And the th chapter of gita is completely devoted to the discussion of prakruti and purusha. Is hinduism pantheistic, panentheistic, polytheistic. Is hinduism a monotheistic, polytheistic or henotheistic. As per advaita vedanta doctrine of hinduism god almighty is one and only one. Ap human geography religions monotheisticpolytheistic.
Christianity claims to be monotheistic but i just cant see it that way. Hinduism says god has as many forms as there are trees, animals, etc. Mar 17, 2015 the hindu 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. This supreme being cannot be described as it takes no form being beyond space and time. In hinduism a believer of religion indulging in rituals considers hindu religion to be polytheistic. People can be polytheistic more than one god, monotheistic one god, pantheistic god and the universe are one, agnostic unsure if god exists or atheistic no god and still claim to be hindu. Hinduism and mahayana buddhism are widely practiced polytheistic religions. 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. Hinduism is not dry monotheism though, and is often characterized as monistic theism, panentheism, and transtheism by scholars, although often misunderstood as polytheism usually in the west for lack of understanding of the depth of philosophies. Hinduism is polytheistic and islam is monotheistic. 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.
Theism is a western theologicalacademic construct and an abrahamic obsession. 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. 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. These early polytheistic religions were based on stories that taught lessons, usually creating a tragic event or struggle in the life of the protagonist. Adherents of both systems worship their god or gods through prayer and ceremony. Is buddhism a monotheistic or polytheistic religion. Second, if hinduism is not monotheistic, the general implication is that hinduism must be polytheistic, meaning heathen, pagan, primitive, superstitious and idolatrous. Oct 10, 2010 hinduism is both monotheistic and polytheistic. Christianity is an interesting monotheistic religion in that many christian doctrines preach that there is only one god, but that it appears in three forms. Some common monotheistic religions are christianity, judaism, islam, sikhism, balinese hinduism, zoroastrianism and others. Monotheism is the belief in a single creator god and the lack of belief in any other creator. Hinduism contains every possible theological position and allows an individual to think what they want. Mar 05, 2008 hinduism is obviously polytheistic since there are many gods and goddesses in hinduism. However, by the definition of polytheism, hindu appears polytheistic because there are legions of gods and goddesses that describe aspects of brahmas nature.
Many forms of hinduism believe in a monotheistic god, such as krishna followers, vedanta, arya samaj, samkhya school of vedas etc, many traditions within hinduism share the vedic idea of a metaphysical ultimate reality and truth called brahman instead. Aug 24, 2012 i say this for clean the possible discordations between jews and christian who read this saying all this is hinduism monotheistic. The classification of hinduism is very open to interpretation. But this is just about as monotheistic as hinduism, where all their gods are just aspects of their one god. Sri swami chidanda taking all of the above into consideration, our fast facts on hinduism page classifies hinduism as pantheism with polytheistic elements. Hinduism has given much freedom to people in worship. First we have the trinity the father, the son, and the holy spirit which are all supposed to be aspects of their one god. Even though hinduism is mistakenly regarded by many as a religion having many gods namely, polytheism, yet truly speaking hinduism is a monotheistic religion.
Whereas a traveler of spiritual path, follower of teachings contained in bhagavad gita and upanishads considers hinduism to be monotheistic. However there are many who define hinduism as monotheistic because of the belief in the supreme god brahman, whose qualities and forms are. Monotheistic and polytheistic religions flashcards quizlet. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. We know that there are three primary nature or qualities sattva goodness, rajas passion and tamas ignorance. Whatever form a devotee desires to worship with deep faith, i stabilize his faith firmly in that form. But unlike other religions it accepts that the same god takes on many different forms and names as may be necessary. May 2002 hinduismmonotheism and polytheism reconciled. It has millions of followers, not only in south and east asia, but all over the world. In fact, all of creation and everything in it is a part of god, so it seems to be polytheistic. Hinduism is polytheistic and islam is monotheistic hinduism. Hinduism is neither strictly polytheistic nor strictly monotheistic. As the gita says the one who seems me everywhere and everything in me is wise.
It could be said to be nontheistic in terms of advaita vedanta philosophy, which holds that ultimately all things, including people and rocks and gods, are just brahman the infinite and eternal consciousness and bliss of absolute being. The concept of god has been differently defined for people of different nature and qualities. How can hinduism be both polytheistic and monotheistic. It is a paradox, which hinduism addresses with great subtlety and openness, while some traditions fail to appreciate it or embrace it. May 29, 2017 therefore, a real follower of true hinduism knows and therefore firmly believes that the divine reality or god is one and nondual. Is hinduism strictly polytheistic or are the gods considered. Whats the difference between polytheism and monotheism. 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. God almighty is addressed as brahman, sanatana purusha, parmatman, karta, ishwar, bhagwan and prabhu in hinduism.
Start studying ap human geography religions monotheisticpolytheistic. Is hinduism pantheistic, panentheistic, polytheistic, monotheistic or henotheistic. Pantheists thus do not believe in a distinct personal or anthropomorphic god. Many say it is polytheistic while some say it is really monotheistic. Poly theism is the belief in many gods two examples of polytheism are.
Hence, there are three different gods representing the same god in. Some polytheistic religions share some elements of monotheistic belief, and vice versa. Is hinduism montheistic, monotheistic, polytheistic. Different groups of people view it based on their own perceptions.
This view also implies the superiority of monotheism over different formulations of the sacred that may have their own value. Although it is a popular religion, not many people know its core beliefs. It looks like its polytheistic, but ive run into some hindus who say its monotheistic and that the different gods are just representations of one god. Is hinduism monotheistic, polytheistic, pantheistic, or panentheistic. Christianity, judaism and islam are the three most widely practiced monotheistic religions. So, we get to the question is buddhism polytheistic or monotheistic.
However there are many who define hinduism as monotheistic because of the belief in the supreme god brahman. Conclusion is hinduism monotheistic or polytheistic. It has no relevance whatsoever to hindu philosophy. Hinduism is polytheistic and islam is monotheistic hinduism has the castes from world hist 1 at st agnes academy school. The supreme lord is one, but he manifests in innumerable forms all of which are eternal. Welcome to spiritual forums we created this community for people from all backgrounds to discuss spiritual, paranormal, metaphysical, philosophical, supernatural, and esoteric subjects. 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. May 07, 20 hinduism is a very ancient religious tradition that has many different expressions, forms, and permutations. Hinduism is the largest polytheistic religion in the world today. Instead, it is a metaphysical way of looking at the world. Monotheistic theology is an inherent part of hinduism. It has many gods making it seem polytheistic but above all those gods is one supreme god from whom all others originate.
Monism holds that everything in the universe is really part of one substance or one nature. I assumed that hinduism does not fit in any kind of definition like polytheism or monotheism etc. What are some similarities between monotheism and polytheism. To get a better idea about hinduism, read some good translations of bhagavad gita. So the core of vedic philosophy is monotheistic god or paramatma is one without a second. I wish everyone would just chill out and chuck this discussion into the bin. 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. Very few actual polytheistic systems are still practiced in industrialized societies today. However, its language is very archaic sanskrit and most people cant make sense of it, to be honest. Many people actually think that hinduism is polytheistic, however if a person decides to study. God almighty is addressed as brahman, sanatana purusha, parmatman, karta, ishwar. What is the difference between monism and polytheism. Jul 09, 2009 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. Hinduism can seem really confusing as its unique to other religions.
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. In hinduism, polytheism and monotheism are like two sides of the same reality. Buddhism and hinduism monotheistic interfaith dialogue basics. Most people gets offensed when one says they are polytheistic i dont think so. Hinduism is a religion that defies definite classification, and in practice, it has both monotheistic and polytheistic components.