Section A: 3.1 The emergence of monotheism



Monotheism occupies a peculiar place in the global faith landscape. Among the endless variety of religious devotions and practices found throughout the world, only three are monotheistic: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. However, these three religions account for roughly 55% of the world’s population, and therefore the concept of devotion to a single divine figure looms large in the popular imagination. 


Prior to the emergence of monotheism, polytheism was the norm. Most ancient societies believed in spiritual beings, greater than humankind, who controlled the elements. Sometimes these conceptions of God were heavily personified as in Ancient Egypt and Babylonia, but they were often abstract concepts that resisted the temptation to personify divinity.



Past Exam Question


Profile one example of how a monotheistic understanding of God developed in a context where polytheism was widespread.



Monotheism emerged in the ancient near-East, over 4,000 years ago. He has its origins in the story of Abraham recorded in the Hebrew Scriptures. This is a founding story in all three monotheistic faiths. Abraham received a message from God, calling him to service. God (known as Yahweh in Hebrew) offers Abraham’s descendants protection and guidance in exchange for their obedience and loyalty. Abraham accepts and the covenant is formed – it is a solemn and binding agreement that signals a commitment to one God, and the abnegation of polytheism.


The descendants of Abraham become known as the Jewish race – God’s ‘chosen people’. Part of their covenant with God is the concept of a ‘promised land’ which is often literally interpreted as a geographical area where they can live free of persecution. Under Abraham’s leadership they begin looking for this place, and the covenant with God is renewed by his descendants, e.g. Isaac, Jacob, etc. Over the centuries the Jewish people become displaced and become salves in Egypt. It’s in this context that another key figure – or ‘founding father’ – of Judaism emerges: Moses. 


Moses leads the Jews out of Egypt and they spend time wandering in the wilderness. They shift to monotheism has not been a smooth transition and the remnants of polytheism (practices such as idolatry, etc.) are commonplace. In a renewal of the covenant God gives Moses the Ten Commandments, which help clarify the conditions of the initial agreement and re-emphasize obedience and loyalty to one God: this is evident in the four God-centred rules, followed by six social rules that direct suggest our relationship with the divine is reflected in our treatment of others. 


In terms of impact this moment has a transformative effect on the experience of faith for people in the western world and in the near-East. The emergence of monotheism changes the human perception of divinity from abstract to more concrete. The process of divine revelation that takes place here and continues in the monotheistic faiths makes God a more comprehensible entity, which clearly communicates intention and purpose – and provides a clear blueprint for human action. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Section A: 4.2 Secular sources of communal values

Image
In the medieval world communal values were shaped, almost exclusively, by institutional religion. In the case of mainland Europe Christianity cast a particularly long shadow – dictating cultural and behaviour norms, as well as codes of ethics and moral theories.  The Enlightenment heralded the emergence of a secular worldview – and in doing so, severed links between values and religious belief. Beginning in the 16th century we can identify a number of cultural changes that led to the development of non-religious communal values. Past Exam Question The development of non-religious communal values can be traced back to moments such as the rise of humanism, existentialism etc. Profile how any two such moments contributed to the development of non-religious communal values Renaissance The Renaissance is a time of innovation in the arts and human sciences. It represented a 'rebirth’ after the long slumber of the dark ages. The scientific discoveries of Co...
Read more

Section A: 2.2 Early religious behaviour

Image
Religious behaviour is founded upon belief in a power greater than ourselves and manifests itself in codes of moral conduct and rituals that offer praise or worship to this higher power. Archaeological studies of ancient civilisations have uncovered behaviours and practices which can be considered religious in nature. Examples of burial rites, sacrifices and rituals that mark times of transition point to a sense of spirituality in pre-historic societies. Past Exam Question Since ancient times people have used rites to mark key events in life - rite of burial, rite of sacrifice, rite of passage : Explain how evidence of religious belief can be seen in one of the above rites associated with people who lived in ancient times. Through archaeology and historical research we find much that suggest religious behaviour on the part of ancient people. ‘Religious’ means they attached meaning to key moments in their lives, both as individuals and as a community. Events marked thr...
Read more

Section C: 1.2 Influence of primal religions

The term primal religion refers to the practices of pre-historic, pre-literate groups, whose rituals and beliefs have been preserved through an oral tradition. These groups are disparate and can be identified in several different parts of the world, including; the Yoruba tribe in west Africa, the Maya in central America, the New Zealand Maori and the Australian aborigines. Though there was no connection between these groups there are striking similarities in their major beliefs and the expression of their religious faith. Primal religion was practiced by agricultural societies, who lived close to nature and sensed its power. They believed in a spiritual world of beings stronger than mankind. These groups shared similar traits, namely; recognition of the all-encompassing power of religion, with no boundaries between sacred and secular, the use of oral rather than written sources, rituals depicting myths or narratives centred on the human-divine relationship. The main chara...
Read more