistic? Hehe just kidding and its better because i say so...

 

[Me Myself]

Do you know how good things come in small packages?

You know one of the powers of most Hindu gods is to become incredibly small? Just saying

 

[idav]

Namaste

Why do you feel monotheism is best? Why is the Abrahamic model of monotheism so revered and touted as the best form of worship?

I'm not sure christianity is really monotheistic though I understand they like to believe they are. Judaism and Islam tend to stick to the monotheistic dictator type god.

 

[Bob Dixon]

I'm not sure christianity is really monotheistic though I understand they like to believe they are. Judaism and Islam tend to stick to the monotheistic dictator type god.

There's nothing I can say to make you believe this, but Christianity really is monotheistic. Do you have an issue with the Trinity? No problem; so do I. But if you understand it, it's monotheism.

 

[Quintessence]

But if you understand it, it's monotheism.

I confess I really don't understand it. I don't at all understand how 1+1+1=1. It makes no sense. If you're fragmenting a concept into component parts, that way of thinking is polytheistic even if you're recognizing an underlying unity.

Of course, I also find that all religions demonstrate monotheistic and polytheistic thinking, as a wise professor of religion once pointed out to me. The difference is less in the "how many" and more in the "what is the point of worship."

 

[Bob Dixon]

I confess I really don't understand it. I don't at all understand how 1+1+1=1. It makes no sense. If you're fragmenting a concept into component parts, that way of thinking is polytheistic even if you're recognizing an underlying unity.

Of course, I also find that all religions demonstrate monotheistic and polytheistic thinking, as a wise professor of religion once pointed out to me. The difference is less in the "how many" and more in the "what is the point of worship."

It's not 1+1+1=1.
It's more like (1/1)x(1/1)x(1/1)=1.
I still agree that it makes very little sense from a historical belief standpoint and it was basically fabricated to reconcile Christ's divinity with monotheism. But the Trinity IS monotheistic. There is only one God within it. Check the picture I posted in the Trinity thread.

As for your second point, you're right. It's hard to get a religion to be pure polytheism or pure monotheism!

 

[Falvlun]

Namaste

Why do you feel monotheism is best? Why is the Abrahamic model of monotheism so revered and touted as the best form of worship?

Good question. We (most Westerners) seem to assume that, at the very least, monotheism is a more sophisticated version of religion.

Maybe it was just a version of "yeah, well, my dad is bigger than your dad!" that infiltrated religious thought.

 

[Quintessence]

Which trinity thread? I did a quick forum search and there are several. I am curious about this, because it bothers me that I can't wrap my head around it.

 

[Quintessence]

Good question. We (most Westerners) seem to assume that, at the very least, monotheism is a more sophisticated version of religion.

Maybe it was just a version of "yeah, well, my dad is bigger than your dad!" that infiltrated religious thought.

Dear gods, why didn't I remember this point earlier:

Early anthropology followed the idea that religion followed a sort of evolutionary progression from primitive (lesser) forms like animism to civilized (greater) forms. Although these ideas are now recognized for the ethnocentric and culturally biased crap they were, mainstream society still seems to hold to the idea.

Thanks for reminding me of this.

 

[Falvlun]

Which trinity thread? I did a quick forum search and there are several. I am curious about this, because it bothers me that I can't wrap my head around it.

It's not a perfect analogy, but the one I like best to describe the Trinity is the 3 forms of H20:

You've got ice, water, and steam. They all have the same chemical composition-- they are all the same thing, but just in different forms.

 

[Quintessence]

It's not a perfect analogy, but the one I like best to describe the Trinity is the 3 forms of H20:

You've got ice, water, and steam. They all have the same chemical composition-- they are all the same thing, but just in different forms.

I suppose, but knowing too much about chemistry for my own good, I also recognize that there are very important distinctions between the three and it's not quite right to say they're equivalents. They're "the same" in the sense that they are all dihydrogen monoxide, but not at all "the same" with respect to other important physical properties. To me, this metaphor is similar to the "facets of a diamond" idea that is often spoke of by soft polytheists within Neopaganism, so the Christian trinity seems like soft polytheism to me (or soft monotheism, if we prefer... whatever). Judaism on the other hand is hard monotheism; God is God and there is no other God but God; no Father/Son/Holy Spirit thing going on.

Personally, I don't think the divine is a numbers game anyway. How you split up the pieces is a matter of your own point of view.