The earliest monotheism we know?

Paradox_Uncreated

God is the uncreated, unchanging, yes.
A lot of Abrahamic teaching is still in hinduism. Such as the uncreated soul/consciousness. Atman, I believe it is called.
However I do believe that the part of having to worship an image, and try to be like it, and maybe lesser error, to give food to statues, and so forth, or other customs, are later polytheistic distortion. But you can clearly see that the message was there. And with an eye, used to seeing this kind of information, monotheism obscured by polytheism, it becomes easier to see it elsewhere aswell. Particulary with the outset, that gnosis is the foundation of all religious teaching. So essentially, they are all trying to teach the same. "We do not consider them at odds". The Quran, about the prophets. And all people, have had their messengers.

Peace.

Jafar

I think it's debatable that Abraham is the founder of 'modern religion' given..

He didn't even invent or found a religion in the first place. (Anybody aware of Abrahamist sect / worshiper or exclusive place of worship for Abrahamist?)
Hinduism told many wisdom teachings from Krishna.. which also a 'historically existed' person few thousand years ago.
Buddhism derived their teaching from the teaching of Sidharta Gautama..another real person..
Taosim derived their teaching from Lao Tze's Tao Te Ching.
There are basically two group which is dominant in today's genre of "Wisdom Teachings" one is the "Abrahamic Culture/Religion" in the west and the "Dharmic Culture/Religion" in the east.

Now, regarding the 'earliest monotheism'..

Presumably Adam was the first monotheist human in the world.
I can argue that 'monotheism' is not so important due to according to the Quran, the Devil himself are monotheist in the first place.
And because the Devil exists before Adam.. perhaps the Devil are the 'earliest monotheist'...

Now let's expand the discussion towards the eastern culture / religion..
In contrary to the western / Abrahamic religion, the eastern culture /religions doesn't view that FAITH which includes Monotheism are important at all.. They put much emphasis on ACTION and not FAITH and/or the BELIEF ON SINGULAR DEITY. That is why it is called "Dharmic Religion" because "Dharma" means ACTION in Sanskrit.

In eastern culture / religions "The True God" is not being personified at all.. God is being referred as "IT" rather than "HE".
And IT is not being worshiped at all..
The (original) belief was IT / TAO / OHM / BRAMAN created the universe with it sets of law. And one of the most important law are Action-Reaction which also known as "Kharmic Law", it doesn't matter what one believe is because "The Kharmic Law" are applicable for both "Believers" and "Unbelievers" as well... In that sense; belief is not important yet ACTION is what really matters.

The influence of "The Kharmic Law" are clearly evident in Abrahamic religions too as a jewish sage once said..
"Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them for this is the law and the prophets"
-- Matthew 712
Which know known as "The Golden Rule"...

So who 'fathered' who? It's blurry, I would say both culture influences each others greatly...

Salam / Peace

Paradox_Uncreated

Did you not know Abraham was a prophet? I see him as a gnostic, who experienced God, and therefore gained the status of prophet.
And he didn't invent a religion, he just described the religion that already existed, and has always been. Hinduism seems to have it's monotheistic roots, in the statement of, that the word created everything. that it was Ohm, is an addition and innovation. The word is the monotheistic concept of God, consciousness.
Buddhism is also a gnostic direction, one is told to "seek the truth". And this is also a path to gnosis. And in buddhism, the mind is often understood as the same as God. However there has been misunderstandings, or innovations in Buddhism aswell. For instance, you need to achieve nirvana, a state of desirelessness. However God is that state. And God is consciousness. So we are already and have always been in nirvana. You just need to realize it. God/We are a trancendent timeless, spaceless paradox. Omnipresent aswell.

Taosim particulary deals very directly with this paradox. The tao is that, and it is not that.
After a while you will see, there is originally no difference between these religions, but they are based in generic knowledge of God. The people expressing these religions can be seen as the same entity. This entity is called Gabriel, in Abrahamic religion.

About the earliest monotheist, that was ofcourse God himself. heheh.

Peace.

R_H_-Ustahi

Hello,

The reason of religion's existence is not religion.

Some unknown writer said Religion is human attempt to know GOD.

Whether it succeeds or not, depends if s/he is made for it. Thus, everyone goes to school, but not everyone gets educated.

A friend of mine pointed out the root of the word religion "I would offer you a small gift which is to look at the word religion, it means to tie back to, to be grounded in oneself this orientation does not come from without, it comes from within, and end within as well. to me thats the beauty of religare.religion"

Mainly, religion is human missunderstading. Enlightened imam can teach in the church, and the enlightened priest can teach in the mosque. The rest represent the own party.

You know if someone is guided by the freedom you feel/experience in their presence/their work.

Corrupt people imply be like me.

The pure imply let go of me, and be like you.

The paths are infinite and the goal is Infinite.

At both ends of the spectrum of time awaits GOD.

So praise be to GOD. The Lord of the worlds.

Peace,
R.

Paradox_Uncreated

Let Us Be Ourselves, in other words. angel

Jafar

Did you not know Abraham was a prophet? I see him as a gnostic, who experienced God, and therefore gained the status of prophet.

"Prophethood" are terms / concept only known in the west.. specifically the Greeks, Iranians, Israelites and Semites..
The original meanings of Prophet or Navi (Hebrew) are "Those whose tongue spoke God's words".. as implied by the root word Nun-Vet which denotes 'hollowness'. The same concept is also mentioned in their books..
"...and I will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him"
-- Deutoronomy 1818

Again, the concept of "God speak" can only be found in the west where God is being personified..

Within the eastern culture there are "Deva" which in sanskrit actually means "Shining" and has been wrongfully translated as "God"..
And the buddhist had similar concept, "Buddha" is also a title to those who are "Enlightened"..
Oddly enough there are Deva named Brahma with his wife (Devi) named Sarasvati which strikes a linguistic resemblance with Abram/Abraham and Sara. (Please don't confuse Brahma the Deva and Brahman the universal spirit in Hinduism).

So is Abraham a Navi or not? A Deva or not? A Buddha or not??
Well actually it is irrelevant .. if we see it from 'the eastern way of thinking'..
As "believe and opinion" doesn't matter... it's your deeds / action which does matter the most...

Hinduism seems to have it's monotheistic roots, in the statement of, that the word created everything. that it was Ohm, is an addition and innovation. The word is the monotheistic concept of God, consciousness.

Again, for the eastern folks, belief does not matter...
And correction "Ohm" / "Om" is similar to "Kun" or "Will Be" (Hebrew Yahweh) in the western religions..
Another 'symbol' of the acceptance towards absolute power 'supreme force' called Brahman in Hinduism..

When they say "Om" it's the same thing as saying "What ever will be will be"..
Another trace of the islam (read submission) attitude and character (but not religion) in the eastern culture..

Om is clearly not an innovation or addition.. it's actually one of the root teachings of the Veda...

"The goal, which all Vedas declare, which all austerities aim at, and which humans desire when they live a life of conscience, I will tell you briefly it is Om"
-- Katha Upanishad

Buddhism is also a gnostic direction, one is told to "seek the truth". And this is also a path to gnosis. And in buddhism, the mind is often understood as the same as God. However there has been misunderstandings, or innovations in Buddhism aswell. For instance, you need to achieve nirvana, a state of desirelessness. However God is that state. And God is consciousness. So we are already and have always been in nirvana. You just need to realize it. God/We are a trancendent timeless, spaceless paradox. Omnipresent aswell.

Again Nirvana is not an 'innovation' or 'misunderstanding'.. it's actually shows your 'misunderstanding' of Buddhism main wisdom.
Nirvana is the ultimate goal of all spirituality and fully enlightened souls.. as symbolized by Om..
When you achieve the 'desirelessness' it meant that you're 'totally in harmony with the supreme'... as the supreme's desire is your desire.. and you accept it desire as your desire too.. that's the original concept..

Mind you that "God" is not being personified at all in eastern culture.. and for them praising and worshiping a personalized deity will not yield any benefits..

Taosim particulary deals very directly with this paradox. The tao is that, and it is not that.
After a while you will see, there is originally no difference between these religions, but they are based in generic knowledge of God. The people expressing these religions can be seen as the same entity. This entity is called Gabriel, in Abrahamic religion.
About the earliest monotheist, that was ofcourse God himself. heheh.

Wheter it's gabriel, deva or anything it really doesn't matter right?
And of course monotheism or belief also doesn't matter.. if we're thinking in eastern way of thinking..
It's the deeds / actions that really matters..

Salam / Peace / Om Santi Santi Om

Paradox_Uncreated

Has he attained Moksha? etcetc, it's all the same to me.

Mutazilaah

Dont you think there is a difference between the Creator and the created and this distinction is obscured by Ibn Arabi and Hindu philosophy.

The reality we are experiencing is a 'created' reality, so there is a creator, or how I would express it, the existence if a Conscious Intelligent Creative Force. But what that Force creates in the physical realm that we experience itself is a Manifestation of the power and glory and wisdom and intelligence and creativity of that Force. As Rumi said, we are not a drop in the ocean, but we are the ocean in the drop. The reason I do not actually worship a tree or the sun or the moon is the same as me not being able to acknowledge that a drop of your blood, or a piece of your hair, or your finger nail is YOU. You are not the parts that make you WHAT you are. WHO you are is outside of your body. A metaphysical experience called Consciousness. God manifests in and as the very thing God creates ... but physical creation is not all that exists, there is creation outside of the physical as well ... beyond physical or metaphysical ... Nothing exists without Consciousness. As the observer effect in theoretical physics says a conscious observer has to observe something in order for it to exist. The Creative Force (God) which is the highest level of consciousness (divine consciousness) likewise observes reality in order for it to exist. You are not separate from your reality, you are in your reality and that reality is in your consciousness. God is in the reality God creates (God progressively creates) and that reality is expressed by this Conscious Intelligent Designer. You are Consciousness. Consciousness is you. Without Consciousness nothing exists. When you lose consciousness, your body is off, just like the radio or television can be off, but the signal is continuous. All of the individual components of physical and nonphysical reality and existence make up the whole of what this Intelligent Creative Force is. Just as how all of organs and bones and body parts and the millions of body cells, molecules, atoms and subatomic particles and continuous vibrating energy WHO too have certain levels of metaphysical intelligence and consciousness but make up WHAT you are in the physical sense. You can describe physical existence as a manifestation of WHAT God is and what God is capable of. But WHO is God? First and foremost, God is a not a HE or a SHE or a PERSON. God is not in any direction except within Yourself, within the reach of your subjective level of Consciousness, and yet outside of the physical Manifestation .... but the physical Manifestation exists only because metaphysical Consciousness which is everywhere and in everything focuses on it to Be and it is.

Paradox_Uncreated

Actually what I mean by oom and innovation is that meditating on it, has no beneficial effect. It may very well be the equvivalent of "be!", in abrahamic religion. But the point is that The Word, is consciousness.

FAR

http//www.custance.org/old/evol/2ch1/2ch1.html

R_H_-Ustahi

Let Us Be Ourselves, in other words. angel

By all means be yourself. Otherwise, how can you serve GOD without being who you were meant to be?

Peace,
R.

Paradox_Uncreated

http//www.custance.org/old/evol/2ch1/2ch1.html

bravo