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Judaism is traditionally considered one of the oldest monotheistic religions in the world, [153] although up to the 8th century BCE the Israelites were polytheistic, with their worship including the gods El, Baal, Asherah, and Astarte. [154] [155] Yahweh was originally the national god of the Kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of Judah. [156]
The Muslim religion and all these religions have been around for thousands and thousands of years. So who am I to say, 'Hey, don't do this, don't do that.' You believe what they believe, respect what they respect, and respect that person as a man or woman, and you'll make it far in life.
Spinoza held that the two are the same, and this monism is a fundamental quality of his philosophy. He was described as a "God-intoxicated man," and used the word God to describe the unity of all substance. [37] Although the term pantheism was not coined until after his death, Spinoza is regarded as its most celebrated advocate. [38]
Anton LaVey, founder of the Church of Satan, espoused the view that "god" is a creation of man, rather than man being a creation of "god". In his book, The Satanic Bible , the Satanist's view of god is described as the Satanist's true "self"—a projection of his or her own personality—not an external deity. [ 80 ]
God communicates his will and purpose to humanity through his intermediaries, the prophets and messengers who have founded various world religions from the beginning of humankind up to the present day, [60]: 107–108 [62]: 438–446 and will continue to do so in the future. [62]: 438–446
It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with over 2.38 billion followers, comprising around 31.2% of the world population. [10] Its adherents, known as Christians , are estimated to make up a majority of the population in 157 countries and territories .
Some academics studying the subject have divided religions into three broad categories: world religions, a term which refers to transcultural, international faiths; Indigenous religions, which refers to smaller, culture-specific or nation-specific religious groups; and new religious movements, which refers to recently developed faiths. [5]
A "world religion" is a tradition that has achieved sufficient power and numbers to enter our history to form it, interact with it, or thwart it. We recognise both the unity within and the diversity among the world religions because they correspond to important geopolitical entities with which we must deal.