Sofonisba Anguissola

The henotheism is a particular form of the Polythéisme, where a God plays a prevalent part compared to the others, which is worth a preferential worship to him. But contrary to the Monolâtrie, which is a particular case, the henotheism does not exclude necessarily the veneration from these other gods.

According to Bernard Werber in the breath of the gods (ED. Albin Michel) : It is often considered that there exists choice only between the polytheism (belief in several gods) and the monotheism (belief in a single god). A third step is however possible, although less known: henotheism. The henotheism does not deny the existence of several gods, but proposes with human to stick only to one of them. In the step henotheist, there is not the idea that this only god is higher or better than the others, but the idea that this god was chosen by his believers among all the existing gods. The henotheism admits implicitly that each people choose his god among the Pantheon of the gods, that each people can thus have a different god, without none them having a supremacy on the others.

Let us add that there exists another proposal which these three names which are the Polythéisme, the Monothéisme and henotheism and who proved to be representative of the religions known as " polythéistes" (in addition to those of civilizations gréco-Romans).

The deepening of the Hindouisme that we indicate commonly as religion polytheist proves all the opposite. The plurality of what we think of being Gods is in fact only the multiple expression of the divine unit; the expression of its multiple principles. There does not exist any duality between matter and spiritual, the divine one and the tangible world, between the outside and the interior of the things. The spirit and the matter do only one. Matter appearing like the world of appearances, therefore contingent and not universal.

This unit emanating of the Hindu doctrines is finally absolute than that proposed more tardily by the doctrines monotheists of the traditions Judeo-Christians which dissociate divine tangible world, giving place to a prevalent duality which separates " Dieu" of its creation in two distinct demonstrations.

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