Hinduism spans a wide range of beliefs such as henotheism, monotheism, polytheism, panentheism, pantheism, pandeism, monism, atheism and nontheism forms of theism find mention in the bhagavad gita. The main ones youll see temples for in india and representations of in the homes of indians are. Hinduism is polytheistic and islam is monotheistic hinduism. May 07, 20 hinduism is a very ancient religious tradition that has many different expressions, forms, and permutations.
It has millions of followers, not only in south and east asia, but all over the world. This audio book great course is a brief introduction to hinduism. The supreme god, of which all other gods are merely manifestations is the creator, brahma. If you need anything else, or have a problem with the answer, do please post a request for clarification before rating and i shall respond as soon as i can. First in the shrimad bhagwad gita, lord krishna declares himself to be the supreme soul, the unborn, formless, omnipotent and omnipresent. Some cultures embrace a polytheistic religion, which recognizes more than one deity. Theism is a western theologicalacademic construct and an abrahamic obsession. My hindu friend told me that hinduism is actually monotheism in disguise and that all deities in hinduism are just a form of the one supreme being.
Judaism was the first religion to conceive the notion of a personal monotheistic god within a monist context. Hinduism as a collective culture of many philosophies is henotheistpanentheistic polytheistic from viewpoint of relative reality. While hinduism is multifaceted in its beliefsystem, hinduism should be classified as pantheistic, due to its dominant belief in an impersonal deity. Hinduism is ancient, though there is no specific date for when it was formed. If all authors would agree about the pantheon of hindu deities.
Hinduism and buddhism proof of study study guide by sarayu2 includes 50 questions covering vocabulary, terms and more. Ap human geography religions monotheisticpolytheistic. Each part plays its own role though it is part of one supreme being. From hindu human rights there has been a considerable debate extending from recent centuries to current interfaith dialogues as to whether hinduism is a monotheistic religion, and if so whether hinduism can perhaps be included among the great monotheistic traditions of the world. In doing so what the hindu pandits of the 20 th century has done is to equate polytheism with monotheism. Written language solely started at round 3200 bc, however spoken language has ex. As compared to islam, judaism or christianity, buddhism does not have a god who created this world. Emotional or loving devotion bhakti to a primary god such as avatars of vishnu krishna for example, shiva and devi emerged in. First in the shrimad bhagwad gita, lord krishna declares himself to be the. The bhagavad gita is the most famous hindu text, encapsulating much of hindu philosophy and ethics.
How can hinduism be both polytheistic and monotheistic. Hinduism is the largest polytheistic religion in the world today. Thats why hinduism is often thought of as polytheistic. Hindus can legitimately be said to honour thousands, or millions, of gods. Comparing hinduism with christianity evidence unseen. Hinduism can seem really confusing as its unique to other religions. Is hinduism monotheistic, polytheistic, pantheistic, or panentheistic. Get this book free when you sign up for a 30day trial. Different groups of people view it based on their own perceptions.
Monotheism is the belief in a single creator god and the lack of belief in any other creator. Hinduism broadly classifies them into three categories. The concept of god in hinduism varies in its diverse traditions. These fit in history when man and woman were trying to find out how things can to be the way they are. Is hinduism pantheistic, panentheistic, polytheistic, monotheistic or henotheistic. A polytheistic religion, on the other hand, is a religion that believes in the existence of many gods or deities. The puja worship of the murti is like a way to communicate with the formless, abstract divinity brahman in hinduism which creates, sustains and dissolves. Many say it is polytheistic while some say it is really monotheistic. However, by the definition of polytheism, hindu appears polytheistic because there are legions of gods and goddesses that describe aspects of brahmas nature. Pantheism is the belief that the universe or nature as the totality of everything is identical with divinity, or that everything composes an allencompassing, immanent god. There is no place, no atom where god is not present. Buddhism and hinduism monotheistic interfaith dialogue. Hinduism is neither strictly polytheistic nor strictly monotheistic.
Hinduism is frequently described as a polytheistic religion due to the vast array of gods and deities, often based on needs or regions, and worship that almost always focuses on sculptures and images. The classification of hinduism is very open to interpretation. Muesse, the great courses, audiobook narrated by mark w. First in the shrimad bhagwad gita, lord krishna declares himself to be the supreme soul, the unborn, formless, omnipot. Plus, youll get an additional audiobook per month after trial. According to the tenets of hinduism, god is one as well as many. Some of these religions are monotheistic only one god and some are polytheistic more than one god. In hinduism a believer of religion indulging in rituals considers hindu religion to be polytheistic. Even in the vedic period, monotheism was a given along with a panentheistic view in mind. Dec, 2010 keliann, im sorry you are getting so many confusing and or prejudiced answers.
However there are many who define hinduism as monotheistic because of the belief in. In common parlance, or when contrasted with deism, the term often describes the classical conception of god that is found in monotheism also referred to as classical theism or gods found in polytheistic religionsa belief in god or in gods without the rejection of revelation as is characteristic of. Pantheists thus do not believe in a distinct personal or anthropomorphic god. Hinduism is polytheistic and islam is monotheistic hinduism has the castes from world hist 1 at st agnes academy school. Hinduism has given much freedom to people in worship. This god is called by many names, and differs from one branch of religion to another. It should be noted at the outset, however, that this is chiefly a western difficulty. Theism is broadly defined as the belief in the existence of a supreme being or deities. Listening is a extra pure manner of studying, when in comparison with studying. Hindus venerate deities in the form of the murti, or idol. At the time of the bg, the classical hinduism considers krishna an. Conclusion is hinduism monotheistic or polytheistic. No it is not, the beauty of hinduism is that you are free to worship whoever you want and however you want and worship how many ever gods as you want. The terms and epithets for deity within the diverse traditions of hinduism vary, and include deva, devi, ishvara, ishvari, bhagavan and bhagavati the deities of hinduism have evolved from the vedic era 2nd millennium bc through the medieval era 1st millennium ad, regionally within nepal, india and in southeast asia, and across.
So, we get to the question is buddhism polytheistic or monotheistic. What are some similarities between monotheism and polytheism. First of all those who believe the concept of god in hinduism is polytheistic dont have a very good knowledge about hinduism. God says in gita that he is only god one god, but there are many dummy gods created by him, who can be worshipped to get limited returns, but if one worships him, will get endless returns. Throughout the years these religions have been with people and use. Quizlet flashcards, activities and games help you improve your grades. Christianity, judaism and islam are the three most widely practiced monotheistic religions. A monotheistic religion believes that a single omniscient god created the world and has the power to intervene, if necessary. Both polytheism and monotheism are practiced widely around the world. In most religions which accept polytheism, the different gods and goddesses are representations of forces of nature or ancestral principles, and can be viewed either as. As one scholar has said, hinduism includes both monism and monotheism. Why is hinduism condemned as polytheistic whereas the west.
Is hinduism pantheistic, panentheistic, polytheistic. According to the author of the bhagavad gita bg krishna proclaims. To call hinduism monotheistic or to try to scale it down into the perimeters of western monotheistic religions is misleading and erroneous. Every variety of hindu philosophy has its source in the upanisads, the brahma sutras of badarayana of vyasa and the bhagavad gita which forms a part of the mahabharata. Hindu deities are the gods and goddesses in hinduism. However there are many who define hinduism as monotheistic because of the belief in the supreme god brahman, whose qualities and forms are. The concept of god has been differently defined for people of different nature and qualities.
Carmody and carmody write, brahman, of course, is impersonal, whereas most monotheistic religions conceive their deities on the model of the human personality. Many people think that hinduism is polytheistic because there are many gods, but it is not. When we talk about buddhism, it is neither polytheistic nor monotheistic. We know that there are three primary nature or qualities sattva goodness, rajas passion and tamas ignorance. See astrology tells prarabdha karma, meaning results of the karma for this life. Oct 10, 2010 hinduism is both polytheistic and monotheistic. Different traditions of hinduism have different theistic views, and these views have been described by scholars as polytheism, monotheism, henotheism, panentheism. Apr 29, 2011 hinduism is monotheistic as there belief is that there are many gods or divinities, but they all fall under on supreme being. The freedom to be monotheistic, polytheistic or anything in between is a huge part of hinduism. The theological interpretation of svayam bhagavan differs with each tradition and the. It was helpful for me to learn that the polytheistic representations of divine beings.
It is misleading to call abrahamic religions as the monotheistic traditions trying to imply that monotheism is absent in eastern traditions. Many people actually think that hinduism is polytheistic, however if a person decides to study. He also explains that hinduism honors all seekers of truth, that it contains multiple paths to divine reality the way of action, the way of wisdom, and the way of devotion, and that it can be both a monotheistic and a polytheistic faith. Hinduism incorporates diverse views on the concept of god. Theistic hinduism encompasses both monotheistic and polytheistic tendencies and variations on or mixes of both structures. Numerous ancient greek philosophers, including xenophanes of colophon and antisthenes believed in a similar polytheistic monism that came close to monotheism, but fell short. The bhagavad gita was sung by krishna, but since hes an avatar. Hindu gods are many and include shiva, vishnu, indra, krishna, kali, ganesh, and many, many more, some incarnations or avatars of others. It is monotheist from relative reality for some sects who are of the opinion that god can be experienced separately and devotee can be in eternal. This smarta view dominates the view of hinduism in the west and has confused all hindus to be seemingly polytheistic.
That is, how can it be a polytheistic religion but hindus can be any of the above confused, thank you any other relevant information on hindu deity is appreciated, its for an assignment. The term idol has certain connotations, so we use the word. Some of the great works of hinduism like the rig veda and the bhagavad gita are explored briefly but. Hinduism is monotheistic as there belief is that there are many gods or divinities, but they all fall under on supreme being. The scriptures include the vedas, the upanishads, the puranas and the bhagavad gita, or song of god. It has many gods making it seem polytheistic but above all those gods is one supreme god from whom all others originate. As per samkhya philosophy there is no god a supreme ruling deity who created the universe. Even though hinduism is mistakenly regarded by many as a religion having many gods namely, polytheism, yet truly speaking hinduism is a monotheistic religion. However there are many who define hinduism as monotheistic because of the belief in the supreme god brahman. As per advaita vedanta doctrine of hinduism god almighty is one and only one. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Feb 11, 2007 hinduism is a very old and matured faith. Monotheistic and polytheistic religions flashcards quizlet.
God almighty is addressed as brahman, sanatana purusha, parmatman, karta, ishwar. It has no relevance whatsoever to hindu philosophy. As the gita says the one who seems me everywhere and everything in me is wise. With over a billion adherents, many claim that the religion is monotheistic and helmed by the supreme being, brahma. It was as a reaction to the tendencies exhibited by buddhism and jainism that the orthodox schools of indian philosophy had their origin and the bhagavad gita is their epitome. The supreme god of hinduism has several different names and natures. A narrower definition of monotheism is the belief in the existence of only one god that created the world, is allpowerful and intervenes in the world a distinction may be made between exclusive monotheism, and both inclusive monotheism and pluriform panentheistic monotheism which, while recognising various distinct gods, postulate some underlying unity. There are many ways in which one can pursue the path of liberation. Different traditions of hinduism have different theistic views, and these views have been described by scholars as polytheism, monotheism, henotheism, panentheism, pantheism, monism, agnostic, humanism, atheism or nontheism. It is a paradox, which hinduism addresses with great subtlety and openness, while some traditions fail to appreciate it or embrace it. Hinduism waits for them patiently, knowing well the inevitable. Hinduism is a religion that defies definite classification, and in practice, it has both monotheistic and polytheistic components. I wish everyone would just chill out and chuck this discussion into the bin. Whats the difference between polytheism and monotheism.
In fact, all of creation and everything in it is a part of god, so it seems to be polytheistic. Hinduism and buddhism proof of study flashcards quizlet. As the gita says the one who seems me everywhere and everything in me is. Jan 23, 2011 i read recently in a text book that although hinduism is a polytheistic religion it allows its worshippers to be polytheistic, monotheistic or atheistic how does that work. Yes, hinduism is a religion of many deities, but all these deities are manifestations of one god. Discussion in members club started by jattpunjabi, sep 8, 20. Is hinduism strictly polytheistic or are the gods considered. However, its language is very archaic sanskrit and most people cant make sense of it, to be honest.
Whereas a traveler of spiritual path, follower of teachings contained in bhagavad gita and upanishads considers hinduism to be monotheistic. Hence, there are three different gods representing the same god in. In hinduism, polytheism and monotheism are like two sides of the same reality. Monotheism god is only one and he is different from his creation. First of all those who believe the concept of god in hinduism is polytheistic dont. Although it is a popular religion, not many people know its core beliefs. Some claim that hinduism never taught polytheism, and such claim can be correct as one view of hinduism, the smarta view, is an inclusive monotheistic view of monotheism, as discussed later. The gita is considered to be a critical text in hinduism, and one that is often referenced as a good starting point to get a beginners idea of hinduism. Is hinduism montheistic, monotheistic, polytheistic.
Philosophy of faith wikipedia audio article simplyhindu. Hinduism is monotheistic from point of view of absolute reality. To get a better idea about hinduism, read some good translations of bhagavad gita. Hinduism says god has as many forms as there are trees, animals, etc. Hinduism is a religion that compromises of many schools of thought among which there are six prominent philosophical systems that try to assert the nature and reality of our existence the prakruti and purusha concept of our existence belongs to the samkhya school of thought. Is the god in hinduism a monotheistic god or polytheistic god. The poly in polytheism comes from the greek word for many. Hinduism is monotheistic because there is only one god, brahman, which is the all powerful spirit which lives in everything, including the gods that come down to earth in human form avatars.
Hinduism everything is brahman supreme reality which exist all over the universe in millions of forms. People often think that hinduism is a polytheistic religion. Hinduism in my view is a pretty broad spectrum of beliefs from ancient to more recent developements and there are some elements in hinduism that are very close to monotheism such as the bhakti parts of the bhagavad gita and what is called dualism or dvaita. Hindus believe in monotheistic polytheism, rather than polytheism. In comparing trinity and trimurti, religious scholar, anuradha veeravali indian philosophies, encyclopedia of religion draws parallels between brahma and god, vishnu and the holy spirit, and shiva and jesus, but persists in the common idea that christianity is a monotheistic faith while hinduism is polytheistic. Hinduism and mahayana buddhism are widely practiced polytheistic religions.
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