# Why are the dominant world religions monotheistic? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [November 30, 2011, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-dominant-world-religions-monotheistic/604546 "2011-11-30T08:48:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2011, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-dominant-world-religions-monotheistic/604546/41 "2011-11-30T22:27:27Z")
Another thing to consider is that if you want your gods to be omnipotent (rather than just a group of beings much more powerful than you), you find yourself logically requiring monotheism. Otherwise what happens if one god chooses one thing and another god chooses something else. They can’t both get their wish. I suspect that the desire for an omnipotent god is why some polytheistic religions start talking about aspects of a single god. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2011, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-dominant-world-religions-monotheistic/604546/42 "2011-11-30T23:07:14Z")
> [@Alka\_Seltzer](#): > > I suspect that historical circumstances were the most important cause, but I also think there is something about these religions that tends to make them more relevant to people over centuries than, say, the Greek pantheon. That may be true, but as far as I’ve read the Greek natural philosophers appealed to their gods about as much as scientists appeal to our gods today - which is not very much at all. Greek science might have been held back by a lack of interest in experimentation, but not by religious orthodoxy. Certainly Christian science didn’t go very far before the rediscovery of the Greek texts, and seemed to take Aristotle as holy writ. If you read scientific writings from the 15th and 16th centuries, you’ll see how much God is given credit for everything. This starts diminishing as time goes on, and is pretty much gone by the 18th century, even in writings by clerics. ---
**Author:** ![Corresponder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/22d042/32.png) [@Corresponder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Corresponder)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2011, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-dominant-world-religions-monotheistic/604546/43 "2011-11-30T23:47:23Z")
Two fairly basic points: 1. Monotheists believe their god is the only one, and so tend not to tolerate those who believe in other gods, while polytheists or pantheists recognize multiple gods and so are more willing to tolerate belief in the additional god of the monotheists. The monotheists are thus more likely to try to dominate the others. 2. A religious monotheist of course would say that this form of religion has become dominant because God is acting to bring this about. In other words, a religious Christian or Jew or Muslim would find the answer to this question obvious. ---
**Author:** ![Namkcalb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@Namkcalb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Namkcalb)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2011, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-dominant-world-religions-monotheistic/604546/44 "2011-12-01T04:33:19Z")
> [@ProbablyProcrastinating](#): > > Muslims think Christians are polytheistic (1+1+1=3 in the view of Islam). I’ve met Muslims who in all seriousness, thought the trinity was a pantheon of three gods; God the Father, Jesus the seperate Man-son, and Mary, god’s wife. Though, I’ve read Christians claim on the internet that Islam has two gods, so maybe the ignorance cuts both ways. > [@Corresponder](#): > > Two fairly basic points: > > 1. Monotheists believe their god is the only one, and so tend not to tolerate those who believe in other gods, while polytheists or pantheists recognize multiple gods and so are more willing to tolerate belief in the additional god of the monotheists. The monotheists are thus more likely to try to dominate the others I clicked on the thread to write something like this. Another factor could be that Judaism, but also Christianity, Islam and Mormonism see their religion as a suplementry ‘tribal’ identity, that believers are all one family under God. Heathens might convert to get better access to the ‘tribe’s’ resources/connections. ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2011, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-dominant-world-religions-monotheistic/604546/45 "2011-12-01T05:29:49Z")
Because the monotheistic religions both the True one from the Revelation of God in the Bible and its devolved cousins such as non-Messianic Judaism, Islam, Mormonism etc. generally had a strong focus on morality while polytheistic ones concentrate more on ritual. Thus as humanity grew more enlightened, naturally they become more concerned with morally right actions. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2011, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-dominant-world-religions-monotheistic/604546/46 "2011-12-01T05:38:09Z")
Maybe one day we can become so enlightened that we do the right thing for its own sake, and not due to the biggest carrot and stick you can imagine. ---
**Author:** ![leemadison11](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a5b964/32.png) [@leemadison11](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leemadison11)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2011, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-dominant-world-religions-monotheistic/604546/47 "2011-12-01T06:47:29Z")
Monotheism is worse than Atheism (doesn’t mean Atheism is bad), i mean its like half knowledge is worse than no knowledge (doesn’t mean that Atheist have no knowledge). One thing that is important to make everyone realize is that tolerance is the key to growing ahead towards the future. ---
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2011, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-dominant-world-religions-monotheistic/604546/48 "2011-12-01T07:14:41Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > To my non-Catholic eyes, Catholicism, with its Patron Saints of this and that, looks like an attempt at a religion that has much of the appeal of polytheism without actually being polytheistic. True and many non-Muslims and non-Christians would look at Satan as another deity abd argue that they aren’t monotheistic religions. It’s all in the eye of the beholder. ---
**Author:** ![thepillar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc8723/32.png) [@thepillar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thepillar)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2011, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-dominant-world-religions-monotheistic/604546/49 "2011-12-01T07:19:34Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > It was much more common for Christians to denote foreign gods as demons than as angels. I’ve personally never heard that the Archangels were non-Yahweh/Jehovah “gods” originally, and I’m pretty up on mythology and such. > [@](#): > > Now, when all of them, both those who visibly appear in their revolutions as well as those other gods who are of a more retiring nature, had come into being, the creator of the universe addressed them in these words: "Gods, children of gods, who are my works, and of whom I am the artificer and father, my creations are indissoluble, if so I will. All that is bound may be undone, but only an evil being would wish to undo that which is harmonious and happy. Wherefore, since ye are but creatures, ye are not altogether immortal and indissoluble, but ye shall certainly not be dissolved, nor be liable to the fate of death, having in my will a greater and mightier bond than those with which ye were bound at the time of your birth. And now listen to my instructions:-Three tribes of mortal beings remain to be created-without them the universe will be incomplete, for it will not contain every kind of animal which it ought to contain, if it is to be perfect. On the other hand, if they were created by me and received life at my hands, they would be on an equality with the gods. In order then that they may be mortal, and that this universe may be truly universal, do ye, according to your natures, betake yourselves to the formation of animals, imitating the power which was shown by me in creating you. The part of them worthy of the name immortal, which is called divine and is the guiding principle of those who are willing to follow justice and you-of that divine part I will myself sow the seed, and having made a beginning, I will hand the work over to you. And do ye then interweave the mortal with the immortal, and make and beget living creatures, and give them food, and make them to grow, and receive them again in death. > > Plato, Timaeus. If Christians thought and still think that God was busy creating “demons” here, then perhaps Christians have some rethinking to do. ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2011, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-dominant-world-religions-monotheistic/604546/50 "2011-12-01T07:22:00Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > Because the monotheistic religions both the True one from the Revelation of God in the Bible and its devolved cousins such as non-Messianic Judaism, Islam, Mormonism etc. generally had a strong focus on morality while polytheistic ones concentrate more on ritual. Thus as humanity grew more enlightened, naturally they become more concerned with morally right actions. Let me guess, whoever told you that was a Christian. What are the odds? ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2011, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-dominant-world-religions-monotheistic/604546/51 "2011-12-01T07:51:17Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > Because the monotheistic religions both the True one from the Revelation of God in the Bible and its devolved cousins such as non-Messianic Judaism, Islam, Mormonism etc. generally had a strong focus on morality while polytheistic ones concentrate more on ritual. Thus as humanity grew more enlightened, naturally they become more concerned with morally right actions. :rolleyes: As if. Christianity has been barbaric, and one of the primary enemies of the collective moral progress of humanity. At best Christian “morality” boils down to “do what you are told” and is amoral, not moral. And quite often it amounts to “do whatever you like and say God wanted you to do it”. And that’s even besides all the nasty & irrational ideas it has always pushed, from the subjugation of women to the hatred of homosexuals to the persecution of Jews. And of course it is by nature hateful of all alternative beliefs, as your own characterization of other religions as “devolved” demonstrates. ---
**Author:** ![lynne-42](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lynne-42/32/3138_2.png) [@lynne-42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lynne-42)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2011, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-dominant-world-religions-monotheistic/604546/52 "2011-12-01T08:14:52Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > Because the monotheistic religions both the True one from the Revelation of God in the Bible and its devolved cousins such as non-Messianic Judaism, Islam, Mormonism etc. generally had a strong focus on morality while polytheistic ones concentrate more on ritual. Thus as humanity grew more enlightened, naturally they become more concerned with morally right actions. No idea what you mean by ‘ritual’ in polytheistic religions? Nor what on earth gives you the evidence that they are less concerned with morals. As to monotheistic religions - they are the ‘religions of the Book’ - that is, intricately linked with literacy. There is a significant change in the purpose of ‘religious’ ritual as you cross the orality / literacy divide. In oral cultures, ritual has a massive role in storing pragmatic information (plant properties, animal behaviour, navigation, weather and seasonal changes, trade agreements, genealogies, moral and legal rules, resource locations, tides, astronomy …). This is taking me a whole PhD thesis to develop, but I’ll give just one example to illustrate why we need to be very careful what we define as a ‘god’ and think of as ‘ritual’. Ortiz discusses the Corn Mother and Corn Maiden rituals. Are they what you would define as ‘gods’?. Specifically in: Ortiz, A 1969, The Tewa world: space, time, being, and becoming in a Pueblo society, University of Chicago Press, Chicago. In a later work (I can cite it if anyone wants it) he recommends the writings of Richard I. Ford on the same rituals. Two perspectives, same rituals. Ford, RI 1980, ‘The colour of survival’, Discovery, pp. 16-29. Through these rituals, the Tewa are able to keep about 7 varieties of corn pure and stop it cross-pollinating (not easy, I’ve been trying it!). They optimise planting to get a balance of colours (varieties) to maximise the chance of a sustainable yield given a highly unpredictable climate. That’s why Ford refers to it as ‘the colour of survival’. The rituals ensure the best kernels are kept for seed, control planting times, locations and buffer zones. As soon as you are referring to non-literate cultures, you need to consider mnemonic technologies and how they manage to remember so much stuff. Read a little and you will find lots of that stuff is about morals. ---
**Author:** ![Mosier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ea924/32.png) [@Mosier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mosier)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2011, 9:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-dominant-world-religions-monotheistic/604546/53 "2011-12-01T09:33:16Z")
Monotheistic religeons are every bit as concerned with ritual as polytheistic religions are. “This is my blood, poured out for you. Drink this and rememer me.” Sunday worships, wedding rituals, prayer, music, candles…all of it is ritual. ---
**Author:** ![lynne-42](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lynne-42/32/3138_2.png) [@lynne-42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lynne-42)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2011, 10:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-dominant-world-religions-monotheistic/604546/54 "2011-12-01T10:01:51Z")
> [@Mosier](#): > > Monotheistic religions are every bit as concerned with ritual as polytheistic religions are. “This is my blood, poured out for you. Drink this and rememer me.” Sunday worships, wedding rituals, prayer, music, candles…all of it is ritual. Agreed totally. All have rituals. All have moral messages. Oh, and they are all about the power of an elite (a human elite) over the majority. ---
**Author:** ![Alka\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Alka\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alka_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2011, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-dominant-world-religions-monotheistic/604546/55 "2011-12-01T11:02:31Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > I don’t, since that’s the opposite of what actually happened. Under Christianity it became dogma that the universe operated under different rules in different places. There was the corrupt, decaying, imperfect Earth; and the perfect & incorruptible heavens. The discovery of sunspots was fervently denied by the Catholic Church; the Sun is not of Earth, therefore it has to be perfect. You are misunderstanding my point. Monothesism is consistant with a world governed by rules, a single divine plan. That doesn’t mean the heavens have to work the same way as the Earth. I’m not arguing that monotheism is scientific (it’s not), or that it was beneficial in the development of science. Adopting Aristotle’s principles as dogma was an impediment. > [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > If anyone deserves credit for putting forth the idea that everything everywhere operates under the same set of laws, it’s Isaac Newton, not Christianity. I’d say Kepler and Newton deserve the most credit. Kepler had to abandon some of his theology in order to develop his laws of planetary motion. For a long time, he clung to the idea that they should move in perfect circles, which was based on the concept of heavenly perfection. He was disappointed to find they move in ellipses. > [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > Thus as humanity grew more enlightened, naturally they become more concerned with morally right actions. I think monotheism carries with it the idea of universal morality, in a way which polytheism does not. I’d argue that it’s a dangerous idea, with much potential for fostering intolerance. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2011, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-dominant-world-religions-monotheistic/604546/56 "2011-12-01T11:50:29Z")
It’s all guesswork, but I tend to think it’s a combination of this: > [@Untoward\_Parable](#): > > Well psychologically it makes sense, especially in a strongly hierarchical society where every organization winds up with one undisputed leader, at least as a figurehead. …and the KISS principle. Simplicity is powerful. There is an all powerful god, he rules everything. The End. Nice simple story, easy to follow, easy to teach and talk about. ---
**Author:** ![Condescending\_Robot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a183cd/32.png) [@Condescending\_Robot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Condescending_Robot)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2011, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-dominant-world-religions-monotheistic/604546/57 "2011-12-01T13:27:27Z")
Christianity explicitly rejects the idea that it is possible for humans to be moral, or that being moral will get you anything. It’s a very confused notion to assert that Christianity is more focused on morality than some other religion–one should understand that is not the case after the most basic education in ideas of original sin and salvation by faith. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2011, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-dominant-world-religions-monotheistic/604546/58 "2011-12-01T16:00:54Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > Because the monotheistic religions both the True one from the Revelation of God in the Bible and its devolved cousins such as non-Messianic Judaism, Islam, Mormonism etc. generally had a strong focus on morality while polytheistic ones concentrate more on ritual. Thus as humanity grew more enlightened, naturally they become more concerned with morally right actions. What a load of nonsense. What do you think eating the body and blood of Christ is? The major monotheistic faiths spread because hegemony (or proselytism, or whatever you want to call it) is part of their ideology. It’s not a coincidence that there are billions of Christians but not billions of Jews; Judaism rejects evangelism. ---
**Author:** ![jinty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/dbc845/32.png) [@jinty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jinty)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2011, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-dominant-world-religions-monotheistic/604546/59 "2011-12-01T18:21:50Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > Because the monotheistic religions both the True one from the Revelation of God in the Bible and its devolved cousins such as non-Messianic Judaism, Islam, Mormonism etc. generally had a strong focus on morality while polytheistic ones concentrate more on ritual. Thus as humanity grew more enlightened, naturally they become more concerned with morally right actions. ‘True’? Unfortunately for this idea, Judeo-Christianity started out stunningly and indesputably [polytheistic](http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/biblianazar/esp_biblianazar_jehovah02.htm). So… did it start out false? At what point did it become ‘true’? What was God doing for all those centuries while it was falsely polytheistic? In answer to the OP, and speaking in particular of Judeo-Christianity - rulers like King Hezekiah simply decided it was convenient for them to replace polytheism with monotheism - it helped them to increase their power over their subjects. Hezekiah, for example, [stamped out worship of the chief female J-C deity Asherah](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hezekiah#Religious_reforms). It’s all about power, baby. ---
**Author:** ![Condescending\_Robot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a183cd/32.png) [@Condescending\_Robot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Condescending_Robot)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2011, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-dominant-world-religions-monotheistic/604546/60 "2011-12-02T00:20:26Z")
> [@jinty](#): > > ‘True’? Unfortunately for this idea, Judeo-Christianity started out stunningly and indesputably [polytheistic](http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/biblianazar/esp_biblianazar_jehovah02.htm). So… did it start out false? At what point did it become ‘true’? What was God doing for all those centuries while it was falsely polytheistic? Christianity is still basically polytheistic. The whole concept of the three deities being one doesn’t really mean anything and is just mumbo-jumbo that was dreamed up in the late first century to appease Jewish converts. The vast majority of Christians today neither know nor care about the trinitarian doctrine of the academic theologians and most certainly view God and Jesus as wholly distinct entities. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-dominant-world-religions-monotheistic/604546.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-dominant-world-religions-monotheistic/604546.md?page=4)