`dəĭz'əm, j..... Click the link for more information. , Christianity Christianity, religion founded in Palestine by the followers of Jesus . One of the world's major religions, it predominates in Europe and the Americas, where it has been a powerful historical force and cultural influence, but it also claims adherents in virtually
..... Click the link for more information. , and Islam Islam (ĭsläm`, ĭs`läm), [Arab.,=submission to God], world religion founded by the Prophet Muhammad.
..... Click the link for more information. , as well as Zoroastrianism Zoroastrianism (zô'rōăs`trēənĭzəm), religion founded by Zoroaster, but with many later accretions.
..... Click the link for more information. . Some eastern religions, notably Vaishava, Saiva, Sikhism, and some Hindu sects, tend to promote the omnipotence of one particular god within the pantheon, and thus display some monotheistic characteristics. Monotheism arose in opposition to polytheism polytheism (pŏl`ēthēĭzəm), belief in a plurality of gods in which each deity is distinguished by special functions.
..... Click the link for more information. , the belief in many gods. Monism monism (mō`nĭzəm) [Gr.,=belief in one], in metaphysics, term introduced in the 18th cent.
..... Click the link for more information. , or nondualism between the physical and the spiritual, presupposes unity but deemphasizes personal monotheism. See also God God, divinity of the three great monotheistic religions, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, as well as many other world religions. See also religion and articles on individual religions.
..... Click the link for more information. .
monotheism
Belief in the existence of one god. It is distinguished from polytheism. The earliest known instance of monotheism dates to the reign of Akhenaton of Egypt in the 14th century BC. Monotheism is characteristic of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, all of which view God as the creator of the world, who oversees and intervenes in human events, and as a beneficent and holy being, the source of the highest good. The monotheism that characterizes Judaism began in ancient Israel with the adoption of Yahweh as the single object of worship and the rejection of the gods of other tribes and nations without, initially, denying their existence. Islam is clear in confessing one, eternal, unbegotten, unequaled God, while Christianity holds that a single God is reflected in the three persons of the Holy Trinity.
monotheism
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