Download religions

Giuliana Destefanis
B period
Monotheism & Polytheism
Monotheism is the belief in the existence of one god. It includes religions
such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, all of which view God as the creator of
the world and holy being, the source of the highest good. The monotheism that
characterizes Judaism began in ancient Israel with the adoption of Yahweh as
the single object of worship and the rejection of the gods of other tribes and
nations. Islam is clear in confessing one, eternal, unbegotten, unequaled God,
while Christianity says that a single God is reflected in the three persons of the
Holy Trinity. Around 75% of American adults identify themselves as Christian.
Sects within Christianity are Presbyterians, Roman Catholics, Southern
Baptists, Mormons, etc.
Although the major source of both Christianity and Judaism is the Hebrew
Bible, Judaism and Christianity like all cultures have received influences from
various non-biblical religions present in Egypt and Syria. The Hebrews are a
group of the Canaanite peoples who prior to the development of monotheism
practiced a polytheistic religion.
Judaism is one of the oldest known monotheistic faiths. The best-known
Jewish statements of monotheism occur in the Shema prayer, the Ten
Commandments and Maimonides' 13 Principles of faith, an example from the
Torah (Deuteronomy 6:4) is: "Hear Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is one."
Christians believe in one God. Historically, most Christian churches have
taught that the nature of God is something of a mystery: while being a unity, God
also manifests as three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy
Spirit (the Trinity) Typically, Christian orthodoxy holds that these three persons
are not independent but share the same essence or substance of divinity. The
true nature of the Trinity is held to be a mystery (developed as the result of
theological debate in the Council of Nicea in 325.
For Jews and Muslims, the idea of God as a trinity is heretical – they
consider it almost polytheism, especially when some Christian denominations,
such as the Roman Catholic Church practice the veneration of Saints. But of
course Catholicism is strictly monotheistic, as it says in the Nicine Creed, “I
believe in one God”. Veneration of saints and prayers to saints is no different
from petitioning a living person to pray to God on behalf of the petitioner.
Polytheism is belief in and worship multiple Gods. Ancient religions were
polytheistic. In the belief in many gods, there can also be the ruler and parent
(often king or father) of gods and mankind. In polytheistic belief, gods are seen
as complicated beings of greater or lesser status, with individual skills, needs,
desires.
An example of Polytheism is Buddhism. Buddhism is the fourth largest
religion in the world. It was founded in Northern India by the first known Buddha,
Siddhartha Gautama. In 535 BC, he attained enlightenment and assumed the
title Lord Buddha (one who has awakened)
In Buddhism, there are higher Gods, called Devas. Devas are beings
who had more positive karma in their past lives than humans. When their lives
end, they are reborn as devas or as other beings. When they accumulate
negative karma, they are reborn as either human or any of the other lower beings
As Buddhism expanded across Asia, it evolved into two main forms:
Theravada Buddhism (or Southern Buddhism; or Therevada) "has been the
dominant school of Buddhism in most of Southeast Asia since the thirteenth
century, with the establishment of the monarchies in Thailand, Burma, Cambodia
and Laos." The other form is Mahayana Buddhism (sometimes called Northern
Buddhism) is largely found in China, Japan, Korea, Tibet and Mongolia. In Japan
for example Buddhism, mixed with Shinto, which worships kamis (or nature
spirits), creating a tradition which prays to the kamis. There are many differences
but also similaries between monothestic and polythestic religions. For example,
Buddhists do not believe in Original Sin, eternal life spent in either heaven or hell,
or salvation through Jesus Christ. But they do have things in common such as
the belief in treaty others with kindness, the Buddhist test Udana-Varga 5:18
states “Hurt not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful." In Christian
text (Luke 6:31) the “golden rule”, Do unto others as you would have them do
unto you." Buddhism teaches that humans are in a cycle of birth, life, death and
rebirth. One's goal is to escape from this cycle and reach Nirvana, where they
experience complete freedom, liberation and non-attachment. Suffering ends
because desire and craving -- the causes of suffering -- are no more. Christians
teach that everyone has only a single life on earth. After death, an eternal life
awaits everyone: either in Heaven or Hell. There is no suffering in Heaven; only
joy. Originally, Buddhism did not teach of the existence of transcendent, or any
type of God or Goddesses. However, many Buddhists -- particularly in Japan -do believe in a heirarchy of deities.
Themes of morality, justice, love: These themes are found through both
the Buddha's teaching and the Hebrew and Christian Bible. Some traditions
within Buddhism believe in the power of prayer; others do not. Some Buddhists
believe in Miroku, the "future Buddha." They expect him to be reincarnated and
spread Buddhism further. As Christians we believe Christ will come again “to
judge the living and the dead”.