Is Christianity really a monotheistic religion?

Question

How can Christians claim to belong to a monotheistic religion when they worship about a cazillion different saints who are experts in solving different problems? How is it monotheistic when God is three but also one? Even in polytheistic religions there is the supreme deity and the sub deities. Does the Christian religion really differ from all the other polytheistic religions?

Not only Catholics believe in many saints, there are other divisions of Christianity that worship saints, such as Orthodox Christians.

In ancient Greece there was Zeus, who was father of all and worshiped like no other and there were the rest who were also worshiped, usually when their expertise was needed. For instance Poseidon was god of the seas, when his help was needed people would pray to him. In Orthodox Christianity we see St. Nicolas being the protector of sea travellers, fishermen and so on. So I ask again, is there really a difference? You can play with words, but the fact is that prayers in Christianity (where there are saints worshiped) go in different directions according to the circumstances, just like in every other polytheistic religion.

Answer 1

God is not simple. He (or She) is a mystery and is more complex than we can ever imagine.

However He has revealed Himself to us as three equal persons in one God who we call the Holy Trinity, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Saints are not worshiped. They are our spiritual sisters and brothers.

Catholics share the belief in the Communion of Saints with many other Christians, including the Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and Episcopal Churches.

The Communion of Saints is the belief where all saints are intimately related in the Body of Christ, a family. When you die and go to heaven, you do not leave this family.

Everyone in heaven or on their way to heaven are saints, you, me, my deceased grandmother, Mary the mother of Jesus, and Mother Teresa.

As part of this family, you may ask your family and friends here on earth to pray for you. Or, you may also ask the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint Andrew, or your deceased grandmother in heaven to pray for you.

With love in Christ.

Answer 2

First of all, that business of praying to saints is a peculiarity of the Roman Catholic Church. And while they may be the single denomination with the largest membership worldwide, if we add up all the Protestants in the world, none of whom pray to anyone except God, the Catholics come out to be a decided minority.

The Bible does teach that there is only one God, that we are to have no other gods besides Him, and that we are not to make any graven images to bow down to or worship (Exodus 20:1-6).

The Old Testament makes various statements about God, that He is the Creator, the Redeemer, the Savior, the forgiver of sins, the First and the Last, the one to whom every knee shall bow and by whom every tongue shall swear, the I AM, etc. And the Old Testament is very particular about claiming that ONLY God is these things.

Then if we look at the New Testament, we find that it applies the Old Testament verses and concepts to... Jesus. Where A = God, B = Creator, Redeemer, Savior etc., and C = Jesus, the logical sequence 'If A = B and C = B, then A = C' amounts to a statement that Jesus is God.

The Holy Spirit is discussed more in the New Testament than the Old, but in attempting to answer the question of whether the Spirit is just a force, or something more than that, we can take note of whether the Spirit has a mind, will or emotions - and it turns out He does. So He is a Person - and since He is the Spirit of God, He is a Divine Person.

Now, that may sound pretty polytheistic. The reason this sounds absurd to some people is that they try to represent the Christian teaching about God with the equation '1+1+1=1'. Which of course doesn't work out too well in our usual mathematical system (although I am told that other mathematical systems are possible in which this and other equations such as 2+2=5 would be correct - if anyone really wants to know more, I can write to my math genius friend and find out the details).

So, we could change the system. However, I personally prefer another solution: to represent the Christian teaching with the equation 'x+x+x=x'. And this equation, in our usual mathematical system, is true in two instances: where x=0, and where x=infinity.

The variant of x=0 would give the result that there is no God at all, while the variant of x=infinity would give us the result of an infinite God who can have as many parts as He likes and still be the same God.

So, if He chooses to have three 'parts', this does not at all bother me - indeed, I find it fascinating! I do not feel the need for even myself to fit into a neat little box - why should I want anything different for the God Who created me, Whom I love and adore?

Answer 3

Christianity could be considered tritheistic.

Christian view
Main article: Christianity
Christians claim to profess belief in one God. Historically, most Christian churches have taught that the nature of God is something of a mystery: while being a unity, God also manifests as three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit (collectively called the Trinity), the classic Christian "three becomes one" formula. Typically, Christian orthodoxy holds that these three persons are not independent but are homoousios (a Hellenistic Greek transliteration), meaning sharing the same essence or substance of divinity. The true nature of the Trinity is held to be an inexplicable mystery, deduced from New Testament but developmentally is the result of theological debate in the Council of Nicea in 325, codified in 381, and reached its full development through the work of the Cappadocian Fathers.

However, some critics consider that Christianity is a form of Tritheism, while this might be true in some instances, Christianity is properly understood as Tripartite monotheism. [1] For Jews and Muslims, the idea of God as a trinity is heretical - it is considered akin to polytheism.

Christians overwhelmingly assert that montheism is central to the Christian faith; "I believe in one God" is a key statement in the most widely used Christian creeds. Moreover, some Christian sects, such as the Jehovah's Witnesses and Oneness Pentecostals, deny the idea of Trinity altogether, while many individual Christians formulate their own opinions on the matter which may or may not follow the doctrine of their tradition. Other small Christian groups have their own unique viewpoint. For example, the Rastafarians, like many Christians, hold that God is both a unity and a trinity, in their case God being Haile Selassie. Some Christian denominations, such as the Roman Catholic Church practice Veneration of Saints, which critics claim is a form of polytheism. However, Roman Catholic teaching regards veneration of saints and prayers to saints as no different from petitioning a living person to pray to God on behalf of the petitioner.

Answer 4

I am a Christian, but I do not worship saints. Biblically speaking, a saint is a believer in Christ. They are not "super believers" or a better class of believers. I might gain character by seeing how other believers lived, but we all die...we are not worthy of worship...far, far from it. We are commanded to worship God alone, no one and nothing else.

The Bible defines God as being Father, Son and Holy Spirit. There are three distinct personalities, but only one God. Can I fully understand this? No, but then if I could, I would be equal to God Himself. I am a bit to short for the job, as I am sure you are, too.

Answer 5

Technically, God is the great three in one. However, I notice most people worshiping Jesus more than God. Jesus is the Son, and is one aspect of God. What I mean is that people are more involved in son worship. I think that is not a good balance. In regards to saints etc., I always think it is a good idea to get help wherever you can get it! I have even prayed to my grandmother for assistance when I felt very threatened. That is not to say that I am worshiping my grandmother, but that I am praying for her to be beside me and help. Besides, Christianity is not the only way to worship God. It is one philosophy, there are many others, and they all hold universal truth if we listen.

Answer 6

I can't believe how many of you think Catholics worship saints! You've rushed to judgment before knowing the facts.

To answer the question ... MY Christianity is monotheistic. One God characterised by the trinity.

Your final question is a puzzle ... is there one religion called Christian? I don't think so. Not for many hundreds of years now.

One final comment ... why is there a burning need to put a label of "monotheism" or "polytheism" on our faith? Shouldn't we be out feeding hungry children instead of arguing semantics?

Answer 7

The saints are heroes, they are admired, set as examples. The presence of saints means that Christianity's teachings are not hard to follow, or else why are there heroes?

Surely, there is only one God. And saints are not worshipped.

Answer 8

Christianity is a monotheistic religion!
We worship only one God in three persons! I know this concept of the Trinity is hard to believe but it is true!
When God came to earth as a man He came to experience what we humans experience so that He could empathize with us!

Answer 9

Yes its a monotheistic religon. We don't worship saints like we worship God. You can pray to saints that can go "talk" to God and help you with your prayer, but we only worship God. God is one person, just three people inside it, kinda like personalities...

Answer 10

In a sense saints arent gods but like bringers of the word of god in christianity. P.S. Christianity rips off a bunch of stuff.