Criticism of monotheism
Encyclopedia
Philosophical criticisms of monotheism
have emerged mainly since the Enlightenment
.
has argued that monotheism is less pluralistic and thus less tolerant than polytheism
because the former stipulates that people pigeonhole their beliefs into one. In the same vein, Auguste Comte
argues, "Monotheism is irreconcilable with the existence in
our nature of the instincts of benevolence" because it compels followers to devote themselves to a single Creator.
of violence
in its early days as it inspired the Israelites to wage war upon the Canaanites who believed in multiple gods.
has stated that in recent history William James
popularized the idea that the belief in one god causes people not be behave improperly. Furthermore, Russell expostulates through examples that whether "politicians and educators ought to try to make people think there is one [god]" is "a political one" since one cannot prove the moralistic argument of William James.
Monotheism
Monotheism is the belief in the existence of one and only one god. Monotheism is characteristic of the Baha'i Faith, Christianity, Druzism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Samaritanism, Sikhism and Zoroastrianism.While they profess the existence of only one deity, monotheistic religions may still...
have emerged mainly since the Enlightenment
Age of Enlightenment
The Age of Enlightenment was an elite cultural movement of intellectuals in 18th century Europe that sought to mobilize the power of reason in order to reform society and advance knowledge. It promoted intellectual interchange and opposed intolerance and abuses in church and state...
.
Contradictions
Through the means of defining, it is traditionally agreed among the major monotheistic religions that the one God is, inter alia, omnipotent, omniscient, and omni-benevolent. However, one scholar argues that "this definition of God [is] contradictory to what has been perceived by us in the empirical world."Forcing one belief and rejections of other gods
David HumeDavid Hume
David Hume was a Scottish philosopher, historian, economist, and essayist, known especially for his philosophical empiricism and skepticism. He was one of the most important figures in the history of Western philosophy and the Scottish Enlightenment...
has argued that monotheism is less pluralistic and thus less tolerant than polytheism
Polytheism
Polytheism is the belief of multiple deities also usually assembled into a pantheon of gods and goddesses, along with their own mythologies and rituals....
because the former stipulates that people pigeonhole their beliefs into one. In the same vein, Auguste Comte
Auguste Comte
Isidore Auguste Marie François Xavier Comte , better known as Auguste Comte , was a French philosopher, a founder of the discipline of sociology and of the doctrine of positivism...
argues, "Monotheism is irreconcilable with the existence in
our nature of the instincts of benevolence" because it compels followers to devote themselves to a single Creator.
Violence in monotheism
In the ancient times, monotheism is blamed as the instigatorCasus belli
is a Latin expression meaning the justification for acts of war. means "incident", "rupture" or indeed "case", while means bellic...
of violence
Violence
Violence is the use of physical force to apply a state to others contrary to their wishes. violence, while often a stand-alone issue, is often the culmination of other kinds of conflict, e.g...
in its early days as it inspired the Israelites to wage war upon the Canaanites who believed in multiple gods.
Success of monotheistic religions
Bertrand RussellBertrand Russell
Bertrand Arthur William Russell, 3rd Earl Russell, OM, FRS was a British philosopher, logician, mathematician, historian, and social critic. At various points in his life he considered himself a liberal, a socialist, and a pacifist, but he also admitted that he had never been any of these things...
has stated that in recent history William James
William James
William James was a pioneering American psychologist and philosopher who was trained as a physician. He wrote influential books on the young science of psychology, educational psychology, psychology of religious experience and mysticism, and on the philosophy of pragmatism...
popularized the idea that the belief in one god causes people not be behave improperly. Furthermore, Russell expostulates through examples that whether "politicians and educators ought to try to make people think there is one [god]" is "a political one" since one cannot prove the moralistic argument of William James.
See also
- Criticism of ChristianityCriticism of ChristianityThroughout the history of Christianity, many have criticized Christianity, the church, and Christians themselves. Some criticism specifically addresses Christian beliefs, teachings and interpretation of scripture...
- Criticism of IslamCriticism of IslamCriticism of Islam has existed since Islam's formative stages. Early written criticism came from Christians, prior to the ninth century, many of whom viewed Islam as a radical Christian heresy...
- Criticism of JudaismCriticism of JudaismCriticism of Judaism has existed since Judaism's formative stages, as with many other religions.-Heretical views within Judaism:In many religions ex-members and excommunicates became known for doctrinal disputes with their former faith. In Judaism a process similar to excommunication is called cherem...
- PaganismPaganismPaganism is a blanket term, typically used to refer to non-Abrahamic, indigenous polytheistic religious traditions....