In a message dated 12/24/00 8:55:40 PM Eastern Standard Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:
> Are all monotheistic religions eschatological? And can there be monotheism
> without eschatologism? And if so why? And if so, what does this say about
> the relationship of eschatological characteristics and existing
> monotheistic religions in the period?
Br. Alexis,
I'd like to suggest a somewhat different perspective on your issue(s) here.
The two unanswerable questions are where the world came from, and what
happens after we die (or after the present world comes to an end, if it will
come to an end). Most, if not all, religions offer answers to these two
questions, and the answers (which can't be "proved") can only be accepted on
faith by the followers of any given religion. There can be, of course, much
variation in style and content. The OT gives a fairly detailed account of how
the world was created, but a less detailed account of "the world to come,"or
of what it means to rest after death in the bosom of Abraham.
If, by "eschatology" you mean an account of what happens at the end ("last
things"), I'd expect some kind of account to be found in just about any
religion, and I see no foundation for your assumption that an eschatology
would be found only in monotheistic religions, or that some kind of link
exists between following a monotheistic religion and having an eschatology.
Among polytheistic peoples, the Old Norse gods and slain heroes live in
Valhalla until Ragnarök (Doomsday), when the gods and heroes will fight the
giants and demons, the stars will disappear, Valhalla will be destroyed (by
fire in Wagner's opera), and the earth will sink into the sea. In Hindu
eschatology, we die but are reincarnated, to further the perfection of our
souls. If you look in Britannica under "Eschatology in non-Western
Societies," you'll find a long list of imaginative theories from all parts of
the world. Even the agnostic's "I don't know" is an eschatology.
Rather than asking if there can be "monotheism without eschatologism," perhps
you should be asking if there can be religion without eschatologism.
pat sloane
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