Fundamental Differences Between Monotheism and Polytheism

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

1. Christianity

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.

2. Judaism

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.

3. Islam

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

1. Buddhism

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.

2. Wicca

Wicca is a polytheistic or sometimes pantheistic religion. The workings and worship of nature are at the heart of Wicca. Wiccan’s 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 the 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.

Sources

Personal Knowledge

Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, retrieved 6/28/09, religionfacts.com/buddhism retrieved 6/28/09, religionfacts.com/judaism