This paper will explain how sikhism originated, its doctrines and practices and how it has grown. The great hindu god shiva, who gained prominence later, may also relate to a figure present. Hinduism is a monotheistic religion with polytheistic sects. As the gita says the one who seems me everywhere and everything in me is wise. Monotheism is the message that all of the prophets came with. Ap world history comparing and contrasting the five. 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 monotheism is the belief in a single creator god and the lack of belief in any other creator. Judaism is the oldest of the monotheistic religions. India, the country of origin of both hinduism and buddhism, until that time the. It is contrasted by the idea of multiple religious belonging and polytheism, respectively this can occur for many reasons, and the latter scenario happens quite commonly in areas where multiple religious. Meivazhi is a syncretic monotheistic minority religion based in tamil nadu, india. Enter your mobile number or email address below and well send you a link to download the free kindle app. Islam is a monotheistic religion originating with the teachings of muhammad 570632, an arab religious and political figure.
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. The attached except from a book edited by jacob olupona mentions some. The book is divided into three parts, the first of which forms an. Islam is a monotheistic religion in which the deity is allah arabic.
Islam and paganism, was expanded with five new religions, one of them the. In the major religion of hinduism, syncretism is very apparent. Certain elements of islamic belief, such as its radical monotheism and. Cultural diversity, religious syncretism and people of india. An adherent of islam is known as a muslim, meaning one who submits to god. When a person embraces islam or a muslim wants to renew or confirm his or her faith, they profess their belief that there is no god worthy of worship but allah and that muhammad is his final messenger. It has more in common with traditions regarded but as pagan and polytheistic. The word islam means submission, or the total surrender of oneself to god.
Monotheism and polytheism are often thought of in rather simple termse. Derived from the greek mono single and theos god, the term monotheism refers to the religious experience and the philosophical perception that emphasize god as one, perfect, immutable, creator of the world from nothing, distinct from the world, allpowerfully involved in the world, personal, and worthy of being worshiped by all creatures. Does anyone know of a monotheistic religion with a. The guru granth sahib, which is considered the spiritual book the 11th and final.
It should be noted at the outset, however, that this is chiefly a western difficulty. Hinduism says god has as many forms as there are trees, animals, etc. Muhammadanism, muslimism, islam, islamism the monotheistic religious system of muslims founded in arabia in the 7th century and based on the teachings of. However, its language is very archaic sanskrit and most people cant make sense of it, to be honest.
Below is a detailed explanation of monotheism in islam. In modernised indonesian hinduism, there is no discussion of mediumship, spiritual healing, or sakti as an independent female power. Sikhism is a monotheistic religion founded during the fifteenth century in the punjab region, by guru nanak dev. Ap world history comparing and contrasting the five major. The book was originated in some syncretistic hinduparsimuslim milieu of the mughal india of xvii century, still imbued with the spirit that led. Kabir, guru nanak, dadu, and other founders of syncretic sects are included in the first. Is christianity mutually exclusive of islam, hinduism, and. Zoroastrianism is a founding belief system acknowledged to have heavily influenced both abrahamic judaism, christianity, islam and dharmic hinduism, buddhism, jainism. Syncretism also exists in other parts of the country. Hinduism mostly shares common terms with the dharmic religions, including buddhism, jainism, and sikhism the followers of which are considered to be kafirs by muslims due to. Many say it is polytheistic while some say it is really monotheistic. But the phenomenon simply means that an older culture or religion overlaps with a newer one. Moreover, its doctrines are less fixed and more flexible. Continuitysikhism connections to hinduism and islam video.
Satpanth is considered as syncretism of ismaili islam and hinduism. Syncretism is the combining of different, often seemingly contradictory beliefs, while melding practices of various schools of thought. Let us learn more about the various religions across the world which are based on this system of thought. Hinduism insists on less obedience to texts than the monotheistic script religions do. Difference between oral religions and religions of the. And further sikhism, a relatively modern religion often perceived as a syncretic religion and shinto, a. Monotheistic religions their similarities and differences. Difference between oral religions and religions of the book. Monotheism literally means the belief in only one god. Jan 08, 2009 judaism and islam have traditionally attempted to interpret scripture as exclusively monotheistic whilst christianity diverted to a more complex form of monotheism, as a result of considering the holy spirit to be god, and attributing divinity to jesus, a judean jew, in the first century ad, defining him as the son of god.
The intricate question of the relation of hindu and islamic mystical. Relationship between religions in indonesia persee. To call hinduism monotheistic or to try to scale it down into the perimeters of western monotheistic religions is misleading and erroneous. In this respect, the one god of monotheism is contrasted with the conception in some nonmonotheistic religions of an impersonal divinity or divine unity that permeates the whole world. It is a doctrine that believes in one god and in the teachings of his gurus which are kept in his sacred book. Its focus is spiritual enlightenment and the conquering of death, through the teachings. The god of monotheism, as exemplified by the great monotheistic religionsjudaism, christianity, and islamis a personal god. Buddhism, hinduism, christianity, islam, and judaism.
The muslims in calimantan, for example, still perform many animist rituals. Mcdaniel, buddhism was originated in indian by the prince named siddharth guatama in about 563 b. The interaction of islam and hinduism columbia university. The first great hindi mystic poet was kabir, who was said to be the child of a muslim and was strongly influenced by islam, particularly by sufism. Hinduism incorporates diverse views on the concept of god. The book tells the lineage of the prophets of islam. One big set of questions i get especially once we start discussing the reformation is about the similarities and differences between the major monotheistic, or religions. Monotheism is one of the beliefs within the framework of dharma. Aug 14, 20 syncretism and the zoroastrian influence on judaism published 4. This includes many of the wellknown faiths including christianity, judaism, and islam. In hinduism human diversity is expressed by this vast pantheon of deities. 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.
In contrast, some believe in multiple gods and these are known as polytheistic religions. There have been instances of syncretic cooperation on music on islamic and hindu theme. Islam is a monotheistic religion in which the deity is allah, the last prophet being muhammad, whom muslims believe delivered the islamic scripture, the quran. The five major world religions that i will be focusing on in this paper as it directly relates to religious syncretism are hinduism, buddhism, christianity, judaism and islam. Then prophet muhammad, may god praise him, came as the final messenger and restored true monotheism to humanity. We are not seeking a syncretism in which each religion. Monotheistic and polytheistic religions flashcards quizlet. Religious syncretism exhibits blending of two or more religious belief systems into a new system, or the incorporation into a religious tradition of beliefs from unrelated traditions. Zoroastrians consider it monotheistic because ahura mazda is specified as the only and supreme god. To get a better idea about hinduism, read some good translations of bhagavad gita.
By contrast, in the dualisticmonotheistic religions there is no we, but only i. Judaism, christianity and islam are the three major monotheistic religions, all originated in what is known today as the arab world. The rise of fundamentalism in recent years in india has obliterated the deep rooted syncretism in indian culture. It played an important role in helping hinduism to face the challenges posed by the monotheistic islam, with its emphasis on a personal relationship between man and one god, through prayers, surrender, cultivation of virtues, performance of good deeds and obedience to his law. Can monotheism be taught further considerations on the. Living in permanent contact with hinduism and islam, he was neither. As all religion, sikhism has its own sacred book called adi granth. His poems challenge the canonical dogmas of both hinduism and islam, praising rama and promising salvation by the chanting of the holy name of rama. Apr 11, 2007 zoroastrianism is a founding belief system acknowledged to have heavily influenced both abrahamic judaism, christianity, islam and dharmic hinduism, buddhism, jainism and sikhism religions. 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. Syncretism involves the merger and analogizing of several originally discrete traditions, especially in the theology and mythology of religion, thus asserting an underlying unity and allowing for an inclusive approach to other faiths.
The cultural impact of all five should be fairly similar, and the others should be in your shared folder in all of the brochures. Sikhism is a type of religion that had its origins in india and developed between the doctrines and teachings of hinduism and islam. Monotheistic islam and pluralistic islamic traditions of india in n. People generally avoid claims of modern revelation, for in indonesian islam it ended after muhammad, the seal of the prophets. Many groupssikhs, lowcaste people, those who followed syncretic.
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. The concept of ethical monotheism, which holds that morality stems from god alone and that its laws are unchanging, first occurred in judaism, but is now a core tenet of most modern monotheistic religions, including zoroastrianism, christianity, islam, sikhism, and baha. Judaism and islam have traditionally attempted to interpret scripture as exclusively monotheistic whilst christianity diverted to a more complex form of monotheism, as a result of considering the holy spirit to be god, and attributing divinity to jesus, a judean jew, in the first century ad, defining him as the son of god. Similar views of life buddhism according to communication between cultures by larry a.
What are the differences between sikhism and islam answers. Those who follow a monotheistic religion believe in the existence of a single god. 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. Syncretism and the zoroastrian influence on judaism published 4. Buddhism and hinduism monotheistic interfaith dialogue. Exploring sikhisms cultural and thematic connections to hinduism and islam. Religious syncretism and millions of other books are available for amazon kindle. Dec 01, 2011 many say it is polytheistic while some say it is really monotheistic.
Sikhism what is, history, founder, characteristics, beliefs. Hindumuslim syncretism in india has deep cultural roots which has survived political and social upheaval,s. Aug 12, 2018 those who follow a monotheistic religion believe in the existence of a single god. Sri swami chidanda taking all of the above into consideration, our fast facts on hinduism page classifies hinduism as pantheism with polytheistic elements. There are numerous syncretic shrines across the country which even today continue to attract people of both faiths. Hinduism is a compilation of many traditions and philosophies and is considered by many scholars to be the worlds oldest religion, dating back more than 4,000 years. Continuitysikhism connections to hinduism and islam. Instances of religious syncretismas, for example, gnosticism a religious dualistic system that incorporated elements from the oriental mystery religions, judaism, christianity, and greek religious philosophical conceptswere particularly prevalent during the hellenistic period c. He just takes on many different forms the 3 main forms are. This is the book most read as the holy book of our religion. Shinto by definition cannot be consider as a religion in a a way, and is syncretic. Religious syncretism exhibits blending of two or more religious belief systems into a new.
They are referred to as abrahamic religions because all three trace their origins to a common prophet, abraham. Zoroastrianisms influence on judaism, christianity, islam. Hinduism is a way of life of the hindu people of india, their diaspora, and some other regions which had hindu influence in the ancient and medieval times. Religious syncretism, the fusion of diverse religious beliefs and practices.
Have students brainstorm with a partner and then generate a possible list with the class. Shiva, vishnu, and brahma judaism, islam, and, christianity are all abrahamic religions which make them similar in stories and philosophies. In preislamic tradition, allah had a female partner, allat, but in a polytheistic. Monotheistic religion synonyms, monotheistic religion pronunciation, monotheistic religion translation, english dictionary definition of monotheistic religion.
Hinduism has given much freedom to people in worship. Hinduism is a religion that defies definite classification, and in practice, it has both monotheistic and polytheistic components. With over a billion adherents, many claim that the religion is monotheistic and helmed by the supreme being, brahma. 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. Many of its rituals are oral and take different forms in different ethnic groups. Islam is a monotheistic, abrahamic religion founded during the seventh century. Syncretism project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. There is debate as to whether zoroastrianism is a monotheistic or dualistic religion. Combining two religions to create a new religion is known as syncretism. 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. Syncretism and the zoroastrian influence on judaism.
However there are many who define hinduism as monotheistic because of. There is no such thing as a pure islam syncretism is often associated with negative connotations. Monotheism definition of monotheism by the free dictionary. 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. Religious syncretism entails the integration of two religious beliefs into new system. In fact, all of creation and everything in it is a part of god, so it seems to be polytheistic. The religion of islam is based on one core belief, that there is no god worthy of worship but allah. Monotheism characterizes the traditions of judaism, christianity, and islam, and elements of the belief are discernible in numerous other religions. The final monotheistic religion well discuss in this lesson is islam, which is the second largest religion in the world. Remind them of the map of the old city of jerusalem that they discussed on the first day of the unit. Monotheism is the belief in a single creator god and the lack of belief in any other creator. Unlike polytheism, which believes that there is more than one god, or atheism, which does not believe in any sort of supernatural power, monotheism holds the belief that there is only one true god.