preview

Monotheism : Monism And Hinduism

Decent Essays

Monotheism can be defined as the idea of one single God (Richter 28). Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are all monotheistic religions which follow one transcendent Creator of all things. Monism, on the other hand, refers to belief in an ultimate reality that is single and unique, like God, but not personified (Richter 31). Monism is evident in aspects of Hinduism such as the idea of Brahman in the last of the early Hindu writings. While both terms have more differences than similarities, they share the belief in one God or divine being. Also, they are both considered forms of theism.
Conversely, while monism does not note a difference between the idea of God and creation but rather involves just one ultimate reality, monotheism clearly does. For example, Buddhists seek to be free of the suffering caused by desires and pleasures extending from the individual self, whereas Christians believe to be created beings who are completely dependent on God (Olson). Furthermore, monism does not consider the empirical self to be a real thing but just an illusion from which we must fight to break free such as in Buddhism where followers seek to reach enlightenment by denying the body of earthly pleasures. In contrast, monotheistic religions such as Christianity and Judaism emphasize that the most important thing humans should have is a personal relationship with God since He is the one who has ultimate control of man’s life and destiny.
In addition, monism does not make a distinction

Get Access