Why is monotheism 'best'?

[1137]

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?

Well it comes down to logic, if something is more basic and works just as well then that is more likely and logical. If one God is capable of everything, multiple Gods are unnecessary. Though, many polytheistic beliefs split up things between Gods, making them Gods of something. However, one God is more basic.


Sadly, using this argument, no god is even more basic and everything can still be explained (sometimes better) without one.

 

[The Sum of Awe]

I don't at all understand how 1+1+1=1.

1 cup of sugar + 1 package of kool-aid sugar + 1 liter of water = koolaid.

1 blanket + 1 mattress + 1 pillow = bed.

1 cup of root beer + 1 scoop of ice cream + 1 more scoop of ice cream = root beer float.



You now understand the Trinity.

 

[Copernicus]

I don't think that monotheism is inherently superior to polytheism. Both rely on faith in spiritual beings for which there is not a shred of credible evidence. However, one could look at the growth of monotheism as a natural progression from tribalism, where different sets of gods were associated with different tribes and nations. Gods took sides in wars, and the winners were those who had the more powerful gods. With the growth of empires, a lot of different religions got mixed in together. Monotheism worked better as a means of unifying an ethnically diverse empire, as Constantine and subsequent Roman emperors found. Monotheism is a one-size-fits-all form of religion.

Alternatively, one could have a polytheistic religion that assumes an underlying unity (monism) and incorporates other religious beliefs within it. It's just that all of those gods make for a very complex mixture. Monotheism simplifies religious faith and makes it easier for believers to maintain their dogma in the face of competing religious beliefs.

 

[idav]

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.

Jesus was a monotheist and somehow his followers strayed worshipping Jesus as God the Son. The water metaphor isn't bad but Jesus never claimed to be God the son. Incarnations can still be monotheistic and it is understood that the avatar is a god manifistation on earth and doesn't make God a plurality. The trinity paints god as a plurality making it more polytheistic.

 

[Nakosis]

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?

It provides for easier control over the masses.

 

[Jainarayan]

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

Sri Hanuman became a cat to infiltrate Ravana's fortress. :yes: He did.

 

[F0uad]

I think a monotheistic god is more logical since they have a definition of god who is all powerful, all knowing etc.. etc..

If there are two gods they one cannot be all-powerful one has to be supreme therefore the lesser god is not a real god but a weak divined being. What if one god disagrees with the other... It makes no sense in my humble opinion.

 

[Bob Dixon]

Jesus was a monotheist and somehow his followers strayed worshipping Jesus as God the Son. The water metaphor isn't bad but Jesus never claimed to be God the son. Incarnations can still be monotheistic and it is understood that the avatar is a god manifistation on earth and doesn't make God a plurality. The trinity paints god as a plurality making it more polytheistic.

But you're completely right. The followers (or, rather, the people much later, after the Temple's destruction) did stray. The Trinity is an attempt to reconcile Jesus' Godhead with monotheism. The reason it doesn't work is because Jesus never claimed to be the Incarnate God, Second Person of the Trinity, begotten, not created, etc.

He made to claims: that he was the Messiah, and that he was a "Son of God". That's it.

 

[F0uad]

But you're completely right. The followers (or, rather, the people much later, after the Temple's destruction) did stray. The Trinity is an attempt to reconcile Jesus' Godhead with monotheism. The reason it doesn't work is because Jesus never claimed to be the Incarnate God, Second Person of the Trinity, begotten, not created, etc.

He made to claims: that he was the Messiah, and that he was a "Son of God". That's it.

He also said that all the people are sons of god he even told the Pharisees that they are the sons of gods, everyone is the son or daughter of god in the sense that he created us all.

 

[The Sum of Awe]

I think a monotheistic god is more logical since they have a definition of god who is all powerful, all knowing etc.. etc..

If there are two gods they one cannot be all-powerful one has to be supreme therefore the lesser god is not a real god but a weak divined being. What if one god disagrees with the other... It makes no sense in my humble opinion.

But what if both of them are all powerful


Why can only one God be supreme if only one is all powerful

 

[Jacksnyte]

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?

Because it so often requires blind faith, and blind faith appeals to those who prefer not to think for themselves (as in the vast majority of people).

 

[F0uad]

But what if both of them are all powerful


Why can only one God be supreme if only one is all powerful

Because you cannot simply have two persons being all-powerful because being all-powerful means the most powerful.. ''the strongest''
its like saying there are two the strongest it makes no sense.

 

[Satyamavejayanti]

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 don't think monotheism is better, its just another POV.

I don't think the Abraham religions are Monotheistic anyway.

True Monotheism i think is the belief of only God, and not Angels, Devil, Jins, Demons, Prophets, heaven, hell ect ect.

To me these extra things defeated the purpose of believing in one supernatural entity. The result is not Monotheism if belief is in more then one supernatural entity.

 

[The Sum of Awe]

Because you cannot simply have two persons being all-powerful because being all-powerful means the most powerful.. ''the strongest''

No it doesn't, it derives from two words (Omni) All (potence) Power.

Just because you have all of the powers, means you're the strongest. There couldn't be anything stronger, but there could be someone equally omnipotent. This isn't to be confused with the Hunger Games.

 

[Gjallarhorn]

Monotheism isn't the best. It's simply the easiest. Common folk don't like having too many options, ya know?

 

[Bob Dixon]

He also said that all the people are sons of god he even told the Pharisees that they are the sons of gods, everyone is the son or daughter of god in the sense that he created us all.

Precisely. He told them this so that they could realise what they are: Sons of God.

But this isn't for this thread!

 

[F0uad]

No it doesn't, it derives from two words (Omni) All (potence) Power.

Just because you have all of the powers, means you're the strongest. There couldn't be anything stronger, but there could be someone equally omnipotent. This isn't to be confused with the Hunger Games.

Huh... you make no sense?

If a person is the ''most'' powerful how can he be a other being equal to him since the first one is the ''most'' and how would this work if your god is the creator of all things..

 

[The Sum of Awe]

Huh... you make no sense?

If a person is the ''most'' powerful how can he be a other being equal to him since the first one is the ''most'' and how would this work if your god is the creator of all things..

It doesn't mean most powerful, as I said, it just means having unlimited ability, limitless power. There can be two people with unlimited ability, and even more than two.

Why can't there be two or three creators?

 

[F0uad]

It doesn't mean most powerful, as I said, it just means having unlimited ability, limitless power. There can be two people with unlimited ability, and even more than two.

Why can't there be two or three creators?

I meant if we call him the ''most'' merciful and the ''most'' powerful not in the sense of having unlimited power.

I said if the creator is the creator of all things that by definition means that he also created the other god then who created who and who is real god Or when the universe is created which God created it if you say A or B then one of them who didn't create it is not the creator of all things.

As you can see more and more questions can come up with this argument of having more then One God.

 

[The Sum of Awe]

I meant if we call him the ''most'' merciful and the ''most'' powerful not in the sense of having unlimited power.

Okay, but what if there is no most powerful? What if the most powerful organism is equally as powerful as another existing organism? They then are the two most powerful organisms, but neither is more powerful than another.

I said if the creator is the creator of all things that by definition means that he also created the other god then who created who and who is real god Or when the universe is created which God created it if you say A or B then one of them who didn't create it is not the creator of all things.

I understood that, but why can't there be two creators of all things, the two had always existed, as that one creator of all things would have always existed.

As you can see more and more questions can come up with this argument of having more then One God.

Indeed, it's quite frightening.