Content 6 Cultural, Social, and Political Institution

Topic 20 Religion and Belief System: Monotheism & Polytheism

Topic 20: Religion and Belief System: Monotheism & Polytheism

Learning Outcomes:
At the end of this lesson, the learners should be able to:

 classify major religions of the world as either monotheism or polytheism, and

 discuss the differences between monotheism and polytheism.

Questions:

 How does monotheism differ from polytheism?

 Which of the existing religions belong to monotheism? Which belong to polytheism?

Religion and Belief System

Religion is a set of beliefs and practices that provides its followers with an explanation or narration of how the universe,
nature, and existence works.

Every existing organized religion has its unique belief system. Belief systems are sets of principles that help interpret
natural and supernatural occurrences that affect lives.

Theism
Theism is a category of religion that means 'the belief in the existence of a god, goddesses, or deities.' It comes from the
Greek word theos, which means 'god.' Theism is one of the principles that binds the belief system of religions of the world.
In religion, these deities and gods are supernatural beings who are believed to be sacred or divine creators, rulers of the
universe, and sources of ethical authority.

Under theism, a religion may be a form of monotheism or polytheism. In a polytheistic religion, gods and goddesses are
usually referred to as "deities" as opposed to the usual term of "creator" or "supreme being" of monotheistic religions.

Monotheism
Monotheism is the belief that there is only one god to be worshiped as the supreme being. The word 'monotheism' was
derived from the Greek word monos, which means 'one', and theos which means 'god.'

The beginning of monotheistic religions can be traced back to ancient Egypt during the rule of Pharaoh Akhenaton who
propagated the belief in one god. The denial of existence of other religions' gods is a feature of monotheism.

Christianity, Judaism, and Islam are organized religions known to be a form of monotheism. Considered as the world’s
largest religion with 2.4 billion followers, Christianity is based upon the teachings of Jesus Christ who is believed to be
the Son of God and Savior of Humanity.

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Content 6 Cultural, Social, and Political Institution
Topic 20 Religion and Belief System: Monotheism & Polytheism

Judaism is a religion that started in West Asia and founded by Moses. Its beginning, though, can be traced back to the
time of Abraham. Jews believed in the existence of only one god with whom they have a covenant.

Islam, just like Judaism and Christianity, is an Abrahamic and monotheistic religion that follows the teachings of Qur’an,
their sacred text, revealed by Allah to their prophet Mohammad. It is the world’s second largest religion with 1.6 billion
followers worldwide.

Polytheism
Polytheism is the worship of many gods. The word 'polytheism' was derived from the Greek word poly, which means
'many,' and theos which means 'god.'

Polytheism has always been equated with pluralism as it engages and promotes acceptance, diversity, and tolerance of
differences. Polytheistic religions are known to embrace the existence of the gods of other religions.

Hinduism is the best modern example of a form of polytheism, having known to worship over 300 million gods. Started in
India 400 years ago, it is the world’s oldest existing religion.

Key Points:

 Religion is a set of beliefs and practices that provides its followers with an explanation or narration of how the
universe, nature, and existence works.
 Belief systems are set of principles that help interpret natural and supernatural occurrences that affect lives.
 Theism is the belief in the existence of a god or gods. Theism is a category of religion, and under it are
monotheism and polytheism.
 Deities and gods are supernatural beings who are believed to be sacred, divine creators and rulers of the
universe, and sources of ethical authority.
 Monotheism is the belief that there is only one god to be worshiped as the supreme being. Christianity, Islam,
and Judaism are examples of monotheistic religions.
 Polytheism is worshipping more than one god. Hinduism and Shinto are examples of polytheistic religions.

.
Activity:

 Think of essential things you can learn from being a follower of monotheism or polytheism. Write at least three (3)
on the table.

Points for Reflection:

 How does monotheism or polytheism affect the society where it is being practiced?
 In your opinion, is the number of gods one worships a measure of one’s faith?

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