There are hundreds of religious groups in the world today. With so much variation in beliefs and customs, some common questions are: Where and when did religion originate? Why did it come about? And how did it evolve into what it is today? Just as all humans share a common ancestor in Africa, all religions can likely be traced back to some shared origin. It has its roots in Western Asia and the Mediterranean, and at its initial foundation is categorized into the following groups: polytheism, pantheism, and monotheism.
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, Polytheism is “the doctrine or belief that there is more than one god; worship of several gods. These gods consisted of both human and animal forms and feelings. Polytheistic religions include: Hinduism, Mahayana Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, and Shintoism, which are practiced in the East. In Africa and the Americas, contemporary tribal religions fall into this category as well. These forms of worship were particularly true in both Greece and Rome. It was in Egypt where gods took on the shape of objects found in nature. The worship of multiple gods came about after the worship of a single spirit, demon, or animal. Animism, ancestor worship, and totemism (The system of tribal division according to totems) were the beliefs that followed. In Polytheism, these numerous gods are worshiped together as their belief system. In today’s modern world, polytheism represents a large body of our religious population. With the exception of Monotheistic religions (Christianity, Judaism, and Islam), religions across the world are primarily polytheistic. These sets of Polytheistic religions remain popular across the world and are continually practiced in their areas.
Another aspect of religion in ancient cultures is the idea of Pantheism. This is the belief that “all is God”. This means that “God is everything and everything is God”. The main focus is spirituality and ethics while placing strong emphasis on nature. This religion holds a high value in respecting and being in peace with nature. They understand and learn from the relationship that they have among one another as well as with their natural surroundings. The religion of Pantheism sees them selves to be equal to animals. In the belief of Pantheism there are three categories that are very important. The first one is Naturalistic Pantheism. This is the idea that there is a physical substance known as energy. If the word “God” was ever used it referred to nature and or the universe. The second category is from a Pantheism Idealist. They believe that there is only one substance and it has to do with mental and spiritual states. Their reality is in the single consciousness. The third category is Dualist Pantheism. They hold two types of substances that are physical and spiritual. This category is the most diverse due to the ideas of reincarnation, paranormal connections, and cosmic consciousness. Some of these ancient cultures include the beliefs of Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, and African and Indian cultures.
The third and final category of religion is the belief in one God, known as Monotheism. This view of religion is the base of many of the Abrahamic religions. Monotheism is the most common form of religion in the world today. Many historians believe this belief developed through Judaism as God began shows himself to the world through the nation of Israel and their scriptures. However, the origin of Monotheism is often broken up into three categories, Islam, Christianity, and Judaism, and each religion is separated by different interpretations of a holy text. Through these texts they are given a moral code in which to guide human behavior. The followers of Monotheism place their hope for liberation in the power God of the universe. This religious belief has evolved throughout the years as followers have tried to understand God as well as interpret the holy texts.
Over the course of history, religion has diversified nearly as much as the human population. It is one of the most ancient aspects of our culture. All of this variation can be attributed to the evolution of human beings over time, moving across continents and adapting to the conditions of their distinct environments, and attempting to explain the universe that they inhabit.
Polytheism-Multiplicity
No comments:
Post a Comment