Why were early religions animistic or polytheistic while many modern religions are monotheistic?

A:Animism is the natural beginning of religion, because man had to invent the more sophisticated concept of gods before polytheism or monotheism could flourish. One of the earliest theistic religions, at least in Europe and the Mediterranean region was the monotheistic (or near-monotheistic) worship of the Earth Mother, sometimes known as Gaia. In later times, militaristic male gods began to proliferate and the focus moved away from the earth to the heavens. This was a time when the sun god, moon god and the hosts of heaven began to be worshipped.

The Israelites were indeed polytheistic, as were the people of Judah until late monarchic times or even the Babylonian Exile. Some believe that the natural evolution of religion is towards monotheism, although the early rather monotheistic worship of Gaia suggests that the movement could be in either direction.

Monotheism is what you define it to be. For this reason, we have to qualify our definition to say 'strict monotheism' for modern Judaism and Islam. Christianity's trinity could be regarded by some as a reversion to a form of polytheism. The Catholic Church venerates many saints, especially the virgin Mary, in ways hardly distinguishable from the worship of gods, providing further food for thought about whether monotheism is the ultimate form of religion. Mormonism is a modern form of Christianity and unashamably meets the definition of polytheism.

The evolution of religion is far more complex than a single trajectory from animism to polytheism to monotheism.

Answer:

There is no evolution from polytheism to monotheism.

Monotheism is what Adam and Eve taught their children. God has sent His Prophets to tell Mankind to go back to the One God.

Mankind began worshipping only God. Then, over time, people began to attach great significance to some people. Eventually, they became deified.

Then God sent more Prophets to bring people back to the Oneness of God.

People tend to make up fantastic stories and mislead themselves into thinking that there are other 'deities'.

Take what they did to Jesus, as a perfect example.

They read in the Gospels Jesus giving all the glory to God and claiming to be His servant. You read about him keeping God's Law, you read about him praying to God. Jesus even bows down to the ground in prayer - asking Him to spare Jesus from the cross.

And then people - because of Paul of Tarsus primarily - turn around and worship the messenger, not the God who sent the message.

That is polytheism. The only pure monotheistic creed is Islam.