How did polytheism develop?

Answer 1

In the days of Seth (son of Adam) people began to make a grave mistake. They theorized that since God is so great and almighty, it would be impossible to worship Him directly but rather one must worship His subsidiaries. They therefore began to worship the sun, moon, and constellations. This led to worship of the elements and eventually people began to believe that these things were actually gods. So there you have it-polytheism actually started from a strong belief in an Almighty monotheistic God. Ironic?

Answer 2

By the abandonment of God (Allah).

Answer:

Polytheism is not a single organized religion, it is type of religion which allows for the existence of many gods. Many locations in the world produced their own local type of polytheism independently of other areas.

Answer 3

The development of polytheism is described in Maimonides' Mishneh Torah (Hilchot Avodat Kochavim ch.1).

Quote:

During the times of Enosh (a couple of centuries after the Creation), mankind made a great mistake, and the wise men of that generation gave worthless counsel. They said that since God had created the stars and spheres and placed them on high, it is fitting for people to glorify them and to treat them with honor and offer sacrifices to them. They began to glorify them with words, and bow down before them, because by doing so, they would (according to their false conception) be fulfilling the will of God. This was the origin of the worship of false gods, and its rationale.

Later there arose also false prophets, who announced that God had commanded them: Serve this star - or all the stars - sacrifice to it, offer libations to it, build a temple for it and make an image of it so that people could bow to its image. The false prophet would tell them of a form that he had conceived, and say that this is the image of the particular star, claiming that this was revealed to him in a vision.

In this manner, the people began to make images in temples and on the tops of mountains and hills. They would gather together and bow down to these images.

Subsequently, other deceivers arose and declared that a specific star, sphere, or angel had spoken to them and commanded them: Serve me in this manner. He would then relate a specific mode of service.

Thus, these practices spread throughout the world. People would serve images, idols and statues with strange practices, one more distorted than the other; offer sacrifices to them, and bow down to them.

As the years passed, God's glorious and awesome name was forgotten by the entire population. The people knew only the temples of stone and the image of wood or stone to which they were trained from their childhood to bow down and serve. Even the priests among them would think that there is nothing other than the stars and spheres for which they had made these images. God was not known by anyone, with the exception of a few individuals such as Chanoch, Metushelach, Noah, Shem, and Ever.

The world continued in this fashion until the pillar of the world, Abraham, was born.

Answer 4

See also the Related Link. Which was first - polytheism or monotheism?

The development of polytheism is described in Maimonides' Mishneh Torah (Hilchot Avodat Kochavim ch.1). Quote:
During the times of Enosh (a couple of centuries after the Creation), mankind made a great mistake, and the wise men of that generation gave worthless counsel. They said that since God had created the stars and spheres and placed them on high, accordingly it is fitting for people to praise and glorify them and to treat them with honor. They perceived this to be the will of God, that people should praise and honor the stars and offer sacrifices to them. They began to glorify them with words, and bow down before them, because by doing so, they would (according to their false conception) be fulfilling the will of God. This was the origin of the worship of false gods, and its rationale.
After many years passed, there arose also false prophets, who announced that God had commanded them to say: Serve this star - or all the stars - sacrifice to it, offer libations to it, build a temple for it and make an image of it so that people could bow to its image. The false prophet would tell them of a form that he had conceived, and say that this is the image of the particular star, claiming that this was revealed to him in a vision.

In this manner, the people began to make images in temples and on the tops of mountains and hills. They would gather together and bow down to these images. The false prophets would say: This image is the source of benefit or harm. It is appropriate to serve it and fear it. Their priests would tell them: This worship will enable you to multiply and be successful.

Subsequently, other deceivers arose and declared that a specific star, sphere, or angel had spoken to them and commanded them: Serve me in this manner. He would then relate a specific mode of service.

Thus, these practices spread throughout the world. People would serve images, idols and statues with strange practices, one more distorted than the other; offer sacrifices to them, and bow down to them.

As the years passed, God's glorious and awesome name was forgotten by the entire population. It was no longer part of their speech or thought, and they no longer knew Him. The people knew only the temples of stone and the image of wood or stone to which they were trained from their childhood to bow down and serve, and in whose name they swore. Even the priests among them would think that there is nothing other than the stars and spheres for which they had made these images. God was not known by anyone, with the exception of a few individuals such as Chanoch, Metushelach, Noah, Shem, and Ever.

The world continued in this fashion until the pillar of the world, Abraham, was born.

Link: Abraham's biography

As Abraham grew, he began to explore in his mind, day and night, wondering: How is it possible for the spheres to revolve without having anyone controlling them? Who is causing them to revolve? Surely, they do not cause themselves to revolve.

He had no teacher, nor was there anyone to inform him. He was mired in Ur Kasdim among the foolish idolaters. His father, mother, and all the people were idol worshipers. However, his heart was exploring and gaining understanding.
Ultimately, he comprehended the way of truth and understood the path of righteousness through his careful contemplation. He realized that there is One God who controls the universe and who created everything; and there is no effective god among all the other entities. He realized that the entire world was making a mistake. What caused them to err was their service of the stars and images, which had made them lose awareness of the truth.
When Abraham came to recognize and know God, he began to formulate replies to the inhabitants of Ur Kasdim and debate with them, telling them that they were not following a proper path. He broke their idols and began to teach the people that it is fitting to serve only the God of the world. To Him alone is it fitting to bow down and worship.
When Abraham overcame the populace through the strength of his arguments, the king desired to kill him. He was saved through a miracle and left for Harran. There, he began to call out to all the people and inform them that there is One God and it is proper to serve Him. He would go out and speak to the people, gathering them in city after city and country after country, until he came to the land of Canaan, as it states: "And He called out in the name of the Lord, the eternal God" (Genesis 21:33).
When the people would gather around him and ask him about his statements, he would explain to each person according to their understanding, until they turned to the path of truth. Ultimately, tens of thousands gathered around him. These were the "men of the house of Abraham" (Genesis 17:23).

Answer 5

The development of polytheism is described in Maimonides' MishnehTorah (Hilchot Avodat Kochavim ch.1).Quote:During the times of Enosh (a couple of centuries after theCreation), mankind made a great mistake, and the wise men of thatgeneration gave worthless counsel. They said that since God hadcreated the stars and spheres and placed them on high, it isfitting for people to glorify them and to treat them with honor andoffer sacrifices to them. They began to glorify them with words,and bow down before them, because by doing so, they would(according to their false conception) be fulfilling the will ofGod. This was the origin of the worship of false gods, and itsrationale.Later there arose also false prophets, who announced that God hadcommanded them: Serve this star - or all the stars - sacrifice toit, offer libations to it, build a temple for it and make an imageof it so that people could bow to its image. The false prophetwould tell them of a form that he had conceived, and say that thisis the image of the particular star, claiming that this wasrevealed to him in a vision.In this manner, the people began to make images in temples and onthe tops of mountains and hills. They would gather together and bowdown to these images.Subsequently, other deceivers arose and declared that a specificstar, sphere, or angel had spoken to them and commanded them: Serveme in this manner. He would then relate a specific mode of service.Thus, these practices spread throughout the world. People wouldserve images, idols and statues with strange practices, one moredistorted than the other; offer sacrifices to them, and bow down tothem.As the years passed, God's glorious and awesome name was forgottenby the entire population. The people knew only the temples of stoneand the image of wood or stone to which they were trained fromtheir childhood to bow down and serve. Even the priests among themwould think that there is nothing other than the stars and spheresfor which they had made these images. God was not known by anyone,with the exception of a few individuals such as Chanoch,Metushelach, Noah, Shem, and Ever.The world continued in this fashion until the pillar of the world,Abraham, was born.