8. monotheism
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Monotheism is defined by Merriam-Webster as "the belief that there is only one God." Nowadays, monotheistic religions are the most common type of faith: Christians and Muslims make up over half of the global population. The first reported instance of organized monotheistic religion was sometime around 1365 B.C. in Egypt, when the pharaoh Amenhotep supported and attempted to spread belief in Aten, the sun god. The Hebrews, known as the ancestors of Judeo/Christian worship, originally referred to their god as Elohim rather than Yahweh, and the Bible tells of Hebrew practices that could be interpreted as polytheistic worship. Eventually, Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt, and the book Exodus names him as the first man to hear the name of G-d, Yahweh. However, early believers in Yahweh were not actually monotheistic. Archaeologists have found tombstones that ask for the blessing of Asherah, an early Canaanite godess, as well as Yahweh, meaning that Yahweh had a wife. Monotheistic religions at the time rivaled each other, and as Israelite people turned away from Yahweh to the Phoenician god Baal, prophets warned of punishment, which came in the form of a deadly invasion by the Assyrians. After the peoples' desertion of Yahweh and the strife that followed, Josiah campaigned against other religions, banning idols and religious practice. A new group of Biblical writers confirmed the covenant between Yahweh and the people and established a morality side to their belief. However, their efforts were futile, and Israelites continued worship of other gods. The reign of Davidic kings that supported Yahweh ended with the destruction of Jerusalem and the sacred temple that served as Yahweh's home. The potential revival spurred on by Josiah was erased, and without a strong religion, the Israelites risked extinction. However, neither Yahweh nor the culture of Israel could die, and new versions of the Bible continued to be made. During their hardship after the fall of Jerusalem, the Israelites came together and formed one of the most recognizable religions of today: Judaism. The Jews, grandfathers of modern monotheistic religion, began practicing circumcision to separate themselves from other cultures. For the Jews, returning to Israel, the Promised Land and former residence of Yahweh, was the top priority. The Jews returned after many years of exile, and Judaism is still one of the most influential religions today. Christianity, the most dominant religion, has the same values of morality in a religion and the belief in one God. The influence of early monotheism, belief in Yahweh, is still felt today by the impacts of not only the Jews, who came directly out of early Hebrew cultures, but of the Christians and Muslims as well. This is because Judaism was essentially the parent of Christianity, as Christian faith revolves around th relationship between G-d and his people in Israel during the time of the Davidic kings, as well as the teachings of Jesus, the son of G-d. Islam also has ties to early Judaism, as Muhammad is said by the Quran to have been sent by Allah to restore the monotheistic religion of major religious figures like Abraham, Jesus, and Moses. The impact of monotheism grew every time a polytheistic culture collapsed, and as belief in the one god Yahweh swept through the land, the legacy of monotheism thrived, and the great monotheistic religions of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism became the dominant forces of the modern world.
By Jack Curtin
Sources:
"The Bible's Buried Secrets" Video
Online Origins Manual pg. 114
Quran 33:40
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/monotheism
http://www.allabouthistory.org/when-did-monotheism-start-faq.htm
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