Akhenaton "Father of Monotheism

[Max35]

Want to know who started monotheism? check the link below. It's not the most informative site, but it gets the point across. Bascically, an Egyptian King came up with monotheism and some say inspired future religions. This sentiment is mirrored throughout countless other sources as well as eminent archeologists. Here's the link, anyway:

http://www.melanet.com/clegg_series/aton.html

 

[PvtRyan]

Shame, ancient Greek, Scandinavian and Roman mythology is so much cooler.

 

[Max35]

Nah, not really. The Egyptian afterlife mythology is pretty intricate (and cooler), as well as their pantheon of Gods and myths. It seems Greek mythology is the "cream of the crop" of mythos, when one skirts around social conditioning, one finds there are alot more interesting out there.

You know what happens when someone is found "sinful" in the Egyptian afterlife? A frankenstein hippo/croc/lion comes up and devours the heart, then the victim. Hell, if that ain't cool, I don't know what is!

 

[Mr-Fusion]

Monotheism was inevitable imo. The gods of earth, trees, water etc may have been relevant and more applicable to ancient human civilisations but as we got smarter it was replaced by science or just an improved understanding of the physical world. If there is a storm in the ocean it's not because Posiedon the sea god is angry.

Kind of sad, i really like Greek and Norse mythology. Except fighting for eternity in Valhalla, that seemed like a bit of a wank and the fact all mortals go to hell in greek mythology. Umm ok maybe they weren't so great. Egyptian mythology, as that article says, really is kept quiet. I really know nothing about it, not at all part of pop culture unlike the others. So i hope Disney get cranking on a new animated feature to i can learn about it !

 

[PvtRyan]

If there is a storm in the ocean it's not because Posiedon the sea god is angry.

Prove it.

And Max, I was more refering to how our current monotheism found in Islam and Christianity is boring and uninspired compared to the mythologies.

 

[Mr-Fusion]

Prove it.

This can of worms will remained sealed for the duration of the thread!

I'd like some new mythologies. Something with spaceships and spacestations and a heroic savior from a farm on a desert planet who engages in incest before conquering the evil gods of the force. mmm

 

[Man|-|unter]

imho, only black man think Akhenaton was Father of Monotheism!

 

[Max35]

hmm, yeah that's why archeologists of many different ethnicities have said he is. Some people will never break from the mold. And get this, a recent documentary (about Ramses the Great) said that Akhenaten's religion inspired Moses to lead a result for the slaves. It was actually on sale at Walmart awhile back.

 

[Costin]

The monotheism started more early.
-Stan Constantine

 

[Max35]

More early than Akhenaten? That ain't possible. At least, not by the current historical accounts.

 

[Tr0n]

Already knew the Aten cult was pretty much the start, but if it wasn't for Zoroastrianism it wouldn't have been as widespread.

Read more about monotheism here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monotheism

 

[ÞIcarus]

Bullshit. Monotheism is a very ancient idea, it just wasn't a widespread organized religion until much later. Many of the Shamanistic traditions taught monothiesm 10 thousand years ago and more. More than likely, the first spark of human spiritual thought was toward monothiesm, which later developed into a wider pantheon as human tribes began exploring the details of spiritual interaction with the material world. Even in this case, the idea that each "god" was a representation of the different aspects of "One Spirit" or "One God" was an underlying theme of multi-god religions(similar to the Christian trinity, only more complicated). This fact was later lost when tribe elders and kings began institutionalizing religion and favoring a particular diety and promoting that particular diety's standing, which after time lead to the idea that there were multiple Gods of equal station, or atleast a diety proper rather than the exemplified aspect of a greater Being.

Basically, I hate when people pick and choose and use distortions of spiritual(and human) history to suit their personal motives. Such as the "egyptians were black" and "moses was black" people. Get over it. These ideas (spirituality) are meant to transcend personal materialistic shortcomings like these, your missing the entire point.

 

[A2597]

Makes sence from a Christain perspective, he would have been a descendant of Noah's family, I see no reason that Monotheism couldn't have reached Egypt.

 

[Max35]

Bullshit. Monotheism is a very ancient idea, it just wasn't a widespread organized religion until much later. Many of the Shamanistic traditions taught monothiesm 10 thousand years ago and more. More than likely, the first spark of human spiritual thought was toward monothiesm, which later developed into a wider pantheon as human tribes began exploring the details of spiritual interaction with the material world. Even in this case, the idea that each "god" was a representation of the different aspects of "One Spirit" or "One God" was an underlying theme of multi-god religions(similar to the Christian trinity, only more complicated). This fact was later lost when tribe elders and kings began institutionalizing religion and favoring a particular diety and promoting that particular diety's standing, which after time lead to the idea that there were multiple Gods of equal station, or atleast a diety proper rather than the exemplified aspect of a greater Being.

Basically, I hate when people pick and choose and use distortions of spiritual(and human) history to suit their personal motives. Such as the "egyptians were black" and "moses was black" people. Get over it. These ideas (spirituality) are meant to transcend personal materialistic shortcomings like these, your missing the entire point.

Your saying I'm missing the point. No, I don't think so. I could care less if they were black or not (I'm white for the record). I'm just saying where I believe monotheism started out. You say that shaman cultures praticed monotheism over 10,000 years ago. Got any proof to that effect? Also, my main point was he *influenced* Christianity, and Moses (from the documentary) At any rate, he gave a rebirth to monotheism when the world had a pantheon of gods.

Again, for the record, I have no motive other than that of providing what I believe is the truth. Honestly, the link to the site I provided wasn't necessarily the most informative site, and was based on personal motive it seems.

Also, it seems to me that if there were earlier accounts of monotheism that have been found, he wouldn't be dubbed the "Father of Monotheism" by so many. I'm not saying earlier accounts don't exist, either they haven't been found yet, or we aren't acknowledging them through widespread acceptance. Anyway, I think you missed the point of me posting this thread, entirely and utterly.

 

[ÞIcarus]

Entirely and utterly? That's alot, right? But anyway, I wasn't directing any of that on you, I was basically on a rant about the attitudes on the site you linked.

Why is he called the father of monotheism? Because he was a pioneer in a time just before this way of looking at spirituality was about to rapidly become a widespread, organized, and insitutionalized religion(s) that swept the world. This hadn't really happened before in known history, so he does deserve credit as a pioneer. But to say he is the inventor, or the earliest man to concieve of this way of spiritual thought is way off. The idea of one Spirit pervading all things is as old as human spiritual thought itself.

 

[Max35]

Oh, well then forget the "entirely and utterly" bit then

Anyway, he made monotheism into an organized religion for a nation. Perhaps he wasn't an inventor, but a pioneer as you said. And as I mentioned, there really aren't any accounts of one man bringing about monotheism dating earlier than that. Although I am sure there were. The closest to that time range would be that prophet Zarathuska-something in Persia, around 1500-1600 BC.

I agree about the attitudes on the site you linked, they did seem a bit one-sided.

But I think Akhenaten deserves some credit, because not only did he influence monotheism on an entire nation, but he had to wipe out one of the strongest and most established religious structures in known history that depended on a pantheon of deities to accomplish his goal. Other than that, by historical accounts he was a tyrant. After his short seventeen year reign, King Tutankhamun took the throne and things were heading back to normal in Egypt. But that didn't stop his ideas from influencing others, which is what counted.