Is judaisms monotheistic or polytheistic

Answer 1

Answer 1

Judaism is monotheistic. Jews believe that there is only One God and that He alone created the world and continues to run it.

Answer 2

Judaism was the first organised faith to be Monotheistic.

Answer 3

Judaism is strongly monotheistic, although it may not have been in the very early times of the religion. Some academics believe Judaism was once henotheistic (worshipping one God whilst acknowledging the existence of others). It is no longer the case now.

Answer 4

Judaism has been monotheistic from its outset (Genesis 24:3). This is the most fundamental tenet of Judaism.

There were, as recorded in The Bible (Exodus ch.32; Judges ch.1), Israelites who went astray after foreign gods. But these were the sinners, not the standard.

Answer 5

Judaism is monotheistic. Monotheism means that there is only one God (mono, like monotone etc.), while polytheism is the idea that there are multiple gods (poly, like polygon). "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me." ~Exodus 20:2-3 (NIV)

"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one." ~Deuteronomy 6:4 (NIV)

" I am the LORD, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God. .... that ...men may know that there is none besides me. I am the LORD, and there is no other." ~Isaiah 45:5-6 (NIV)

Answer 2

Judaism is the original monotheistic religion and has stayed monotheistic, unlike Christians, who believe God is three or worship saints, or a small number of Muslims, who worship a rock in addition to Allah.

Answer 3

Judaism is monotheistic and always has been. (Multiple gods are mentioned in the Torah only because other nations worshiped them, not because Judaism ascribed any power to them.)

Dictionaries define "Judaism" as The monotheistic religion of the Jews, since the founding principle of Judaism was and is the belief in One God. This was the teaching which was spread by Abraham, and has continued since then. From Judaism, belief in One God has spread through the Western world.

• Link: What do Jews believe God is like?
  
• Link: A biography of Abraham
  

Jews have always worshiped the One God. Abraham worshiped "the Lord God of Heaven and Earth" (Genesis 14:22 and 24:3) and complained about the Philistines' lack of fear of God (Genesis 20:11).

Jacob confiscated the idolatrous images taken from Shechem (Genesis 35:2) and got rid of them (Genesis 35:4); and refrained from invoking the gods of Nahor (Genesis 31:53). Rachel pilfered Laban's statue-images (Genesis 31:19) in order to prevent him from idolatry (Rashi commentary, ibid.). Joseph placed his hope in the God of the Forefathers (Genesis 50:24).

At the time of the Exodus, God wrecked the Egyptian idols (Exodus 12:12) and warned against idolatry (Exodus 22:19). Later, Moses characterized the Golden Calf as "a great sin" (Exodus 32:21, 30) and punished the worshipers (Exodus ch.32). During the rest of his lifetime and that of Joshua (Judges 2:7), no incidents of Israelite idolatry were reported.

Shortly before he died, Moses warned the people that he suspected that they would eventually succumb to the lure of the idols (Deuteronomy 29:17). Joshua gave a similar warning (Joshua ch. 24).
These warnings came true. Many of the Israelites went astray after the foreign gods (Judges 2:11). However, they never invented their own idol. It was always the baneful influence of other peoples. And there were times when the entire Israelite nation repented (Judges 2:1-4) and prayed to God (Judges 3:9, 3:15, 6:6, 10:10). Those who did sin did not represent normative Judaism. They were deviating from the Torah's standard; they were publicly, repeatedly, and scathingly excoriated by the Prophets, and they caused God's retribution to come upon the entire people.

Because of the idol-worship that did happen, ancient images of idols have been found in Israel too. Images of God aren't found because it is forbidden to represent Him through imagery (Deuteronomy 4:15-16).

It should be noted that idolatry was never universalamong the Israelites. The tradition of the One God was handed down in every generation, whether by the few or the many; and it is those who handed down that tradition whose beliefs we Jews continue today.

Deborah ascribed victory to God (Judges 4:14), Gideon tore down the idolatrous altar (Judges 6:25-27); Samson prayed to God (Judges 16:28), as did Hannah (1 Samuel 1:11) and Samuel (ibid. 12:18); Eli blessed in the name of God (1 Samuel 2:20), Saul built an altar to God (1 Samuel 14:35); Jonathan ascribed victory to God (1 Samuel 14:12), as did David (1 Samuel 17:46); and Solomon built the Temple for God (1 Kings 8:20). A number of the kings "did what was right in God's eyes": David (1 Kings 15:5), Solomon (see 1 Kings 3:3), Asa (1 Kings 15:11), Yehoshaphat (1 Kings 22:43), Yehu (2 Kings 10:30), Yehoash (2 Kings 12:3), Amatziah (2 Kings 14:3), Azariah (2 Kings 15:3), Yotam (2 Kings 15:34), Hizkiah (2 Kings 18:3), and Josiah (2 Kings 22:2). Even at the height of the unfortunate spread of idolatry among the less-loyal Ten Tribes, there were thousands who remained loyal to God (1 Kings 19:18).
And, of course, the Prophets, who spoke in the name of God and warned against idolatry: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea and so on.
The sages of the Talmud, who ridiculed idolatry (Megillah 25b), were simply continuing in the tradition of the Prophets whose verses are quoted in that context (ibid.).

Link: Jewish history timeline

Link: Are Hebrews, Israelites and Jews the same people?