Is there really such a thing as monotheism?

Question

Every 'monotheistic' religion has more than one spiritual entity to explain why their god is perfect and the blame for everything bad is on the creation not the creator, the artist is not to blame when his painting sucks... To believe in a bunch of angels and demons is the same as believing in a whole bunch of spirits and/or Godforms. How many religion believe only in one spirtual entity that is responsible for all of creation good and bad?

Does the painting really suck so bad that we have to invent opposition to keep the artist blameless? Or maybe it was a group effort and that's why everything don't seem to add up? Maybe there is no artists and we are the artists creating the god(s)?

you didn't answer any of the questions

AnLoDeah: Paganism started before Judaism, it started with Animism and Shamanism. Ancients used to invoke Animal Gods to help them in hunts etc. It's much older than European/Middle-Eastern Mythology.

Answer 1

You are right. Monotheism isn't believing in Angels and Devils. Christianity isn't exactly monotheism because they believe in trinity...
Jews believe in monotheism. True, there are angels but they are only messengers of God, and have no power unto themselves. According to Rambam (Moimonedes) paginism started when people began worshipping angels as the messengers of God - they thought that God wanted them to worship his messengers. Slowly people forgot about the existence of God and forgot even that the angels are only his messengers - untill Abraham came along. He looked around him and realised that there must be one God - one power that rules all the other powers - and that that God created all the powers in the world and if he wouldn't give them power they are nothing. So Abraham started teaching the world monotheism.
There is one God who created the world. He created good and evil. He gave all humans 7 commandments to keep, and to the Jews, His chosen people - 613 commandements.
About your 2nd question - lets stay with the art example. if I were to show you a beautiful painting - a true work of art and you would ask who drew it - and I would answer that some paint spilled on the canvas by accident, and that's how the painting was made - you would think I'm nuts, no? It's the same with the world and the creator.
The thing is that God created the world for us and gave us humans free will to choose between doing good or doing evil - living according to his 7 (and for Jews 613) commandements- or not. Free will means that we have an urge inside of us to do good or to do bad (bad = letting our materialistic apetites take full control of us). Unfortanately many people in this world choose the bad. So it's not like the world sucks. It has full potential to be a gr8 place - but people ruin it by letting the bad get control of them.
By the way, the 7 commandements are:
1. It's forbidden to worship Idols and false gods
2. It's forbidden to have a sexual relationship with family members, another man's wife, same sex relationship and with animals
3. It's forbidden to murder (including suicide)
4. It's forbidden to steal
5. It's forbidden to curse God
6. It's forbidden to eat an animal or any part of an animal while it's still alive
7. A justice system must be established to make sure these laws are kept and to punish those who don't keep them.
It's easy to understand why God gave us these laws - without them the world is a total mess (like it is now...), but people must keep them because God commanded them to, not because they seem right, humane, etc. (you do realise that God planted the ideas of what is good and bad in our heads too...)
anyways I hope I didn't mix you up completely... Hope you live a true and happy life.

Answer 2

First, it should be understood that there are two worlds,
spiritual world and material world.

When a soul leaves the spiritual world on its own accord due to the minute free will, the soul enjoys or suffers in the temporary material world. It is just like in a dream, a person enjoys eating a tasty icecream or suffers the punishment of a police in a prison. Actually, there is no enjoyment or suffering. When the person awakes from the dream, he realizes that it was only a dream and nothing else. But, while dreaming, it is as if he is suffering or enjoying. When he awakens from sleep, there is no icecream or police and prison.

Similarly, the soul in the body, is changing the body one after another and is thinking that it is suffering or enjoying. When the soul reawakens its original constitutional position, the soul realizes the temporary nature of the different bodies and goes back to the spiritual world.

Such are the artists wonderful creation and the painting really sucks as if real as you have rightly said.

Lord Krishna says in the Bhagavad-gita chapter 2 verse 12 & 13,
Never was there a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor all these kings; nor in the future shall any of us cease to be.

As the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. A sober person is not bewildered by such a change.

Answer 3

What does 1 Corinthians 13:8a have to do with monotheism?

"Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.

I'm replying to one of the answerers.

Now your answer. There is only One True God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob who sent His son Jesus Christ. God is in control of all creation good or bad. He created our tempter and He knows how the tempter accuses us day and night to Him. Have you ever read the Book of Jeremiah where God tells you that He is the Potter and we are the clay. God tells us that He has the right to make good pots and bad pots. It is not about us, it is all about Him, the Creator. We were created for Him and for His pleasure.

Answer 4

You know what your problem is: you start your equation with a wrong premise, therefore you end up having the wrong conclusion. What is your wrong premise? Ask a Jew or a Muslim.They will tell you.

Answer 5

Monotheism comes to us as a result of the Bible.
I Cr 13;8a

Answer 6

why not?