The Case for Ancient Monotheism - InspiringPhilosophy

Video Description (from Youtube)

Monotheism is assumed to have first emerged around 500 BC, but there is an overwhelming amount of stunning evidence monotheism emerged thousands of years ago and may precede all other forms of religion.

A special thanks to James Middleton - "www.shortfusecreative.co.uk" for building to the open.

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So a couple of things to note:

The first is I would encourage everyone to watch to the end as I will push back on some of Lang and Schmidt's conclusion and actually disagree with them on some things. This is not a video arguing for original monotheism. This is a video on ancient monotheism. That will be made clear at the end.

The second issue is there is a debate among scholars if the epic, "Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta" should be translated to reflect a time in the past. It might be referring to a future event, but for the purposes of this video, it is mainly being used as a hook, not part of my main thrust of evidence.

Third, Schmidt argued the pigmy tribes in central Africa were one of the most, if not the most, primitive culture out there. Many of these tribes have turned out to be polytheistic, but some, like the Batwa, do seem to be monotheistic.

Fourth, the terms, monotheism, and polytheism, are probably not the best terms to describe any religion, but they are overwhelmingly accepted by the culture we live so I am working within those parameters. This is why in the video I try to use the term "monotheistic" more than saying they were strict monotheists. I hope this becomes clear when you use catholicism as an example.

Sources:
Samuel Noah Kramer - The Babel of Tongues: A Sumerian Version (1968)

Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta- http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section1/tr1823.htm

Andrew Lang - The Making of Religion

A. W. Howitt - The Native Tribes of South-East Australia

Wilhelm Schmidt - "The Origin and Growth of Religion," and, "High Gods In North America"

Winfried Corduan - In the Beginning God

Mircea Eliade - The Quest: History and Meaning in Religion

Aboriginal 'memories' of Australia's coastline go back more than 7,000 years
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/09/150917091401.htm

Early human occupation of southeastern Australia: New insights from 40Ar/39Ar dating of young volcanoes
https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/geology/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/G47166.1/581018/Early-human-occupation-of-southeastern-Australia?fbclid=IwAR1MKvVST-DdRU-1DwnO8HYI1R1oWpFEOh2OVUgHGfKaYqlIHqnae70OwXM

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Gwinyai Muzorewa - African Origins of Monotheism

W.E. Abraham - The Mind of Africa

John Mbiti - Concepts of God in Africa

Rukwaro & Maina - Transformation of Maasai Art and Architecture

W.S. & K. Routledge - With a Prehistoric People

David P Crandal- The Place of Stunted Ironwood Trees

Michael Gelfand - The Shona Religion

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Steadman, Lyle B., et al. The Universality of Ancestor Worship
https://www.questia.com/library/journal/1G1-18031460/the-universality-of-ancestor-worship

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Gordon Brotherston - Latin American Traditional Religions

Juliet Clutton-Brock - The Walking Larder

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T.J. Meek - Hebrew Origins

Marvin Pope - El in the Ugaritic Text

Karel Van Der Toorn - Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible

Henryk Simon - Wilhelm Schmidt’s Theory of Primitive Monotheism

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Videos on "Monotheism" (15)