Posted by:
Amyjo
(
)
Date: August 29, 2015 05:24AM
The Jewish religion was a pivotal force in shaping what made not only itself but its offshoots: Christianity and Islam.
I'm not sure I buy into the argument that governments needed a monotheistic God in order to become centralized as authority figures, and to control populations.
Having a monotheistic God, on the other hand, has shaped the democratic governments as we understand them, down to today.
The American system, for example, formed under a Judeo-Christian mindset of law.
"Ethical Monotheism has changed the world. John Adams, second president of the U.S., wrote:
'I will insist the Hebrews have [contributed] more to civilize men than any other nation. If I was an atheist and believed in blind eternal fate, I should still believe that fate had ordained the Jews to be the most essential instrument for civilizing the nations... They are the most glorious nation that ever inhabited this Earth. The Romans and their empire were but a bubble in comparison to the Jews. They have given religion to three-quarters of the globe and have influenced the affairs of mankind more and more happily than any other nation, ancient or modern.' (John Adams, letter to F. A. Van der Kemp, 1808, Pennsylvania Historical Society)
It's no wonder Jewish ideas have changed the world. The Jewish national mission for over 3,000 years has been as a 'Light Unto the Nations.'
Spread of Monotheism
For millennia the Jews stood alone with these beliefs. How is it that this little people, 0.2 % of the world's population, the most hated people in human history, succeeded in getting the world to accept their ethical vision?
Paul Johnson, in A History of the Jews, gives part of the answer: '...the result was monotheism and the three great religions which profess it.'
The Jews have professed monotheism for almost 4,000 years. This was later adopted by Christianity and Islam, which have converted hundreds of millions of people from amoral polytheism to monotheism, introducing the basic tenets of Judaism to the majority of humanity."
http://www.aish.com/sem/wp/Part_11_Monotheism_and_its_Implications.htmlAbraham is considered the "Father of Judaism." I don't believe that he accepted a pluralistic godhead, or was a polytheist.
From his becoming the father of the Jewish nation, it's a leap to say Judaism "used to be" Canaanite Polytheism, or any other theism besides what it is.
Judaism was a major departure from the above.
In answer to whether the Jews were ever Polytheistic? "There is no way to disprove the claim. However it depends on an interpretation of the bible that Jews would not recognise and that goes against over 2000 years of Jewish writings and teachings.
Jews themselves say that their ancestors pre-Abraham were idol-worshipers. The Passover Seder meal service states (in the Hagadah - the book read (t this service) 'Originally our ancestors were idol worshippers, but God brought us to His service'. Several stories from the Book of Kings, and later, show that idol workship continued. An example is the story of Elijah versus the false prophets of Baal. However the essence of Judaism is monotheism - even if not all early Israelites followed this. The Hebrew Prophets condemned them for these false beliefs." (~ Arthur Weiss, Orthodox Jew)
https://www.quora.com/Were-the-Jews-ever-Polytheistic-Is-there-a-way-to-verify-or-disprove-the-claim