Bøger i Elements in Religion and Monotheism serien

Monotheism (tawhid)-as attested to by the cosmos, known through reason, explicated in revelation, and exemplified by the lives of the righteous-forms the core of the Islamic worldview. A conviction in this unadulterated monotheism unifies Muslims across time and place; it is found in the core profession of faith (the shahada) and is reinforced by thousands of Qur'anic verses and prophetic teachings. Drawing on the Qur'anic discourse, sayings of the Prophet Muhammad, and select theological works, this Element provides a concise and accessible introduction to the most fundamental concept in Islamic thought. The work explains the nature and attributes of God and examines how tawhid informs conceptions of truth, morality, piety, and virtue.

"The focus of this Element is the variegated ways in which Christians address, turn to, and worship God in their central rituals and celebrations. Surveying a representative sample of official liturgical sources from different Christian Churches, the question is asked how 'pure' the monotheism expressed in them is"--

This Element defends a version of the classical theory of divine ideas; the containment exemplarist theory. This holds that God's own nature is the examplar of all possible creation, so God's ideas are ideas of himself. Containment exemplarism offers a montheism fit for metaphysics, as it is coherent, simple and explanatorily powerful.

If by monotheism we mean the idea of a single transcendent God who creates the universe out of nothing, then that is not found in the history of Hinduism. But if we mean a supreme, transcendent deity who impels the universe, an ultimate source of all other gods who are her or his emanations, then this can be found in Hinduism.

After offering a brief overview of the role of faith within Judaism, Christianity and Islam, an interdisciplinary analysis of faith, belief, belief systems and the act of believing is undertaken. The debate over the nature of doctrine between George Lindbeck and Alister McGrath brings into focus four ways in which beliefs can be employed: expressive, interpretative, formative and referential/relational. An analysis of monotheistic belief ensues which demonstrates how it can function meaningfully in each of these modes, including the last, where insights from phenomenology and relational ontology, as well as philosophical theology, favour a participatory approach in which God is encountered not as an object of investigation, but as that transcendent Other whose worship is the fulfilment of human being. The study concludes by highlighting convergences between the nature of faith presented in the initial scriptural overview and that developed throughout the rest of the study.

The main question of this Element is how the existence, supremacy, and uniqueness of an almighty and immaterial God bear on our own nature. It aims to uncover lessons about what we are by thinking about what God might be. A dominant theme is that Abrahamic monotheism is a surprisingly hospitable framework within which to defend and develop the view that we are wholly material beings. But the resulting materialism cannot be of any standard variety. It demands revisions and twists on the usual views. We can indeed learn about ourselves by learning about God. One thing we learn is that, though we are indeed wholly material beings, we're not nearly as ordinary as we might seem.

Suffering and evil in the world provide the basis for the most difficult challenge to monotheistic belief. This Element discusses how the three great monotheisms - Judaism, Christianity, and Islam - respond to the problem of suffering and evil. Different versions of the problem, types of answers, and recurring themes in philosophical and religious sources are analyzed. Objections to the enterprise of theodicy are also discussed as are additional objections to the monotheistic God more broadly. This treatment culminates in a recommendation for how monotheism can best respond to the most serious formulation of the problem, the argument from gratuitous evil.

In the Hebrew Bible, various aspects of theism exist though monotheistic faith stands out, and the New Testament largely continues with Jewish monotheism. This Element examines diverse aspects of monotheism in the Hebrew Bible and their implications to others or race relations. Also, it investigates monotheistic faith in the New Testament writings and its impact on race relations, including the work of Jesus and Paul's apostolic mission. While inclusive monotheism fosters race relations, exclusive monotheism harms race relations. This Element also engages contemporary biblical interpretations about the Bible, monotheistic faith, and race/ethnicity.

Forgiveness is a hallmark teaching within monotheistic religions. This Element introduces the topic in three ways. First, it considers the extent to which forgiveness is specific to or constituted by monotheistic beliefs, by a comparison with analogous teaching and practice in Buddhism. Second, the most extensive section explores the grammar of forgiveness shared across the Abrahamic traditions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam - elements of repentance, intercession, and eschatological deferral. This section identifies some of the divergent tendencies or emphases on this topic among those traditions. A third section addresses the role of forgiveness and monotheistic religions in human cultural evolution and the emergence of eusociality. The aim is for the reader to gain an introductory view of monotheism and forgiveness from a comparative religious example, from an internal examination of Abrahamic traditions, and from a developmental, secular perspective.

This Element shows how monotheism contributed to science's rise, explores reasons for supposing that science is taking over monotheism's traditional roles in western culture and considers how the relationship between science's high standing and the status of monotheism might appear in the future.

If there is one God, why are there so many religions? This Element argues that monotheism provides the basis for a belief in objective truth. Human understanding is fallible and partial, without the idea of one God, there is no foundation for a belief in one reality or a common human nature. The shadow of monotheism lies over everything.

This Element examines aspects of monotheism and hope. Distinguishing monotheism from nontheistic religions, it explores how God transcends terms used to describe the religious ultimate. Wainwright examines the loves prized in Islam, Christianity and theistic Hinduism, and defends the sort of love valorized by them against some charges against it.

In this Element, Michael Ruse offers a critical analysis of contemporary atheism. He puts special emphasis on the work of so-called 'New Atheists': Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Daniel Dennett, and Christopher Hitchins, whose views are contrasted with those of Edward O. Wilson.

Monotheism and the Meaning of Life explores the role of God, and the relationship to the question 'What is the meaning of life?' for adherents of the main monotheistic religions. Mawson argues that there are various questions implicit in the notion of the meaning of life.

This Element explores ideas on trans-polytheism and Nirvana, along with overlaps in Buddhist and monotheist ideas and practices, the development of more theist-like ideas in Mahayana Buddhism, Buddhist critiques of the idea of a creator God, and some contemporary Buddhist views and appreciations of monotheisms.