If the Jews had been polytheists, would they have disappeared like the Babylonians? If Christians worshiped Jesus as the ‘other’ god of the Greco-Roman world, their faith would be lost in the mysterious religion of Rome. If Muhammad had not separated Allah from the polytheistic society, Muhammad’s campaign would have been lost in the wilderness. Monotheistic views, and especially Christian values, transformed the world.
For the Glory of God: How Monotheism Led to Reformations, Science, Witch-Hunts, and the End of Slavery is the title of the book. I spent 19 hours in 17 days (August 31-September 16) reading this 496 page work. The author of this book, published in 2015, is Rodney Stark. Stark is a sociologist who authored more than 30 books.
It is clear from the title of the book that belief in monotheism led to reformism, science, the abolition of witchcraft, and the end of slavery. Belief in God shaped the history and culture of the Western world, and its influence is felt worldwide.
The first consequence of believing in monotheism is: Protestant Reformation. Although efforts to reform the church date back centuries, on 31 October 1517, the theologian Martin Luther caused an earthquake in the then cultural church by posting 95 theses on the door of All Saints Church in Wittenberg, Germany. That day was the beginning of reformism.
The author argues that the rise of modern science is due to belief in one God. Christian theology was indispensable for the rise of science. The rise of modern science did not occur in Asia or Africa. It arose: in Christian Europe. Why Because of its unique contribution to the Christian faith in Western culture. According to the Christian faith, this whole world is God’s creation which is rational. Science could not have emerged without this Christian belief. Since He is a rational God, the human race created in His image is also rational, and it is understood that he can use his logic to explore this material world. The perfect God created the world using unshakable principles. Christians not only believed that science was possible but also that it should be.
There was a time when almost all educated people in Europe believed in witchcraft. From 1450 to 1750, people were hunted in the name of witchcraft. An estimated 60,000 were killed. Satanism was the essence of European witchcraft. The fact that there is only one true God makes it clear that it is wrong to worship other so-called gods. The practice of witchcraft gradually disappeared.
The abolition of slavery is the fourth consequence of the belief in monotheism. Followers of Christ Jesus have made significant contributions to eradicate this widely practiced evil. The author writes, “Of all the world’s religions, including the three great monotheistic religions, slavery was a sin and the idea that it should be abolished only emerged in Christianity. सबै Slavery was almost universal for all societies that could buy it at once. Only in the Western world has there been a significant moral upheaval that has led to its elimination. ” From the Christian point of view, slavery was not just a practice, it was a sin. Neither philosophers nor non-biblical thinkers view slavery as morally inhumane. Men and women who embraced the Christian faith opposed slavery and abolished it because it was a sin.
Faith in the one and only God caused great changes in the world, which are described in detail in four books.
