Polytheism Vs Monotheism

Re: Polytheism Vs Monotheism

Life is not static but dynamic. Ancient man tried to explain cause and effect and natural phenomenon by attributing them to Gods. What do you say to this postulation ? Moses and Monotheism (in German Der Mann Moses und die monotheistische Religion) is a 1937 book by Sigmund Freud, published in English translation in 1939. In it Freud hypothesizes that Moses was not Jewish, but actually born into Ancient Egyptian nobility and was perhaps a follower of Akhenaten, an ancient Egyptian monotheist, or perhaps Akhenaten himself. The book consists of three parts and is an extension of Freud’s work on psychoanalytic theory as a means of generating hypotheses about historical events. Freud had similarly employed psychoanalytic theory to history in his much earlier work, Totem and Taboo. As well as in his ever-expanding library on the subject, Freud’s interest in Egypt manifested itself in an impressive collection of ancient Egyptian artefacts. A selection of the smaller bronzes was permanently on display on his desk both in Vienna and London.
In Moses and Monotheism, Freud contradicts the Biblical story of Moses with his own retelling of events claiming that Moses only led his close followers into freedom during an unstable period in Egyptian history after Akhenaten and that they subsequently killed Moses in rebellion and later combined with another monotheistic tribe in Midian based on a volcanic God. Freud explains that years after the murder of Moses, the rebels regretted their action thus forming the concept of the Messiah as a hope for the return of Moses as the Saviour of the Israelites. Freud said that the guilt from the murder of Moses is inherited through the generations; this guilt then drives the Jews to religion to make them feel better.
Moses and Monotheism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Re: Polytheism Vs Monotheism

The reverse is NOT true. Historical evdances are subject to how much we have documented. Can you date back exactly to start of first belief system? Obviously NO.
So follow natural sequence of events to get what preceded what.
think of guy has to believe in something but dont know any religion. How it would start, by looking at enviroment he got, when he saw some powerful thing he could have started believing in that as God. Now at that moment he is monotheist and does he need to presume polytheist false where he is yet to get influenced by anyother thing as God? No
But the moment he start believing in other gods implies that one god is incapable of doing all things, hence assumes monotheism is fasle.
Furthermore, he may or may not continue believing in other gods but he started with monotheism, and to reach two you must pass through one.

Re: Polytheism Vs Monotheism

Essays on the History of Religions - Raffaele Pettazzoni - Google

Re: Polytheism Vs Monotheism

It is possible that several gods are manifestation of several attributes of a single God.