Monotheism and Polytheism

In class today we worked on these lists, I thought the real huge difference from Monotheism and Polytheism was that one believes in several gods and the other religion is based off one god. We also read  articles in class and taught the group I was in that these two religions have more similarities, and more differences than I thought there would be.  My group and I learned alot by making these few lists which taught us they are similar.  I also realized that for some of the Pros for monotheism was the opposite for Polytheism and that would go under Cons, and it was the same if you switch it.
Monotheism:
Believes in one god
Rational choice in religion
Concrete appeal
More believers in today's society
Popular now
Its more of a community
Most popular way that people now believe in religion
Polytheism:
More than one god or goddesses
Irrational
More historic around the BC
Choose who they would want to worship

How they are similar:
Beliefs are essential to both religions
Prayers to wellness and prosperity
Both religious communities
Religious laws

Polytheism
Pros:
Inflexible and strict
A god for everything
Freedom and who you want to worship
Cons: The many gods aren't has powerful than the one in monotheism's

Monotheism
Pros: Rational
Based off of individual beliefs
One god gives a lot of good faith to the believers
Its more dominate
One God can carry the whole religion
Cons:
One god can be stricter
Having different ways in the religion

Religion Elements

* Why are the believers the essential element to understanding the history of a religion?


The believers in religion are the one's that bring to life, shape it, and pass the stories on to future generations. If it wasn't because of the believers, the traditions, and cultural elements would fly off one and the time. It would not be able to be passed on down future believers that adopt to the religion from past grand parents and friends in the tribes. If religion isn't carried over to other generations, the memory is only held by those believers. Then when it is passed down to family members, it would expand the belief of that religion, there would be more believers and it would become more known.



* Why do you think religion in 2011 CE is so much different than religion in 2011 BCE?
The changes in which a society when advances the religion from 2011 CE to 2011 BCE its is just crazy to think of the changes thought a few decades, like when you were little what did you think was going to happen in the future? By 2010 I thought there was going to be flying cars and that didn't happen. So how could the people many years ago predict the future of there religion and beliefs. They had to relay on their followers, not every one knew there religion, but now cause of the Internet, pretty much of every religion you can find on google. Around in 2011 CE those beliefs decided to slightly change the beliefs of the religion. Religion is not changed over a quick time, its is modiflyed over time and is shaped around the believers and the way that they interact with others. Its really en ever long process that will be changing thought the next decades and will drop and adding new retrials and traditions. Thousands of years ago religion rituals would include sacrificing animals over time humans have modiflyed those rituals. Also like on Hanuka families different prospectives on food, presents and lighting the candles. My family celebrates it differently because if we know were going to be out that night we light an extra candle the night before. Or if a check in the mail comes before Hanuka we have the choice of opening it. But know with every ones crazy shedulue religions are now modiflyed to fit into our daily life's.

Religion and World View

Whether people hold strong religious beliefs, or they are not as religious, or they are not religious at all, their world view is affected by those beliefs, or lack of them.  For example, Catholics are taught that abortion is a sin, and so is premarital sex.  So, many of them hold more conservative political beliefs that reflect their religious upbringing.  They support pro-life candidates in elections who tend to be republican and conservative.  They also tend to favor school curricula that teach creationism, instead of evolution.  This shows that their entire idea about how the world was created is influenced by the stories in the Bible   instead of being based on scientific evidence.  On the other hand, Jews like myself who are raised in the reformed type of Judaism, are taught a much more liberal set of beliefs.   Most reformed Jews that I know support the ideals held by the politicians in Democratic party.  Issues that are important to them are women's rights, reproductive rights, and education that is based more upon scientific findings instead of religious teaching.  Reformed Jews value the "art" of argument and welcome political discussion and debate that is fact based.  In 8th grade we were taught about how church and state are separate, however, that does not mean that religion can not influence political beliefs.

Jewish School

When it came to the Tuesdays were I hated to go to Hebrew school, or when it was the Jewish holidays and had to sit it temple (which felt like a long time but was like only 2 hours).   As I little kid I didn't understand the whole meaning to go to Hebrew school and learn about the Jewish past, to kept the stories alive.  But now looking back my parents were able to give me something more than just going to Hebrew school, but to take those lessons learned and now knowing its a huge part of society and the why that people function with each other.  I hated to school, in the smelly old place next to a jungle gym, wanting to leave.  I hated Tuesday, when I was little, I thought being Jewish, was making food, art projects, celebrating holidays, and learning to read their writing.  When it came near my b'not mitzvah I was scared I didn't believe in anything,  nothing from that building I thought was true, I think it was because I wasn't engaged in the whole thing, it wasn't a choice for kids at five to choice what they are doing for the next 9 years for preperation for there big day.  I never since I was little believed in G-d or the religion or the stories that were told, but I use the good values to seek the world that I live in.   If you aren't in engaged at the beinging can you ever be plugged in at the end?
People like to know that some on is watching them, and that their life is under control in the way that some Jews have been living for a while.  Religion and at a young age tought in a Hebrew school can trier out the kids, Eddie the directer of the school was always telling us how to experience to be like a "Super Jew" but isn't religion just something you should be controlled by but letting us experience it our own way. And the morals that was taught to us a long time ago is playing a role now but letting us experience it differently.