AboutJohn of AllFaith Expertise To varying degrees I have worked and studied with many different groups including:
The Noahides, Gaudiya Vaisnavism, Swami Muktinanda's Sidha Yoga Foundation, the Yoga Society (of Sri Ramamurti Mishra), Sikhism, various Pagan and neo-Pagan groups, Sunni Islam (Wahabi), Taoism, various Buddhist sects (including the Dharmad Hatu of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche), various diverse Hindu sects, numerous Christian denominations and movements, and have been involved with numerous other groups and movements too numerous to mention. I refer to my personal beliefs as AllFaith.
See my questions and answers at allfaith.com/questions
A Statement to Students about Plagiarism any why I answer questions:
Plagiarism is a crime.
Plagiarism can end careers, lead to expulsion from school, the loss of financial aid, and can even result in fines and imprisonment in some cases. Its not worth it!
Despite this a small percentage of those who ask questions at AllExperts, Yahoo Answers etc. copy and paste our answers as their own, often without giving credit. This is plagiarism. Its not worth it!
We all know that one can google a homework question and in many cases find an easy response, but so can your teachers! Many teachers are aware that some students do this and catch their cheating students.
To read more about this go to the following link. Its a conversation between one such teacher from a respectable institution of learning and me: where she writes: ...I have had over 20 students copy your work in the past 3 months...
Understand that if you plagiarize you are cheating your instructors, your answerer, your fellow students, everyone who respects you... and ultimately yourself. Its just not worth it!
Please use our answers to help in your research, not to replace it.
Learn, don't cheat.
Experience Experience: A lifetime spent Reaching for the One.
I hold an MA in Religious Studies from JFKU. I hold three Christian ordinations. I hold a counseling ordination from the Interfaith Seminaries of Santa Cruz. I am an initiated Vaishnava bramana (Gopinath Gaudiya matha and ISKCON), have practical experience with many other branches Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Paganism, Wicca (Welsh Traditionalist mainly), Judaism and other traditions. I own and manage AllFaith.com
Question Monotheism / Polytheism, which came first?
Answer Hi Maylinda,
If you are asking this question as part of a school assignment the answer your teacher is probably looking for is that polytheism came first. It is generally believed among Western educators that Abraham was the first monotheist. He lived circa 2000-1800 B.C.E. Prior to this time most people worshiped many different gods (often called asuras in the Middle East and suras in India). Father Abraham is believed to have revolutionized religious thought by declaring there is but one true God.
This is the short answer. Not sure how much info you want on this. Keep reading if you want more.
According to the Torah (the first five books of the "Old Testament") Adam was the first human and the first monotheist. By the time Abraham was around everyone on earth -- presumably except Abraham -- had embraced polytheism and forgotten the one true God.
Abraham's (Abram) father Terach made idols for a living. One day when his father was out young Abram smashed all the idols in his shop, except the biggest one. He placed a hammer in this ones hand. When his father returned he was furious! "Who did this!"
Abram replied, "He did!" pointing at the remaining idol.
"He's just an idol! How could he do this!" Terach charged.
Abram smiled, "And yet you worship him as a god when you don't even believe he can smash little clay images?"
With this, most Westerners believe, monotheism was born with the worship of El/Elohym/HaShem/Allah: the God of Abraham, Isaac/Ismael (Judaism, Christianity and Islam).
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Some however argue that Zarathustra (Zoroaster) was the first monotheist with his devotion to Ahura Mazda but this is debated and in my opinion debatable. His claimed dates vary from as early 6000 B.C.E. to as recent as 100 B.C.E. We simply don't know, probably somewhere in the middle is most likely. My guess is that he was a contemporary of the Hebrew prophet Daniel (but that's just conjecture on my part).
Nonetheless the worship of Ahura Mazda does lead us to my answer to your question, which came first polytheism or monotheism.
Zoroastrianism is actually named Mazdayasna: "the Worship of Mazda."
Who/what is Mazda?
Ahura Mazda was, in my opinion, an Iranian (Persian) version or development of the much older Vedic belief system. Ahura Mazda being:
Ahura: asura: sura: demi-god (in India the asuras (anti-gods) fought the suras (gods, aka devas) during certain battles but both groups are "sura" gods (or demigods). The asuras are not so much "demons" in Vedic thought as they are defeated or displaced gods.
Mazda: widsom/intelligence coming from the older Sanskrit word "medha" meaning "intelligence" or "wisdom."
Hence although Ahura Mazda is generally viewed as a monotheistic "One God," and indeed today is viewed as such by the remaining Zoroastrians, many scholars believe his origins are likely Vedic. If Vedic, then Ahura Mazda is reckoned with the Vedic sura (god) Varuna (compare Rigveda 8.6.10) who grants his holy mazda or medha to his devotees.
Now, I'm not trying to confuse you here, bear with me a bit longer...
The Vedic understanding is essentially monotheistic -- not polytheistic as is generally believed. Among the earliest and most established views of the Sanatana Dharma (the Vedic religion that became known as Hinduism) is the following affirmation:
Ekam Sat: Vipra Bahudha Vadante:
"Truth is one; sages call it by various names."
In other words, there is but One God (Ekonkar): Ek Devata.
However Ekonkar is beyond all description! Even to translate this word as "God is One" is not completely accurate because the One God is utterly transcendent to all comprehension.
The word "Ek" means numerically "One." The word "Onkar" however does not literally mean "God" as generally conceived. It is derived from the Sanskrit bija or root "Om" (Omkara), which of course is the fundamental Sound Vibration from which all else arises. In the same way, we can understand that Onkar, which is grammatically related, as the Primal Sound (ie the Omkara). It is therefore referred to as "Oankar Sabad Dhun." This Omkara (as Pranava) is the "first breath of God" and hence is likened to and one with the One God (Ek Devata). Therefore Omkara is actually another name for the One God rather than a generic description: God is One!
Since Ek (the One) is so utterly beyond comprehension, "fragments" of the One Truth are revealed at various times in various ways humans can comprehend. These are the davas, the avatars, the suras and asuras ... the gods and divine manifestations conceived of in countless ways. Therefore Asura Mazda/Varuna is the god of wisdom, Vivasvan is the god of the sun and so on and yet ultimately Ekonkar: God is One.
To those who do not understand the nature of these teachings it APPEARS to be polytheism however it is actually monotheism so sublime that it acknowledges the utter transcendence of the Ek Devata: The One God. Who can claim to fully comprehend the vastness of God? God is ALWAYS more.
This is explained in the Sanatana Dharma Scriptures in various ways, including the following as we read in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 3.9.1:
"Then Vidaghdha, son of Shakala, asked him, "How many gods are there, Yajnavalkya?" Yajnavalkya, ascertaining the number through a group of mantras known as the Nivid, replied, "As many as are mentioned in the Nivid of the gods: three hundred and three, and three thousand and three."
"Very good," said the son of Shakala, "and how many gods are there, Yajnavalkya?"
"Thirty-three."
"Very good, and how many gods are there, Yajnavalkya?"
"Six."
"Very good, and how many gods are there, Yajnavalkya?"
"Three."
"Very good, and how many gods are there, Yajnavalkya?"
"Two."
"Very good, and how many gods are there, Yajnavalkya?"
"One and a half."
"Very good, and how many gods are there, Yajnavalkya?"
"Ek [one]."
So in reality, in my opinion, monotheism is the oldest and original belief system. From time to time this understanding has been lost or forgotten. The Indians explain how this monotheistic wisdom is periodically restored in the Bhagavad Gita as follows:
Bhagavad Gita 4:1: The Blessed One said: I instructed this immutable yoga system to the sun god Vivasvan. He taught it to Manu and Manu taught it to Iksvaku.
4:2: Thus through disciplic succession the royal sages understood this knowledge, but with the passing of time this great yoga system was lost to this world, O chastiser of enemies.
4:3: Today this ancient yoga system is declared by Me unto you. Because you are My devotee and friend I will fully reveal this foremost of all mysteries. Source: My translation and bhasya: http://www.srijagannatha.com/gita/bhasya4.html
This restoration is said to have occurred circa 5561 B.C.E.
At the time of Abram (circa 2000-1800 B.C.E. ) the One God used him to restore it again, and not only to his people (the Jews) but to much of the world.
