The Origin Of Monotheism

Monotheism is defined by Merriam-Webster as the doctrine or belief that there is only one God. Belief in only one supreme God differentiates monotheism from other known belief systems including polytheism, which is the belief in many gods, agnosticism, or the view that an existence of God or gods is unknown and unknowable, and atheism, which is the absence of belief in any God or gods. The Greek mono translates to “single, or alone,” and the Greek theos means literally “a god.” Monotheism is generally thought to be characteristic of the Abrahamic religions of Christianity, Judaism and Islam. There are, however, many other lesser-known monotheistic religions throughout the world including Druzism, Smaritanism, Baha’i, Zoroastrianism and

While many do believe monotheism evolved from polytheism, there are some polytheistic religions with monotheistic overtones (History Stack Exchange 732). Given their interrelatedness, it would be an oversimplification to state that the number of gods each religion has is what differentiates one belief system from another. More accurately, while most polytheistic religions have differing accounts of how time and the universe began and was created, monotheistic religions believe that one supreme God, who is unique above all else, is the sole creator of all things, beings, the universe, the cosmos, literally everything in

Because of explosive population growth, Pew Research suggests that Muslims, the followers of Islam, will outnumber Christians by the year 2060, with Islam displacing Christianity as the largest monotheistic religion in the world. Islam translated means “submission.” Muslims live their lives in submission to the will of their god, Allah, who is the same God of the Christian and Jewish faiths. The religious doctrine of Islam includes their holy book, the Quran, as well as the five pillars of Islam listed as faith, prayer, almsgiving, pilgrimage and fasting. Muslim faith dictates Muslims follow these pillars in daily life in order to achieve their eternal reward in paradise, or heaven