Universal Monotheism?

[Kei]

So, it has come to my attention that a look at the various “organic” belief systems seem to reveal a very similar picture.
In the Americas you had the “Great Spirit”, but in Africa, for instance the Yoruba believed in One God, but that this God was too holy and so created gods to bring offerings. In China, Shangdi was pretty similar. In India, the one God was too unknowable and hence made Himself into many different gods.

My point being, there seems to be a clear picture that many believed in One God, but that this God was too unknowable or holy that other gods were needed to be a middleman between we mere mortals and Him. In some Jewish traditions, God only listens to the prayers of the saints. We believe in the intercession not of gods, but of angels and saints, and that we have no need of many gods as we have the One God who became Man, Jesus Christ. I am not surprised if many have been made ready for Christ. What do you think?

 

[Roseeurekacross]

Our God, the God of Abraham, is living.

 

[TK421]

@Kei

Yes I agree.

Even without the benefit of public revelation, the Holy Spirit works inside of people to move them closer towards the truth. Religious systems such as classic polytheism and nature worship gives way to a belief system that is closer to the truth.

Many don’t realize that before the Christian faith spread to the Roman world, most of the educated citizenry didn’t believe in the Roman gods. You also had large numbers of what are sometimes called “proto-Christians”. They are people who had accepted many aspects of Judaism but - because of their heritage as Gentiles - were not of course Jewish or had followed all of their customs. Also, the majority of Jews at the time of Christ weren’t living in Palestine but were hellenized Jews living abroad; they were other descendants of the Babylonian Dispersion. The Palestinian Jews tended to view themselves as more authentic to their hellenized cousins. The hellenized Jews were more receptive on average to receiving the Gospel as well as the millions of “proto-Christian” Gentiles.

The various Romanized cultures that were steeped in traditional paganism & hedonism were harder to evangelize than certain other groups of people in the empire. The Normans (Vikings) also took some time in later centuries; not an easy egg to crack but it happened.

 

[Genesis315]

Yep, it’s like St. Paul said to the pagans in Athens:

Acts 17:23 For passing by, and seeing your idols, I found an altar also, on which was written: To the unknown God. What therefore you worship, without knowing it, that I preach to you:

St. Thomas Aquinas, in his commentary on John, speaks of how God was known among the pagans:

Again, if they did have some speculative knowledge of God, this was mixed with many errors: some denied his providence over all things; others said he was the soul of the world; still others worshipped other gods along with him.

 

[Medawlinno]

I agree - in many forms of modern earth-based religious paths for example, there is essentially a monotheistic belief, though one may need to sort of “hunt it down” within a particular belief system.

I have heard the term described and referred to as “soft pantheism” - One “All Creator” deity, who manifests as god and goddess; and in turn, the god and goddess can manifest as several various gods and goddesses.

Most Wiccans I know are essentially “monotheists at heart” though they invoke several various gods and goddesses in rituals - all are just manifestations of the the god and goddess, who in turn, are just manifestations of the All/Creator.