The believe in one God is called "monotheism". The belief in many Gods is called "polytheism".
Most of the "dead" religions-religions which no longer have any followers-were religions having many Gods. Among these are the Egyptian, Babylonian, Assyrain, Greek, Roman, Celtic and Norse. In very primitive times and among primitive peoples everywhere, there were only religions having many Gods.
The idea of monotheism-one God- developed quite late in the history of religion. And according to most people and students of the subject, it is the fullest and best expression of the spirit and meaning of religion. It is built on the conviction that the ethical and religious values we hold must have a basis, and this is the one God on whom all existence and values depend.
But the idea of monotheism took a long time to develop. It first started with what is called "monarchianism". Just as a monarch is set above his people, so the idea arose that one God should be exalted above the rest and should be the king of the Gods. Among the ancient Greeks, for example, Zeus stood supreme over all the Gods.
The same idea existed among the Babylonians and the Egyptians. The Babylonians has a God called Marduk who was the supreme over all the other Gods, and the Egyptians had Ra, who was ruler over all the other Gods.
The next step was the idea of "monolatry". According to this concept, other Gods do exist, but only one is worshipped. About the 14th century B.C., an attempt was made in Egypt to introduce the idea of monotheism, with the sun as the one God. But it failed. And about 800 years before Christ, a Zoroastrian religion in Persia held that there was the great one God. But true monotheism, the belief that Chritians, Jews, and Mohammedans hold in one God, comes from the Hebrew religion as expressed in the Old Testament.
Most of the "dead" religions-religions which no longer have any followers-were religions having many Gods. Among these are the Egyptian, Babylonian, Assyrain, Greek, Roman, Celtic and Norse. In very primitive times and among primitive peoples everywhere, there were only religions having many Gods.
The idea of monotheism-one God- developed quite late in the history of religion. And according to most people and students of the subject, it is the fullest and best expression of the spirit and meaning of religion. It is built on the conviction that the ethical and religious values we hold must have a basis, and this is the one God on whom all existence and values depend.
But the idea of monotheism took a long time to develop. It first started with what is called "monarchianism". Just as a monarch is set above his people, so the idea arose that one God should be exalted above the rest and should be the king of the Gods. Among the ancient Greeks, for example, Zeus stood supreme over all the Gods.
The same idea existed among the Babylonians and the Egyptians. The Babylonians has a God called Marduk who was the supreme over all the other Gods, and the Egyptians had Ra, who was ruler over all the other Gods.
The next step was the idea of "monolatry". According to this concept, other Gods do exist, but only one is worshipped. About the 14th century B.C., an attempt was made in Egypt to introduce the idea of monotheism, with the sun as the one God. But it failed. And about 800 years before Christ, a Zoroastrian religion in Persia held that there was the great one God. But true monotheism, the belief that Chritians, Jews, and Mohammedans hold in one God, comes from the Hebrew religion as expressed in the Old Testament.
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1 comment:
...so are you saying that date was around 3700bc? and if so why does it not appear in most articles that try to answer this question?
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