Was it easy for Abraham to believe in one God when everyone around him believed in many gods?

Answer 1

If you have ever had our Father talk to you then you would understand. Our Father is not a god in mans sense of the word. He is our Father, the crater of all that you are and all that you see before you.

The idea of gods stems from the results of the fallen angels (Genesis 6) where beings not entirely of flesh mankind existed, with knowledge and power that transcends this 2nd of 3 earth ages (2nd Peter 3).

So yes it was easy for Abraham to follow our Father, because Abraham loved our Father and walked with him.

Look to the story of Lot for a more concise answer concerning your question. Genesis 13.

Answer 2

It was both easy and vastly difficult.

Why was it easy?

Because Abraham came to understand that the Creation and its functioning, proclaim the existence of One God in the loudest terms. The way, for one example, in which the soil, the sun, the rains, the atmosphere, and insects (through pollination) all cooperate in producing fruit, demonstrates God's wisdom and kindness, and disproves the notion of the idolaters that each part has its own god, often at war with the others.

Why was it difficult?

Because Abraham's worship and teachings flew in the face of what everyone else was doing and saying. A person is usually influenced by those around him (Maimonides, De'ot 6:1), so Abraham had to resist the powerful pull which was exerted through the actions and speech of the rest of the entire world. Note also that God did not speak to Abraham until he had been serving Him for decades.

See also:

Abraham's biography

Was Abraham real

Answer 3

It ought to have been easy because, according to Genesis , God actually appeared to Abraham several times, starting at Genesis 12:7 where God promised to give the land of the Canaanites to his descendants. However, nowhere in the Book of Genesis does it actually say that Abraham only believed in one God. Genesis 20:13 is traditionally translated as "And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father's house, that I said ... " However, the verb is plural, so a more literal translation would be for Abraham to say, "And it came to pass, when the gods caused me to wander from my father's house, that I said ..." If this is correct, then Abraham did not actually believe in one God.

A late tradition about Abraham is that as just a young boy, he realised his father's idols were powerless and proved this by smashing them. If this were a true story, it would certainly show how easy it was for Abraham to believe in one God. However, this tradition is not in The Bible. Bruce Feiler (Abraham) says probably less than one per cent of the stories told about Abraham appear in the Bible, and that the vast majority did not even come into circulation until hundreds, even thousands of years after he would have lived.

Answer 4

Abraham had no trouble believing it. What was difficult for him was
living according to his beliefs and raising his family in those beliefs,
amongst everyone around him who thought he was crazy.
A lot like today, actually.