The Rise of Monotheism in Israel and Its Implications in Human Society

Abstract

In the world of today, variety of opinions seems to favour polytheism and many also live under the veil of henotheism. Some even engage in a movement into pure paganism. This gives an idea of an era faced with religious confusion. The emerging situation engenders a depraved society where least attention is paid to morality, and where there is frequent occurrence and escalation of violence. Since the two major religions in Nigeria, Christianity and Islam, are monotheistic in nature, one is tempted to question the essence of monotheistic religion and its relevance in human society. The method adopted in this research is historical critical method. This helps the researcher to expose the religious and developmental trajectory of the Israelites that brought about Yahwistic monotheism. The researcher found out that monotheism gave rise to Rabbinic Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Hence, Jewish monotheism, the product of an intellectual and religious trajectory, is a reality that has immensely shaped the destiny of human religious development. Though some scholars have argued that monotheistic expressions can lead to intolerance, violence and tyranny, it has been established that monotheism has an ultimate tendency to produce humanitarian values. It also projects a tradition of egalitarianism and engenders equality. Contemporary thinkers observe that monotheism encourages not only freedom of God, but also freedom and equality of human beings. It is the conviction of the researcher that a good understanding of how the monotheism of the Israelites emerged, and its positive implication within human society, would be a good panacea to the religious disorientation discernible in the Nigerian society today.