10 monotheistic gods that many have never even heard of

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

There is a generally accepted stereotype that monotheistic gods are a kind of bearded entity, similar to old people. But in fact, the concept of one God in different parts of the world and among different peoples sometimes took very strange and unusual forms.

1. "Great Glory" of the Mandeans

The Mandeans (or Sabians), often referred to as the "disciples of John the Baptist," are followers of the Abrahamic religion who believe their religion is older than Judaism, Christianity and Islam, but it has simply not been actively preached since the first century AD. Now the only ones who can join the Mandean faith are those who were born into the Mandean family. Their god, whom the Sabians themselves call "Great Glory", allegedly created all the worlds of the Universe, as well as souls that were placed in human bodies by angels.

While in the material world, the soul must suffer. But at the same time, being part of the divine creation, the soul must also do good deeds and resist evil. After death, the soul is cleansed and returns to where it originally came from. The sacred book of the Mandeans is called Ginza Rabba ("great treasure") and it was allegedly given to Adam by the archangel after the creation of man.

2. Al Aakal Al Kulli

Members of the Syrian Druze sect believe that God is not a separate entity, but everything that exists is a reflection of the absolute deity. They believe that the universe exists due to the divine nature. Physical existence is a manifestation of God. Heaven and hell denote abstract concepts of spiritual distance from God, and people reincarnate until they are reunited with Al Aakal Al Kulli ("cosmic mind"). The Druze believe that God incarnated in the material world in the Fatimid Caliph Al-Hakim Biamrillah. While Muslims believe the Caliph died in 1027, the Druze claim that he disappeared and is waiting to bring a new golden age to Earth again.

3. Shandi

During the Shang Dynasty, China believed in the existence of a supreme god known as Di ("The Supreme Lord") or Shandi ("Heavenly Supreme Ruler"), who was the supreme deity and something of a king by earthly standards. He also had authority over natural disasters and weather. He, as the Chinese believed, lives in the heavenly city of Shang with the ancestors of the royal family, and also communicates with people through an oracle or fortune-telling bones. When the Zhou dynasty came to power, the worship of Shandi replaced the worship of Tian ("heaven"). At the beginning of the Zhou Tian and Shandi period, they could have been interchangeable concepts.

4. Shiva

Although the name of this Hindu god is fairly well known, he is mostly known as the lord of creation and destruction in the Hindu pantheon. His archetypal form, which was known as Rudra, was a man with horns and an erect phallus, surrounded by animals for which he was a protective shepherd. For the followers of Shaivism, Siddhantu Shiva is the only deity, and other gods are only his partial manifestations.

According to their concept, the universe consists of three absolutely real concepts: pati (Shiva), pasu (living souls), and pasha (material universe). Pasha and Pasha exist thanks to the party, but everything around is eternal and cannot be created or destroyed. Vishnu and Brahma, two other major gods in Hinduism, were considered subordinates of Shiva in this belief system.

5. Hyphistos

According to the surviving Greek records, among the inhabitants of Asia Minor, as well as in the Black Sea region from 400 BC. before 200 ADthere was widespread belief in a single god known as Gifistos ("the Most High"). Some consider this faith to be an offshoot of the Hebrew-pagan syncretic religion, often referred to as Theosebeis ("God-fearing"), which later merged into Christianity. The term was sometimes applied to Zeus or local supreme deities.

The references to the worship of Gythistos in the north of the Black Sea may have been references to the Bosporus royal cult associated with the Sarmatian sky gods and horse gods. In Anatolia, references to Hyphistos may have referred to local monotheism, henotheism, or Zoroastrianism. In Athens, the worship of Hythistos may have evolved from the worship of Zeus, but it was distinguished by some unique elements, such as belief in healing.

6. Hananim

In ancient Korean shamanism, they believed in many gods and spirits of nature, but Hannyllim (or Hananim), the Ruler of Heaven, who ruled everything in this world, enjoyed special respect. The impact of Christian ideas in the early modern era led to the development of the Chongdogyo or Tonhak religion. In 1860, Choi Che Woo stated that he had a vision of Hananim who told him that humanity was suffering from a spiritual illness. The Hananim is perceived as a kind of Great Integrity that is present in all human beings. Cheongdogyo teaches how to "heal" God in a person, thereby creating heaven on earth. The followers of Chongdogyo argue that since God is in every person, everyone is equal (this is how they differ from other religions).

7. Chukwu

While polytheism and pantheism are common in African religions, monotheistic ideas are by no means uncommon. A popular belief among Igbo people in West Africa is a belief in a supreme creator deity known as Chukwu ("Great Chi"), who was powerful enough to create life. Chukwu is considered the unity of male and female, visible and invisible, living and inanimate. Human relations with Chukwu were described in Odani ("Great Rules") - a set of divine laws to which every person obeys. In a sense, Chukwu is a God who is responsible for different parts of the universe, other deities or spirits. On the other hand, Chukwu also constantly continues to create new things.

8. Wusheng Laomu

In the middle of the Ming Dynasty in China, in contrast to Confucianism, folk religions emerged from Buddhist, Taoist and Christian ideas. Many of these traditions were based on the belief in Wusheng Laomu ("The Unborn Mother"). She was also known as Wucheng Laomu ("Eternal Mother") and Wuji Laomu ("Great Mother of Nothingness"). She is believed to be the creator of the universe, the main creative and transformative force, and also the progenitor and foremother of all divine and mortal beings in the universe. It was the Eternal Mother who created the man and woman who founded the human race.

9. Alekh

Founded in the 19th century in the Indian state of Orissa, Mahima Dharma was a religion that worshiped a deity known as Mahima Aleh - a supreme, unnamed and indescribable deity. The believers worshiped this God as sunya ("emptiness"), which means "everything and nothing." Believing that the path to deity can only be traversed through meditation, asceticism and rituals, believers reject all forms of idolatry. Mahima Dharma was described as follows: "There is only one ultimate reality. The human mind has bowed before the One for centuries. After all, true worship leads from many to one and only one."

10. Malak Tavus

Many non-Muslim Kurds belong to three religious denominations that originated from the ancient faith known as Yazdani ("Cult of Angels"): Yezidism, Alevism, and Yarsanism. Babism and Bahaism also originated from Yazdani in the 19th century. Followers of the Yazdani religion believe that the material universe was created by the Khak ("universal spirit") through the manifestation of the highest avatars, who were considered Gods by other religions, except for the Yezidis.

The Yazidis believe that the universal spirit has manifested itself in various avatars throughout history, although the Hak does not usually interfere with the material universe. Members of the Yazdani denominations profess faith in seven angelic beings who protect the universe from seven evil spirits of matter. An angel called Malak Tavus or Melek Tavuz ("Angel-Peacock") enjoys special respect among the Yezidis.

For those who are interested in the topic of religions, it will be interesting to learn about crucifixion in the Bible and in real life.