Published by By definition monotheism is the belief in, and worship of, one god only. Polytheism is, by definition, the belief in, and worship of, many gods and/or goddesses. Both polytheistic and monotheistic religions have existed for thousands of years. At this time, there is no way of knowing which came first. However, this is the subject of frequent debate. There is, and always will be, many events in history that modern man is unaware of. Therefore, this matter will probably never be decided on. Even if we label the oldest known religion on Earth as the certain victor, there will always be a difference between oldest known and oldest.
In ancient and modern times groups of people have practiced both monotheistic and polytheistic religions. Not all religions can be labeled as either monotheistic or polytheistic. However, these two beliefs are the most fundamentally different of all beliefs. This does not include atheism, which is, in essence, radically different from both of these beliefs.
The following are examples of popular monotheistic and polytheistic faiths.
Monotheistic Religions
Christianity
Image via Wikipedia
Christianity and all of its denominations are monotheistic religions. Though followers of these religions may worship Jesus Christ or Mary, they believe in only one god. Followers of Christianity believe that God created everything and that his son, Jesus, died for our sins. Catholicism was the first of the Christian religions, but there are currently many Christian denominations.
Judaism
Image via Wikipedia
Judaism predates Christianity; it was founded in Mesopotamia. Judaism is similar to Christianity in that theirs is a monotheistic faith and they believe in the same god. For the most part, the similarity ends there. Jews do not believe that Jesus Christ died for our sins. In fact, Jews believe that God hates human sacrifice. Adherents to Judaism also do not believe in original sin; they believe that we are all born without sin. Unlike many other religions, you cannot simply “believe” in Judaism to become Jewish. You must either be born Jewish or go through the complicated task of converting to Judaism to become a Jew. Jews are also interesting in that their label denotes both a religion and a nationality.
Islam
Image via Wikipedia
Islam is currently the largest practicing religion in the world. Muslims are the followers of Islam and are strictly monotheistic. Their god is, what they believe to be, the one true god. The god of Islam is called Allah.
Other popular monotheistic faiths include Sikhism and Rastafari.
Polytheistic Religions
Buddhism
Author Tevaprapas Makklay
Buddhism is around 2,500 years old and has its roots in India. Most Buddhists are polytheistic, while others practice their religion exclusively though meditation. At the heart of Buddhist beliefs is the belief in reincarnation, or rebirth. Buddhism has the fourth largest number of adherents of any religion on Earth.
Wicca
Author Nyo.
Wicca is a polytheistic or sometimes pantheistic religion. The workings and worship of nature are at the heart of Wicca. Wiccans practice their religion by performing spells and rituals, each of which has its own specific purpose. Some Wiccans adhere to the belief that there is the God and the Goddess, while others believe that there are many goddesses and gods. Wiccan belief places a strong emphasis on the free will of all men and women.
Other widely-known polytheistic beliefs include the religions of the ancient Egyptians, Sumerians, Greeks, Romans and Aztecs.
Aside from the obvious differences between monotheism and polytheism, there tend to be other fundamental differences between these two beliefs. Moral standards, perception of the afterlife (if any), and the means of worshiping their god or gods are just of few other areas in which monotheistic religions and polytheistic religions differ. Sometimes these beliefs have quite marked differences, and some of their adherents can be forceful and vocal about their beliefs.
For example, certain monotheistic faiths believe that homosexuals have earned themselves a ticket to hell. Wiccans, on the other hand believe (correctly) that the act of even concerning yourself with someone else’s choice of a partner goes against their free will, and that goes against Wiccan principle.
Another example would be that many monotheistic religions believe that reincarnation cannot happen because it is not God’s will. On the other hand, many polytheistic religions believe that reincarnation is inevitable. In fact, Buddhists believe their actions in this life, up until the very moment of death, will affect the manner of their reincarnation.
All in all, there are simply too many differences between these two beliefs to have an exhaustive list here. The question of who is right and who is wrong has no place in this article. There are enough people fighting about this all over the world, some even have the same fundamental belief systems. We will not argue with them today.
Special thanks to Angelique, no matter how far away you go, my heart follows you.
Sources
Personal Knowledge
Christianity, retrieved 6/28/09, religionfacts.com/christianity
Judaism, retrieved 6/28/09, religionfacts.com/judaismretrieved 6/28/09, religionfacts.com/buddhism
Buddhism,
People just need to love one another and be an example of their faith. True faith is all about just simply being a good example of what your faith means to you and hoping someone will take notice. Like it!
Very interesting article!
Thank you both, and I agree with you Mrs. Heart. Hate and racism should never have a place in religion. Every person should be allowed to think, feel and do whatever they want, so long as it doesn’t encroach on another person’s well-being. I hope I was able to present this in a way that won’t offend anyone. That was my goal.
I am a theologian in the making, so i am going to read this several times.
“Catholicism was the first of the Christian religions, but there are currently many Christian denominations.”
That is debatable. I would say the first Christians were before Catholicism, Orthodoxy and Protestants. In fact, the first “heretic” Christian group (the Gnostics) were even before Catholicism.
But, Good article. saving it to me SU
I love this piece.
In light of recent forum threads, this is a particularly useful guide. While I tend to agree with Dean regarding the chronology of the early Christian sects, I liked the information provided here, and especially appreciated the use of citations – something all too rare in works here. Nice work, Shelly.