Why is it Often Claimed that Gods have a Gender?

Why are basically all monotheistic religions ones that have a male god?

“There no face or gender in Islam.” – Challenger 

My response, First are you are saying no sexism in Islam? 

My response, The oneness of God is of primary importance in the Quran and Islam. In Qur’an, Allah is most often referred to with the pronouns Hu or Huwa, and although these are commonly translated as him, they can also be translated gender-neutrally, as them. This is also true of the feminine equivalent, Hiya. Qur’an 112:3–4 states: “He begets not, nor is He begotten. And none is like Him [Them].” Other references include the first person pronoun, and the relative pronoun ma (that which), as in the phrase “the heavens and that which created them” (Qur’an 91:5).

My response, It is against Islam to rape Muslim women, but Muhammad actually encouraged the rape of others captured in battle. This hadith provides the context for the Qur’anic verse (4:24): 

“The Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) sent a military expedition to Awtas on the occasion of the battle of Hunain. They met their enemy and fought with them. They defeated them and took them captives. Some of the Companions of the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) were reluctant to have intercourse with the female captives in the presence of their husbands who were unbelievers. So Allah, the Exalted, sent down the Qur’anic verse: (Sura 4:24) “And all married women (are forbidden) unto you save those (captives) whom your right hands possess.” (Abu Dawud 2150, also Muslim 3433)

Actually, as the hadith indicates, it wasn’t Muhammad, but “Allah the Exalted” who told the men to rape the women in front of their husbands – which is all the more reason to think of Islam differently from other religions.

“Damien Marie AtHope, based on the 100+ Muslim people (including kin), you cannot put a face to God. Hence the radicals’ response to the French Newspaper which drew a “likeness” and face to God. Best to get info from actual practitioners. Ramadan just ended so Eid was celebrated last weekend.” – Challenger 

My response, And saying that does not disprove that it uses a male pronoun not that Islam is sexist.

“Damien Marie AtHope, *sigh* c’mon now. Religions are filled with hypocrisy. Like people.” – Challenger 

My response, In fact, female slaves were traded like any other simple commodity by Muhammad and his band of devoted followers:

“Then the apostle sent Sa-d b. Zayd al-Ansari, brother of Abdu’l-Ashal with some of the captive women of Banu Qurayza to Najd and he sold them for horses and weapons.” (Ibn Ishaq/Hisham/Hisham 693)

My response, Is it Islamic to sell one’s wife for horses? Clearly these were not wives! More importantly, by definition a “captured” woman is not one who is fleeing her husband. She is fleeing her captor (ie. the Muslim slave raider). This hadith describes a typical raid, in which the women and children are captured as they are attempting to flee the attacking Muslims:

“…and then we attacked from all sides and reached their watering-place where a battle was fought. Some of the enemies were killed and some were taken prisoners. I saw a group of persons that consisted of women and children [escaping in the distance]. I was afraid lest they should reach the mountain before me, so I shot an arrow between them and the mountain. When they saw the arrow, they stopped. So I brought them, driving them along” (Sahih Muslim 4345)

“Yes, religion is filled with hypocrisy that is what I keep proving with facts and reason.” – Challenger 

My response, Sexism From the Qur’an:

Surah Al-Baqarah [2:223] – “Your wives are as a tilth unto you; so approach your tilth when or how ye will…” A man has dominion over his wives’ bodies as he does his land. This verse is overtly sexual. There is some dispute as to whether it is referring to the practice of anal intercourse, which it has been used historically to justify. If this is what Muhammad meant, however, then it would appear to contradict what he said in Also (see Sahih al-Bukhari Book Number 60 Hadith Number 51), and was “revealed” when women complained to Muhammad about the practice. The phrase “when and how you will” means that they lost their case.

Surah Al-Baqarah [2:228] – “and the men are a degree above them [women]“

Surah Al-Baqarah [2:282] – (Court testimony) Establishes that a woman’s testimony is worth only half that of a man’s in court (there is no “he said/she said” gridlock in Islam).“And call to witness, from among your men, two witnesses. And if two men are not found then a man and two women.” Muslim apologists have sometimes creatively tried to explain why a woman’s testimony is worth half that of a man’s under Islamic law (based on this verse) while still attempting to maintain the semblance of equality. Unfortunately for them, studies consistently show that women are less likely to tell lies than men, meaning that they would make more reliable witnesses in any court – were it not for Islam’s obvious sexism.

Al-Quran Surah 4. An-Nisaa, Ayah 3 – (Wife-to-husband ratio) “Marry women of your choice, two or three or four”

Surah An-Nisa [4:11] – (Inheritance) “The male shall have the equal of the portion of two females” (see also verse Surah An-Nisa [4:176]).

Surah An-Nisa [4:15] – “As for those of your women who are guilty of lewdness, call to witness four of you against them. And if they testify (to the truth of the allegation) then confine them to the houses until death takes them.”

Surah An-Nisa [4:24] and Surah Al-Ahzab [33:50] – A man is permitted to take women as sex slaves outside of marriage. Note that the verse distinguishes wives from captives (those whom they right hand possesses).

Surah An-Nisa [4:34] – “Men are in charge of women, because Allah hath made one of them to excel the other, and because they spend of their property (for the support of women). So good women are obedient, guarding in secret that which Allah hath guarded. As for those from whom ye fear rebellion, admonish them and banish them to beds apart, and scourge them. Then if they obey you, seek not a way against them.”

Surah An-Nisa [4:176] – “Unto the male is the equivalent of the share of two females.”

Surah Al-Ma’idah [5:6] – “And if ye are unclean, purify yourselves. And if ye are sick or on a journey, or one of you cometh from the closet, or ye have had contact with women, and ye find not water, then go to clean, high ground and rub your faces and your hands with some of it” Men are to rub dirt on their hands if there is no water to purify them following casual contact with a woman (such as shaking hands).

Surah An-Nur [24:4] – “And those who accuse free women then do not bring four witnesses (to adultery), flog them…”

Surah An-Nur [24:13] – “Why did they not bring four witnesses of it? But as they have not brought witnesses they are liars before Allah.”

Surah An-Nur [24:31] – Women are to lower their gaze around men, so they do not look them in the eye. (To be fair, men are told to do the same thing in the prior verse).

Surah Al-Ahzab [33:30] – “O ye wives of the Prophet! Whosoever of you committeth manifest lewdness, the punishment for her will be doubled, and that is easy for Allah.”

Surah Al-Ahzab [33:33] – “And abide quietly in your homes…” Women are confined to their homes except when they have permission to go out.

Surah Al-Ahzab [33:53] – “When ye ask of them (the wives of the Prophet) anything, ask it of them from behind a curtain. That is purer for your hearts and for their hearts. And it is not for you to cause annoyance to the messenger of Allah, nor that ye should ever marry his wives after him. Lo! that in Allah’s sight would be an enormity.”

Surah Al-Ahzab [33:59] – “Tell thy wives and thy daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks close round them…” Men determine how women dress.

Surah Ghafir [40:20] – “And if ye wish to exchange one wife for another….”

Surah An-Najm [53:27] – “Those who believe not in the Hereafter, name the angels with female names.” Angels are sublime beings, and would, therefore, be male.

Surah At-Talaq [65:1] – “O Prophet! When ye (men) put away women….”

Surah At-Tahrim [66:1-5] – “Maybe, his Lord, if he [Muhammad] divorce you, will give him in your place wives better than you, submissive, faithful, obedient, penitent, adorers, fasters, widows and virgins” A disobedient wife can be replaced.

My response, From the Hadith:

Sunan Abu Dawood Book Number 2 Hadith Number 704 – “When one of you prays without a sutrah, a dog, an ass, a pig, a Jew, a Magian, and a woman cut off his prayer, but it will suffice if they pass in front of him at a distance of over a stone’s throw.”

Abu Dawud Book 005, Hadith Number 2155 – Women are compared to slaves and camels with regard to the “evil” in them.

Sunan Abu Dawood Book Number 12 Hadith Number 2141 – “Iyas bin ‘Abd Allah bin Abi Dhubab reported the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) as saying: Do not beat Allah’s handmaidens, but when ‘Umar came to the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) and said: Women have become emboldened towards their husbands, he (the Prophet) gave permission to beat them. Then many women came round the family of the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) complaining against their husbands. So the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: Many women have gone round Muhammad’s family complaining against their husbands. They are not the best among you.” At first, Muhammad forbade men from beating their wives, but he rescinded this once it was reported that women were becoming emboldened toward their husbands. Beatings are sometimes necessary to keep women in their place.

Abu Dawud Book 005, Hadith Number 2142 – “The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: A man will not be asked as to why he beat his wife.”

Sunan Abu Dawood Book Number 2 Hadith Number 567 – “Apostle of Allah during a journey said to me: Uqbah, should I not teach you two best surahs ever recited? He then taught me: “Say, I seek refuge in the Lord of the dawn,” and “Say, I seek refuge in the Lord of men.”

Sahih al-Bukhari Book Number 6 Hadith Number 301 – “[Muhammad] said, ‘Is not the evidence of two women equal to the witness of one man?’ They replied in the affirmative. He said, ‘This is the deficiency in her intelligence.’” Allah has made women deficient in the practice of their religion as well, by giving them menstrual cycles.”

Sahih al-Bukhari Book Number 2 Hadith Number 28 – Women comprise the majority of Hell’s occupants. This is important because the only women in heaven ever mentioned by Muhammad are the virgins who serve the sexual desires of men. (A weak Hadith, Kanz al-ummal, 22:10, even suggests that 99% of women go to Hell).

Sahih al-Bukhari Book Number 62 Hadith Number 81 – According to Muhammad, the most important part of a marriage contract is the unrestricted access that a man has to his wife’s vagina.

Sahih al-Bukhari Book Number 62 Hadith Number 58 – A woman presents herself in marriage to Muhammad, but he does not find her attractive, so he “donates” her on the spot to another man.

Sahih al-Bukhari Book Number 59 Hadith Number 462 – The background for the Quranic requirement of four witnesses to adultery. Muhammad’s favorite wife, Aisha, was accused of cheating [on her polygamous husband]. Three witnesses corroborated the event, but Muhammad did not want to believe it, and so established the arbitrary rule that four witnesses are required.

Sahih al-Bukhari Book Number 72 Hadith Number 715 – A woman came to Muhammad and begged her to stop her husband from beating her. Her skin was bruised so badly that she is described as being “greener” than the green veil she was wearing. Muhammad did not admonish her husband but instead ordered her to return to him and submit to his sexual desires.

Sahih al-Bukhari Book Number 88 Hadith Number 219 – “Never will succeed such a nation as makes a woman their ruler.”

Sahih al-Bukhari Book Number 4 Hadith Number 149 – Muhammad’s wives are even trained to defecate on his command.

Sahih al-Bukhari Book Number 48 Hadith Number 826 – Women have a deficiency of intelligence, meaning that their decisions will not be comparable to a man’s.

Sahih al-Bukhari Book Number 58 Hadith Number 125 – Women are tradable commodities. A Muslim with two wives offers a fellow Muslim his pick between the two. Muhammad then arranges a wedding banquet. Hadith, this can be for an offense as petty as merely being alone with a man to whom she is not related.

Sahih Muslim Book Number 4 Hadith Number 969 – Commands that a married woman be “put in a separate room and beaten lightly” if she “acts in a sexual manner toward others.”

Hadith 593 – “As for Ali, he said, ‘Women are plentiful, and you can easily change one for another.’” From the captives of Hunayn, Allah’s Messenger gave [his son-in-law] Ali a slave girl called Baytab and he gave [future Caliph] Uthman a slave girl called Zaynab and [future Caliph] Umar another.” – Even in this world, Muhammad treated women like party favors, handing out slave girls to his cronies for sex. Ali was raised as a son by Muhammad. He was also the 4th caliph. This comment was made in Muhammad’s presence without a word of rebuke from him.

Sahih Muslim Book Number 4 Hadith Number 2127 – Muhammad struck his favorite wife, Aisha, in the chest one evening when she left the house without his permission. Aisha narrates, “He struck me on the chest which caused me pain.”

Sahih Muslim Book Number 4 Hadith Number 1039 – “A’isha said [to Muhammad]: ‘You have made us equal to the dogs and the asses’”

Sahih Muslim Book Number 8 Hadith Number 3306 – “A woman without a husband has wore right to her person than her guardian, and a virgin’s consent must be asked from her, and her silence implies her consent.”

Tabari VIII:117 – The fate of more captured farm wives, whom the Muslims distributed amongst themselves as sex slaves: “Dihyah had asked the Messenger for Safiyah when the Prophet chose her for himself… the Apostle traded for Safiyah by giving Dihyah her two cousins. The women of Khaybar were distributed among the Muslims.”

Tabari IX:137 – “Allah granted Rayhana of the Qurayza to Muhammad as booty.”

Ishaq 969 – “Men were to lay injunctions on women lightly, for they were prisoners of men and had no control over their persons.” – This same text also justifies beating women for flirting.

Tabari Vol 9, Number 1754 – “Treat women well, for they are [like] domestic animals with you and do not possess anything for them.” From Muhammad’s ‘Farewell Sermon’.

“Damien Marie AtHope, them. Them them them. The English vocabulary doesn’t have certain equivalents of gender neutrality. By saying God or Good (the difference between God and Good is 0, synonymous, one and the same) is supposed to be genderless. But hey, I don’t argue for the sake of. I don’t care what you think. I just believe in an energy force and not any religion. I’m not gonna knock down atheist, agnostics and whatever as long as there’s a separation of state and whatever the fuck people choose to believe in. You are just pointing out bastardizations of belief systems. Have at it.” – Challenger 

My response, What do you mean by “an energy force” and is it related to Islam your comments involve?

“Damien Marie AtHope, sometimes it seems as though you want a pulpit. Have at it. Many people I know already know. You don’t need to vote the Googled text or wikipedia versions. I’ve done that. I’m merely pointing out what incensed as I said extremists. Damien Marie AtHope, if you don’t know you don’t know.” – Challenger 

My response, You claim to know but sidestep trying to explain then think you are not talking from a pulpit?

“Damien Marie AtHope, obviously, the force is not with you.” – Challenger 

My response, So what do you mean by force and how do you claim to know this?

“Damien Marie AtHope, I don’t have time. You already have the answers.” – Challenger 

My response, I asked for your answers and am waiting for your explanations?

“Damien Marie AtHope, I was born with it. It is internal to me. Sorry. You either know or you don’t. University of Katrina is not in effect. Damien Marie AtHope, I owe you no explanation.” –Challenger 

My response, You took the time to comment on my post its not me commenting on yours, I want to hear you explain?

“Damien Marie AtHope, I only made one comment. I will delete it.” – Challenger 

My response, Actually, you have made several comments.

“I don’t have the bandwidth to explain or get into debates. Been taking care of a sick mom and dealing with my own diabetes issues. Have a good Sunday! And may the Force be with you.” –Challenger 

My response, I wish your mom well. Have a good day.

Here are some info on the names of god that support my points from a Muslim site called: “THE MOST BEAUTIFUL NAMES OF ALLAH“

“The answer, the solution, the salvation comes from Allah… as he calls himself “Al-Momin”… which means the giver of peace! How amazed would be the people of the world if they knew that Muslims worship “Al-Momin” and yet they have no peace in their lives…!!!” – THE MOST BEAUTIFULNAMES OF ALLAH  

“Momin Name Meaning. Muslim: from a personal name based on Arabic mu’min ‘believer (in Islam)’, ‘pious person’. Al-Mu’min ‘the Believer’ is one of the names of Allah (Qur’an 59:23). It is also the title of the 40th sura of the Qur’an.” – ref 

“Momin or Mumin (Arabic: مؤمن‎) is an Arabic Islamic term, frequently referenced in the Quran” ref 

“mu’min [singular masculine form)” – Qur’an and Woman: Rereading the Sacred Text from a Woman’s Perspective

 “muʾmin is masculine and the feminine is muʾmina” – ref 

And from the site called: “Islam Question & Answer“

“Allaah is al-Mu’min, the One Who will fulfil the promise to the sincere. He calls His slaves to believe in Him and He has control over the security of His creation in this world and in the Hereafter. And He declares Himself to be One, as He says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Allaah bears witness that Laa ilaaha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He)” [Aal ‘Imraan 3:18]

Al-Mu’min is the one Who accepts His believing slaves, i.e., He accepts their faith and sincerity and makes them steadfast. And He fulfils His promise to His slave of reward. He gives security to His close friends (awliya’) by keeping them safe from His punishment and torment. So they are safe, and no one is safe except those to whom He grants safety. He fulfils what His slaves think of Him and never allows their hopes to be dashed. He is the one Who declared Himself to be One, as He says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And your Ilaah (God) is One Ilaah (God — Allaah)” [al-Baqarah 2:163]

He is the One Who guarantees not to treat His creation unjustly, and the one who does not deserve His punishment is safe from it. He is the One Who will accept the testimony of His Muslim slaves on the Day of Resurrection, when the nations will be asked whether the Messengers conveyed the Message. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“ [the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)] has faith in the believers” [al-Tawbah 9:61]

All of these attributes belong to Allaah because He spoke the truth of Tawheed to which He calls His slaves. He guarantees that His slaves will not be treated unjustly [in the Hereafter] and promises Paradise to those who believe in Him and Hell to those who disbelieve in Him. And He is the One Who keeps His promise.” –  Islam Question & Answer 

The Quran states:

(Surah An-Nisa [4:136]) O you who believe! Believe in Allah, and His Messenger (Muhammad), and the Book (the Quran) which He has sent down to His Messenger, and the Scripture which He sent down to those before (him), and whosoever disbelieves in Allah, His Angels, His Books, His Messengers, and the Last Day, then indeed he has strayed far away. ref  

“Allah, besides Whom there is no god; the King, the Holy, the Absolutely Perfect, the Granter of security, Guardian over all, the Mighty, the Supreme, the Possessor of every greatness Glory be to Allah from what they set up (with Him). Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala alone is the one who deserves the name Assalaam… because of his extreme perfection in his being, in his names and also in hisactions. In other words perfection is inseparable from His majesty. Allah is free from the weakness of tiredness… free from the need to sleep… He was always alive and will remain alive forever… death cannot touch him… His powers and abilities do not ever diminish… Allah is forever constant… his attributes do not change… His actions are absolutely perfect… He does not do anything against wisdom… His justice is flawless… He never does any zulm to anyone. Hisknowledge is perfectly encompassing each and everything…not even the tiniest particle can escape his notice… Similarly all other attributes of Allah like Hearing and seeing, planning and executing his commands… etc… all are extremely perfect and flawless.” – THE MOST BEAUTIFULNAMES OF ALLAH  

Though it is claimed Allah has no gender they only use the male gender so many times it is clear that it is embodying a male persona, even if denied.  

Allah as Described in the Holy Qur’an:

Allah said: “Say: He is Allah, the One and Only; Allah, the Eternal, Absolute; He begetteth not, nor is He begotten; And there is none like unto Him.” (Holy Qur’an, Chapter 112, verses 1-4) ref 

Allah said: “Allah is the Creator of all things, and He is the Guardian and Disposer of all affairs. To Him belong the keys of the heavens and the earth: and those who reject the Signs of Allah, it is they who will be in loss. Say: ‘Is it someone other than Allah that ye order me to worship, O ye ignorant ones?’” (Holy Qur’an, Chapter 39, verses 62-64) ref 

Allah said: “Behold! they fold up their hearts, that they may lie hid from Him! But even when they cover themselves with their garments, He knoweth what they conceal, and what they reveal: for He knoweth well the (inmost secrets) of the hearts. There is no moving creature on earth but its sustenance dependeth on Allah: He knoweth the time and place of its definite abode and its temporary deposit: all is in a clear Record.” (Holy Qur’an, Chapter 11, verses 5-6) ref 

Allah (swt) said: “No son did Allah beget, nor is there any god along with Him: (if there were many gods), behold, each god would have taken away what he had created, and some would have Lorded it over others! Glory to Allah! (He is free) from the (sort of) things they attribute to Him! He knows what is hidden and what is open; too high is He for the partners they attribute to Him!” (Holy Qur’an, Chapter 23, verses 91-92) ref  

Allah (swt) said: “He is God; there is no god but He, He is the Knower of the unseen and the visible; He is the All-Merciful, the All-Compassionate. He is God, there is no God but He. He is the King, the All-Holy, the All-Peace, the Guardian of Faith, the All-Preserver, the All-Mighty, the All-Compeller, the All-Sublime. Glory be to God, above that they associate! He is God the Creator, the Maker, the Shaper. To Him belong the Names Most Beautiful. All that is in the heavens and the earth magnifies Him; He is the All-Mighty, the All-Wise.” (Holy Qur’an, Chapter 59, verses 22-24) ref  

Allah (swt) said: “There is no god but He, the Living, the Everlasting. Slumber seizes Him not, neither sleep; to Him belongs all that is in the heavens and the earth. Who is there that shall intercede with Him save by His leave? He knows what lies before them and what is after them, and they comprehend not anything of His knowledge save such as He wills. His throne comprises the heavens and earth; the preserving of them oppresses Him not; He is the All-High, the All-Glorious.” (Holy Qur’an, Chapter 2, verse 255) ref    

Early Religions Thought to Express Proto-Monotheistic Systems around 4,000 years ago

Single God Religions (Monotheism) = “Man-o-theism” started around 4,000 years ago with the Great Sky Spirit/God Tiān (天)?

The broader definition of monotheism characterizes the traditions of Bábism, the Bahá’í Faith, Balinese Hinduism, Cao Dai (Caodaiism), Cheondoism (Cheondogyo), Christianity, Deism, Eckankar, Hindu sects such as Shaivism and Vaishnavism, Islam, Judaism, Mandaeism, Rastafari, Seicho no Ie, Sikhism, Tengrism (Tangrism), Tenrikyo (Tenriism), Yazidism, and Zoroastrianism, and elements of pre-monotheistic thought are found in early religions such as Atenism, ancient Chinese religion, and Yahwism. ref 

Why are basically all monotheistic religions ones that have a male god?   

Atenism, or the “Amarna heresy”, refers to the religious changes associated with the eighteenth dynasty Pharaoh Amenhotep IV, better known under his adopted name, Akhenaten. Akhetaten means “Horizon of the Aten“.  Aten or Aton, Ancient Egyptian disk of the sun that in ancient Egyptian mythology, was originally an aspect of the male god Ra.  For fifteen centuries, the Egyptians had worshiped an extended family of gods and goddesses, each of which had its own elaborate system of priests, temples, shrines and rituals. Then the deified the male god Atenbecame the focus of the monotheistic religion of Atenism. It was a relatively obscure sun god; without the Atenist period, it would barely have figured in Egyptian history.  During the reign of Thutmosis IV, it was identified as a distinct solar god, and his son Amenhotep III established and promoted a separate cult for the Aten. There is no evidence that Amenhotep III neglected the other gods or attempted to promote the Aten as an exclusive deity.  Amenhotep IV initially introduced Atenism in the fifth year of his reign (1348/1346 BC), raising Aten to the status of supreme god, after having initially permitted continued worship of the traditional gods.  In the ninth year of his reign (1344/1342 BC), Akhenaten declared a more radical version of his new religion, declaring Aten not merely the supreme god of the Egyptian pantheon but the only God of Egypt, with himself as the sole intermediary between the Aten and the Egyptian people.  Aten was addressed by Akhenaten in prayers, such as the Great Hymn to the Aten: “O Sole God beside whom there is none”.  ref, ref, ref

Bábism also known as the Bayání Faith is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion which professes that there is one incorporeal, unknown, and incomprehensible God who manifests his will in an unending series of theophanies, called Manifestations of God. ref 

Bahá’í Faith or Bahá’í teachings are in some ways similar to other monotheistic faiths: God is considered single and all-powerful. However, Bahá’u’lláh taught that religion is orderly and progressively revealed by one God through Manifestations of God who are the founders of major world religions throughout history; Buddha, Jesus, and Muhammad being the most recent in the period before the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh. Baha’is believe that God periodically reveals his will through divine messengers, whose purpose is to transform the character of humankind and to develop, within those who respond, moral and spiritual qualities. Religion is thus seen as orderly, unified, and progressive from age to age. Bahá’ís regard the major religions as fundamentally unified in purpose, though varied in social practices and interpretations. Bahá’í teachings state that God is too great for humans to fully comprehend, or to create a complete and accurate image of by themselves. Therefore, human understanding of God is achieved through his revelations via his Manifestations. ref

Balinese Hinduism also called, Agama Hindu Dharma, and traditionally the religion was called by many names such as Tirta, Trimurti, Hindu, Agama Tirta, Siwa, Buda, and Siwa-Buda and overall is an amalgamation of Indian religions and indigenous animist customs that existed in Indonesian archipelago before the arrival of Islam and later Dutch colonialism. Sang Hyang Widhi Wasa, the Divine Oneness and supreme god (Brahman) of Balinese Hinduism. The Supreme God in traditional wayang (shadow puppet) theatre. The term Sang Hyang Widhi Wasa (“God Almighty”), which although coined in the 1930s by Protestant missionaries to describe the Christian God, was thought to be well-adapted to describe the Hindu supreme deity. All gods, goddesses and existence are believed to be the manifestation of the Acintya in Balinese Hinduism. Acintya corresponds to a rather recent trend towards monism in Bali, according to which there is one supreme deity, and that all other gods are only manifestations of him. Acintya is emptiness, and considered as the origin of the Universe, all other divinities emanating from him. He is often associated to the sun god and depicted in human form with flames around him. His nakedness expresses that “his consciousness is no longer carried away by his sense-faculties”. ref

Cao Dai (Caodaiism), Cao Dai, a god in this Vietnamese religion, literally the “Highest Lord” or “Highest Power”) is the supreme deity, believed by Caodaists to have created the universe. The symbol of the faith is the Left Eye of God, representing the yang (masculine, ordaining, positive and expansive) activity of the male creator, which is balanced by the yin (âm) activity of Mother Goddess, the Queen Mother of the West (Diêu Trì Kim Mẫu, Tây Vương Mẫu), the feminine, nurturing and restorative mother of humanity. ref 

Cheondoism (Cheondogyo), is a 20th-century Korean religious ideology, based on the 19th-century Donghak religious movement founded by Ch’oe Che-u and codified under Son Pyŏng-Hi. Haneullim is the “Lord of Heaven” (from Korean “haneul” “heaven” + “nim” “lord”) venerated in the Cheondoist religion. Haneullim or Haneulnim(“Heavenly King”), also spelled Hanunim, Hwanin, also called Sangje (“Highest Deity”) also known simply as Haneul (“Heaven”) or Cheon (“Heaven”, in Sino-Korean), or Cheonsin (“God of Heaven”), is the concept of the sky God peculiar to Korean shamanism, (including Cheondoism and Jeungsanism). In some of these religions he is called Okhwang Sangje (“Highest Deity the Jade Emperor“).Hwanin – or “Divine Regent”. In the traditional Dangun mythology Hwanin is portrayed as the Emperor of Heaven himself. And Sangje“Highest Deity” in the theology of the classical texts, especially deriving from Shang theology and finding an equivalent in the later Tian (“Heaven” or “Great Whole”) of Zhou theology. Although in Chinese religion the usage of “Tian” to refer to the absolute God of the universe is predominant, “Shang-di” continues to be used in a variety of traditions, including certain philosophical schools, certain strains of Confucianism, some Chinese salvationist religions (notably Yiguandao) and Chinese Protestant Christianity. ref, ref, ref, ref, ref 

Christianity as everyone knows has a male god, seen in the belief in God the Father, Jesus Christ as the Son of God, and the Holy Spirit. ref

Deism derived from Latin “deus masculine (feminine dea)” meaning “god”) is the philosophical belief which posits that although God exists as the uncaused First Cause – ultimately responsible for the creation of the universe – God does not interact directly with that subsequently created world. Equivalently, deism can also be defined as the view which asserts God’s existence as the cause of all things and admits its perfection (and usually the existence of natural law and Providence) but rejects divine revelation or direct intervention of God in the universe by miracles. ref, ref

Eckankar is a religion founded by Paul Twitchell in 1965. For the name of God given by Guru Nanak in the Japji, Ik Onkar. Ik Onkar is a symbol of the unity of God in Sikhism, meaning God is One or One God, also is the opening phrase of the Mul Mantar, present as opening phrase in the Guru Granth Sahib, and the first composition of Guru Nanak. Further, the Mul Mantar is also at the beginning of the Japji Sahib, followed by 38 hymns and a final Salok at the end of this composition. “One universal Creator God, Truth and eternal is the name, Creative being, Without Fear, Without Enmity, Timeless and deathless Form, Not affected by the circle of life and death – unborn , Self-Existent, He can be realized by the grace of the true and eternal Guru who has the power to enlighten us.” Eckankar is not affiliated with any other religious group. In Introduction to New and Alternative Religions in America, David C. Lane writes that the lineage, known as the Vairagi masters in Eckankar, allegedly traces its genealogy back through some 970 Living Eck Masters to Rama, an avatar of Vishnu in Hinduism. And in Hindu iconography, Vishnu is a malegod usually depicted as having a pale or dark blue complexion and having four arms. He holds a padma (lotus flower) in his lower left hand, Kaumodaki gada (mace) in his lower right hand, Panchajanya shankha (conch) in his upper left hand and the Sudarshana Chakra (discus) in hisupper right hand. ref, ref, ref  

Shaivism is one of the major traditions within Hinduism that reveres Shiva as the Supreme Being. It is one of the largest sects that believe Shiva and He is worshipped as a creator and destroyer of worlds — is the supreme god over all. In his fierce aspects, he is often depicted slaying demons. Shaivism has ancient roots, traceable in the Vedic literature of 2nd millennium BCE, but this is in the form of the Vedic deity Rudra in the Rig Veda. Rudra “the wild one” or “the fierce god” is referred as God of Gods and the name Rudra has been taken as a synonym for the god Shiva and the two names are used interchangeably. The earliest mentions of Rudra occur in the Rigveda, where three entire hymns are devoted to him. He is “fierce like a formidable wild beast” (RV 2.33.11). Shaivism is one of the largest traditions within Hinduism. ref, ref, ref  

Vaishnavism it considers Vishnu as the Supreme Lord. He is one of the principal deities of Hinduism, and the Supreme Being or absolute truth in its Vaishnavism tradition. His avatars most notably include Rama in the Ramayana and Krishna in the Mahabharata. He is also known as Narayana, Trilokinath, Ishtadeva, Jagannath, Vasudeva, Vithoba, and Hari. He is one of the five equivalent deities worshipped in Panchayatana puja of the Smarta Tradition of Hinduism. In Hindu iconography, Vishnu is usually depicted as having a pale or dark blue complexion and having four arms. He holds a padma (lotus flower) in his lower left hand, Kaumodaki gada (mace) in his lower right hand, Panchajanya shankha (conch) in his upper left hand and the Sudarshana Chakra(discus) in his upper right hand. ref, ref  

Islam is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, universal religion teaching that there is only one God (Allah). God (Allah) is described in chapter 112 of the Quran as: “Say, He is God, the One and Only; God, the Eternal, Absolute; He begetteth not, nor is He begotten; And there is none like unto Him” (112:1–4). ref  

Judaism is an ancient, monotheistic, Abrahamic religion with the Torah as its foundational text. Judaism is considered by religious Jews to be the expression of the covenant that Godestablished with the Children of Israel. It encompasses a wide body of texts, practices, theological positions, and forms of organization. The Torah is part of the larger text known as the Tanakh or the Hebrew Bible, and supplemental oral tradition represented by later texts such as the Midrashand the Talmud. It evolved from ancient Israelite religions generally around 2,500 years ago. Judaism’s texts, traditions and values strongly influenced later Abrahamic religions, including Christianity, Islam and the Baha’i Faith. According to the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible), God promised Abraham to make of his offspring a great nation. The Book of Genesis, the first book of the Hebrew Bible and the Old Testament, is Judaism’s account of the creation of the world and the origins of the Jewish people. God creates a world which is good and fit for mankind, but when man corrupts it with sin God decides to destroy his creation, saving only the righteous Noah to reestablish the relationship between man and God. The Ancestral History (chapters 12–50) tells of the prehistory of Israel, in relation to God and his chosen people. ref, ref, ref  

Mandaeism or Mandaeanism “Saint John Christians” is a gnostic religion and the Mandaeans are Semites and speak a dialect of Eastern Aramaic known as Mandaic. The cosmos is created by Archetypal Man, who produces it in similitude to his own shape. Within the Middle East, but outside of their community, the Mandaeans are more commonly known as the Ṣubba (singular: Ṣubbī) or Sabians. The term Ṣubba is derived from the Aramaic root related to baptism, the neo-Mandaic is Ṣabi. In Islam, the “Sabians” are described several times in the Qur’an as People of the Book, alongside Jews and Christians. The religion has been practiced primarily around the lower Karun, Euphrates and Tigris and the rivers that surround the Shatt-al-Arab waterway, part of southern Iraq and Khuzestan Province in Iran. At the beginning of the Muslim conquest of Mesopotamia, the leader of the Mandaeans, Anush son of Danqa appeared before Muslimauthorities showing them a copy of the Ginza Rabba, the Mandaean holy book, and proclaiming the chief Mandaean prophet to be John the Baptist, who is also mentioned in the Quran. They are a very simple people and they claim to possess a secret law of God, which they preserve in beautiful books. Their writing is a sort of middle way between Syriac and Arabic. They detest Abraham because of circumcision and they venerate John the Baptist above all. They live only near a few rivers in the desert. They wash day and night so as not to be condemned by God… The earliest Mandaean religious texts suggest a more strictly dualistic theology, typical of other Iranian religions such as Zoroastrianism, Zurvanism, Manichaeism, and the teachings of Mazdak. In these texts, instead of a large pleroma, there is a discrete division between light and darkness.The ruler of darkness is called Ptahil (male similar to the Gnostic Demiurge), and the originator of the light (i.e. God) is only known as “the great first Life from the worlds of light, the sublime one that stands above all works.” When this being emanated, other spiritual beings became increasingly corrupted, and they and their ruler Ptahil created our world. The name Ptahil is suggestive of the Egyptian Ptah. Ptah is an Egyptian male creator god who existed before all other things and, by his will, thought the world into existence. The Mandaeans believe that they were resident in Egypt for a while thus in s possible that Ptah-il— could be Ptah joined to the semitic El, (or ʼil meaning male “god”). ref, ref, ref  

Rastafari or Rastafarianism is an Abrahamic religion that developed in Jamaica during the 1930s. Rastas refer to their beliefs, which are based on a specific interpretation of the Bible, as “Rastalogy”. Central is a monotheistic belief in a single male God—referred to as Jah—who partially resides within each individual. This belief is reflected in the aphorism, often cited by Rastas, that “God is man and man is God”. Many Rastas regard Haile Selassie, the Emperor of Ethiopia between 1930 and 1974, (He is a defining figure in contemporary Ethiopian history) as an incarnation of Jah on Earth and as the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, another figure whom practitioners revere. Other Rastas regard Haile Selassie not as Jah incarnate but as a human prophet who fully recognized the inner divinity in every individual. Jah or Yah is a short form of Yahweh, the national god of the Iron Age kingdoms of Israel (Samaria) and Judah. His exact origins are disputed but is sen as the proper name of God in the Hebrew Bible. This short form of the name occurs 50 times in the text of the Hebrew Bible, of which 24 form part of the phrase “Hallelu-jah“, which is actually a two-word phrase, not one word. The short form Jah/Yah, which appears in Exodus 15:2 and 17:16, Psalm 89:9, Song of Songs 8:6, is preserved also in theophoric namessuch as Eli-jah (“my god is Jah”), Malchi-jah (“my king is Jah”), and Adoni-jah (“my lord is Jah”), etc. ref, ref, ref, ref 

Seichō no Ie (Japanese “House of Growth”), is a syncretic, monotheistic, New Thought Japanese new religion. Emphasizes gratitude for nature, the family, ancestors and, above all, religious faith in one universal God. It is a God-given prayerful meditation revealed directly to Rev. Masaharu Taniguchi when he attained spiritual enlightenment. Man cannot live by bread alone. Since he is a spiritual being even before he is a physical being, he needs spiritual food as much as, or even more than, he needs physical food. Shinsokan is that spiritual food which brings to the one who practices it, the spiritual knowledge that one is a Child of God and therefore perfect in every way. A mere intellectual understanding of this fact is not enough. The understanding must be intuitive and spiritual. We must know that God is within us with our heart, soul, and body, and Shinsokan is the way to that kind of understanding. The Seiza or formal posture is the one most highly recommended for proper alignment with the cosmic order. In this posture, we sit with legs folded beneath us, the left foot resting on the right. The left foot symbolizes fire, the masculine principle, positive polarity, and heaven. The right stands for water, the feminine principle, negative polarity, the earth. After visualizing the Kingdom of God in this manner, continue as follows: I am in the Kingdom of God of Grand Harmony, and as a child of God, I am receiving fromhim an infinite supply of his infinite life power. ref, ref  

Sikhism from Sikh, meaning a “disciple”, “seeker,” or “learner”), is a monotheistic religion that originated in the Punjab region in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent around the end of the 15th century. Sikhs believe in reincarnation and karma concepts found in Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism. However, in Sikhism both karma and liberation “is modified by the concept of God’s grace” (nadar, mehar, kirpa, karam etc.).The fundamental beliefs of Sikhism, articulated in the sacred scripture Guru Granth Sahib, include faith and meditation on the name of the one creator, divine unity and equality of all humankind, engaging in selfless service, striving for justice for the benefit and prosperity of all and honest conduct and livelihood while living a householder’s life. The Sikh scripture opens with Ik Onkar, its Mul Mantar and fundamental prayer about One Supreme Being (God). In Sikhism, the concept of “God” is Waheguru considered Nirankar(shapeless), akal (timeless), and Alakh Niranjan(invisible). The Sikh scripture begins with Ik Onkar, which refers to the “formless one” and understood in the Sikh tradition as monotheistic unity of God. Guru Nanak taught that living an “active, creative, and practical life” of “truthfulness, fidelity, self-control and purity” is above the metaphysical truth, and that the ideal man is one who “establishes union with God, knows His Will, and carries out that Will”. God in Sikhism is known as Ik Onkar, the One Supreme Reality or the all-pervading spirit claimed to have no gender in Sikhism, though translations may present it as masculine. About “Ik Onkar” Pashaura Singh states, “By beginning with ‘One,’ Guru Nanak emphasizes the singularity of the Divine. That is, the numeral ‘1’ affirms that the Supreme Being is one without a second, the source as well as the goal of all that exists. That is quite evident from the following statement: ‘My Master (Sahib) is the One. He is the One, brother, and He alone exists’ (AG 350). ref, ref  

Tengrism also known as Tengriism, Tenggerism, or Tengrianism, is a Central Asian religioncharacterized by shamanism, animism, totemism, poly-, and monotheism, and ancestor worship. It was the prevailing religion of the Turks, Mongols, Hungarians, Bulgars, Xiongnu, and, possibly, the Huns, and the religion of the several medieval states: Göktürk Khaganate, Western Turkic Khaganate, Old Great Bulgaria, Danube Bulgaria, Volga Bulgaria and Eastern Tourkia (Khazaria). In Irk Bitig, Tengri is mentioned as Türük Tängrisi (God of Turks). The word “Tengrism” is a fairly new term. It is conventionally used to describe a form of Tengri-centered shamanism that prevailed on the Eurasian steppes mostly among early Turkic and Mongol Khanates. Tengrism differs from Siberian shamanism in that the polities practicing it were not small bands of hunter gatherers like the Paleosiberians but a continuous succession of pastoral, semi-sedentarized Khanates and empires from the Xiongnu Empire (founded 209 BC) till the Mongol Empire (13th century). On a scale of complexity Tengrism lies somewhere between the Proto-Indo-European religion (a pre-state form of pastoral shamanism on the western steppe) and its later form the Vedic religion. The eastern steppe where Tengrism developed had more centralized, hierarchical polities than the western steppe. Nonetheless, the chief male god Tengri (Heaven) is considered strikingly similar to the Indo-European sky male god *Dyeus and the structure of the reconstructed Proto-Indo-European religion is closer to that of the early Turks than to the religion of any people of Near Eastern or Mediterranean antiquity. According to this scholarly reconstruction, Dyeus was known as Dyḗus Ph2tḗr, literally “sky father” or “shining father“, as reflected in Latin Iūpiter, Diēspiter, possibly Dis Pater and deus pater, Greek Zeus Pater, Vedic Dyáuṣ Pitṛ́.  The original Mongol khans, followers of Tengri, and the fourth Great Khan of the Mongol Empire, said: “We believe that there is only one God, by whom we live and by whom we die, and for whom we have an upright heart. But as God gives us the different fingers of the hand, so he gives to men diverse ways to approach him.” (“Account of the Mongols. Diary of William Rubruck”, religious debate in court documented by William of Rubruck on May 31, 1254). ref, ref, ref  

Tenrikyo (sometimes rendered as Tenriism) is a Japanese new religion which is neither strictly monotheistic nor pantheistic, originating from the teachings of a 19th-century woman named Nakayama Miki, known to her followers as Oyasama. Followers of Tenrikyo believe that God of Origin, God in Truth, known by several names including “Tsukihi,” “Tenri-Ō-no-Mikoto” and “Oyagamisama (God the Parent)” revealed divine intent through Miki Nakayama as the Shrine of God and to a lesser extent the roles of the Honseki Izo Iburi and other leaders. The sacred name of the single God and creator of the entire universe in Tenrikyo is “Tenri-Ō-no-Mikoto”. As we learned from the female Nakayama Miki who founded this religion, the mouth of the Foundress is not different from that of an ordinary person, but the words spoken through the lips are those of God the Parent, and it is God the Parent Himself that is speaking through the mouth of the Foundress. Her outward appearance is quite similar to that of an ordinary person, but it is the mind of Tsukj· Hi, God the Parent, that dwel ls in Her body. Therefore, the teachings which were later given through the lips, through the pen, through action, and through wonderful salvation, are the very ones directly given by God the Parent. ref, ref  

Yazidis or the Yazidi people are a mostly Kurmanji–speaking ethno-religious group, or an ethnic Kurdish minority indigenous to Iraq, Syria and Turkey who are strictly endogamous and also once had significant numbers in Armenia and Georgia. It is a monotheistic religion and has elements of ancient mesopotamian religions and some similarities with Abrahamic religions such as Christianity, Judaism and Islam.  Well established, however, are similarities between the Yazidis and the Yaresan or Ahl-e Haqq, some of which can be traced back to elements of an ancient faith that was probably dominant among Western Iranians and likened to practices of pre-ZoroastrianMithraic religion. Mehrdad Izady defines the Yazdanism as an ancient Hurrian religion and states that Mitanni could have introduced some of the Vedictradition that appears to be manifest in Yazdanism. The Yazidis are monotheists, believing in one God, who created the world and entrusted it into the care of a Heptad of seven Holy Beings, often known as Angels or heft sir (the Seven Mysteries). The Yazidis believe in a divine triad, like the Alawites. The original god of the Yazidis is considered to be remote and inactive in relation to his creation, except to contain and bind it together within his essence. His first emanation is Tawûsê Melek, who functions as the ruler of the world. The second hypostasis of this trinity is Sheikh Adî. The third is Sultan Ezid. These are the three hypostases of the one God. A popular Yazidi story narrates the fall of Tawûsê Melek and his subsequent rejection by humanity, with the exception of the Yazidis. The Kitêba Cilwe “Book of Illumination”, which claims to be the words of Tawûsê Melek, and which presumably represents Yazidi belief, states that he allocates responsibilities, blessings, and misfortunes as he sees fit and that it is not for the race of Adam to question him. ref

Zoroastrianism or Mazdayasna, also known as Ohrmazd, is one of the world’s oldest religions that remains active. It is a monotheistic faith (i.e. a single creator God), Ahura Mazda (Wise Lord), as its Supreme Being. Even though Ahura Mazda was a spirit in the Old Iranian religion, he had not yet been given the title of “uncreated spirit”. This title was given by Zoroaster, who proclaimed Ahura Mazda as the uncreated spirit, wholly wise, benevolent and good, as well as the creator and upholder of Asha (“truth”). Zoroaster stated that this source of all goodness was the only Ahura worthy of the highest worship. Zoroaster further stated that Ahura Mazda created spirits known as yazatas to aid him, who also merited devotion. Zoroaster proclaimed that all of the Iranian daevaswere bad spirits and deserved no worship. These “bad” spirits were created by Angra Mainyu, the hostile and evil spirit. The existence of Angra Mainyu was the source of all sin and misery in the universe. Zoroaster claimed that Ahura Mazda was not an omnipotent God but used the aid of humans in the cosmic struggle against Angra Mainyu. Nonetheless, Ahura Mazda is Angra Mainyu’s superior, not his equal. Angra Mainyu and his daevas (destroyers), which attempt to attract humans away from the path of truth and righteousness (asha), would eventually be destroyed. ref

Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

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Animism: Respecting the Living World by Graham Harvey 

“How have human cultures engaged with and thought about animals, plants, rocks, clouds, and other elements in their natural surroundings? Do animals and other natural objects have a spirit or soul? What is their relationship to humans? In this new study, Graham Harvey explores current and past animistic beliefs and practices of Native Americans, Maori, Aboriginal Australians, and eco-pagans. He considers the varieties of animism found in these cultures as well as their shared desire to live respectfully within larger natural communities. Drawing on his extensive casework, Harvey also considers the linguistic, performative, ecological, and activist implications of these different animisms.” ref

Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

ref, ref, ref, ref, ref, ref, ref, ref, ref, ref, ref, ref, ref, ref, ref, ref 

Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

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Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

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Low Gods “Earth” or Tutelary deity and High Gods “Sky” or Supreme deity

“An Earth goddess is a deification of the Earth. Earth goddesses are often associated with the “chthonic” deities of the underworld. Ki and Ninhursag are Mesopotamian earth goddesses. In Greek mythology, the Earth is personified as Gaia, corresponding to Roman Terra, Indic Prithvi/Bhūmi, etc. traced to an “Earth Mother” complementary to the “Sky Father” in Proto-Indo-European religion. Egyptian mythology exceptionally has a sky goddess and an Earth god.” ref

“A mother goddess is a goddess who represents or is a personification of nature, motherhood, fertility, creation, destruction or who embodies the bounty of the Earth. When equated with the Earth or the natural world, such goddesses are sometimes referred to as Mother Earth or as the Earth Mother. In some religious traditions or movements, Heavenly Mother (also referred to as Mother in Heaven or Sky Mother) is the wife or feminine counterpart of the Sky father or God the Father.” ref

“Any masculine sky god is often also king of the gods, taking the position of patriarch within a pantheon. Such king gods are collectively categorized as “sky father” deities, with a polarity between sky and earth often being expressed by pairing a “sky father” god with an “earth mother” goddess (pairings of a sky mother with an earth father are less frequent). A main sky goddess is often the queen of the gods and may be an air/sky goddess in her own right, though she usually has other functions as well with “sky” not being her main. In antiquity, several sky goddesses in ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, and the Near East were called Queen of Heaven. Neopagans often apply it with impunity to sky goddesses from other regions who were never associated with the term historically. The sky often has important religious significance. Many religions, both polytheistic and monotheistic, have deities associated with the sky.” ref

“In comparative mythology, sky father is a term for a recurring concept in polytheistic religions of a sky god who is addressed as a “father”, often the father of a pantheon and is often either a reigning or former King of the Gods. The concept of “sky father” may also be taken to include Sun gods with similar characteristics, such as Ra. The concept is complementary to an “earth mother“. “Sky Father” is a direct translation of the Vedic Dyaus Pita, etymologically descended from the same Proto-Indo-European deity name as the Greek Zeûs Pater and Roman Jupiter and Germanic Týr, Tir or Tiwaz, all of which are reflexes of the same Proto-Indo-European deity’s name, *Dyēus Ph₂tḗr. While there are numerous parallels adduced from outside of Indo-European mythology, there are exceptions (e.g. In Egyptian mythology, Nut is the sky mother and Geb is the earth father).” ref

Tutelary deity

“A tutelary (also tutelar) is a deity or spirit who is a guardian, patron, or protector of a particular place, geographic feature, person, lineage, nation, culture, or occupation. The etymology of “tutelary” expresses the concept of safety and thus of guardianship. In late Greek and Roman religion, one type of tutelary deity, the genius, functions as the personal deity or daimon of an individual from birth to death. Another form of personal tutelary spirit is the familiar spirit of European folklore.” ref

“A tutelary (also tutelar) in Korean shamanism, jangseung and sotdae were placed at the edge of villages to frighten off demons. They were also worshiped as deities. Seonangshin is the patron deity of the village in Korean tradition and was believed to embody the Seonangdang. In Philippine animism, Diwata or Lambana are deities or spirits that inhabit sacred places like mountains and mounds and serve as guardians. Such as: Maria Makiling is the deity who guards Mt. Makiling and Maria Cacao and Maria Sinukuan. In Shinto, the spirits, or kami, which give life to human bodies come from nature and return to it after death. Ancestors are therefore themselves tutelaries to be worshiped. And similarly, Native American beliefs such as Tonás, tutelary animal spirit among the Zapotec and Totems, familial or clan spirits among the Ojibwe, can be animals.” ref

“A tutelary (also tutelar) in Austronesian beliefs such as: Atua (gods and spirits of the Polynesian peoples such as the Māori or the Hawaiians), Hanitu (Bunun of Taiwan‘s term for spirit), Hyang (Kawi, Sundanese, Javanese, and Balinese Supreme Being, in ancient Java and Bali mythology and this spiritual entity, can be either divine or ancestral), Kaitiaki (New Zealand Māori term used for the concept of guardianship, for the sky, the sea, and the land), Kawas (mythology) (divided into 6 groups: gods, ancestors, souls of the living, spirits of living things, spirits of lifeless objects, and ghosts), Tiki (Māori mythology, Tiki is the first man created by either Tūmatauenga or Tāne and represents deified ancestors found in most Polynesian cultures). ” ref, ref, ref, ref, ref, ref, ref

Mesopotamian Tutelary Deities can be seen as ones related to City-States 

“Historical city-states included Sumerian cities such as Uruk and Ur; Ancient Egyptian city-states, such as Thebes and Memphis; the Phoenician cities (such as Tyre and Sidon); the five Philistine city-states; the Berber city-states of the Garamantes; the city-states of ancient Greece (the poleis such as Athens, Sparta, Thebes, and Corinth); the Roman Republic (which grew from a city-state into a vast empire); the Italian city-states from the Middle Ages to the early modern period, such as Florence, Siena, Ferrara, Milan (which as they grew in power began to dominate neighboring cities) and Genoa and Venice, which became powerful thalassocracies; the Mayan and other cultures of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica (including cities such as Chichen Itza, Tikal, Copán and Monte Albán); the central Asian cities along the Silk Road; the city-states of the Swahili coast; Ragusa; states of the medieval Russian lands such as Novgorod and Pskov; and many others.” ref

“The Uruk period (ca. 4000 to 3100 BCE; also known as Protoliterate period) of Mesopotamia, named after the Sumerian city of Uruk, this period saw the emergence of urban life in Mesopotamia and the Sumerian civilization. City-States like Uruk and others had a patron tutelary City Deity along with a Priest-King.” ref

“Chinese folk religion, both past, and present, includes myriad tutelary deities. Exceptional individuals, highly cultivated sages, and prominent ancestors can be deified and honored after death. Lord Guan is the patron of military personnel and police, while Mazu is the patron of fishermen and sailors. Such as Tu Di Gong (Earth Deity) is the tutelary deity of a locality, and each individual locality has its own Earth Deity and Cheng Huang Gong (City God) is the guardian deity of an individual city, worshipped by local officials and locals since imperial times.” ref

“A tutelary (also tutelar) in Hinduism, personal tutelary deities are known as ishta-devata, while family tutelary deities are known as Kuladevata. Gramadevata are guardian deities of villages. Devas can also be seen as tutelary. Shiva is the patron of yogis and renunciants. City goddesses include: Mumbadevi (Mumbai), Sachchika (Osian); Kuladevis include: Ambika (Porwad), and Mahalakshmi. In NorthEast India Meitei mythology and religion (Sanamahism) of Manipur, there are various types of tutelary deities, among which Lam Lais are the most predominant ones. Tibetan Buddhism has Yidam as a tutelary deity. Dakini is the patron of those who seek knowledge.” ref

“A tutelary (also tutelar) The Greeks also thought deities guarded specific places: for instance, Athena was the patron goddess of the city of Athens. Socrates spoke of hearing the voice of his personal spirit or daimonion:

You have often heard me speak of an oracle or sign which comes to me … . This sign I have had ever since I was a child. The sign is a voice which comes to me and always forbids me to do something which I am going to do, but never commands me to do anything, and this is what stands in the way of my being a politician.” ref

“Tutelary deities who guard and preserve a place or a person are fundamental to ancient Roman religion. The tutelary deity of a man was his Genius, that of a woman her Juno. In the Imperial era, the Genius of the Emperor was a focus of Imperial cult. An emperor might also adopt a major deity as his personal patron or tutelary, as Augustus did Apollo. Precedents for claiming the personal protection of a deity were established in the Republican era, when for instance the Roman dictator Sulla advertised the goddess Victory as his tutelary by holding public games (ludi) in her honor.” ref

“Each town or city had one or more tutelary deities, whose protection was considered particularly vital in time of war and siege. Rome itself was protected by a goddess whose name was to be kept ritually secret on pain of death (for a supposed case, see Quintus Valerius Soranus). The Capitoline Triad of Juno, Jupiter, and Minerva were also tutelaries of Rome. The Italic towns had their own tutelary deities. Juno often had this function, as at the Latin town of Lanuvium and the Etruscan city of Veii, and was often housed in an especially grand temple on the arx (citadel) or other prominent or central location. The tutelary deity of Praeneste was Fortuna, whose oracle was renowned.” ref

“The Roman ritual of evocatio was premised on the belief that a town could be made vulnerable to military defeat if the power of its tutelary deity were diverted outside the city, perhaps by the offer of superior cult at Rome. The depiction of some goddesses such as the Magna Mater (Great Mother, or Cybele) as “tower-crowned” represents their capacity to preserve the city. A town in the provinces might adopt a deity from within the Roman religious sphere to serve as its guardian, or syncretize its own tutelary with such; for instance, a community within the civitas of the Remi in Gaul adopted Apollo as its tutelary, and at the capital of the Remi (present-day Rheims), the tutelary was Mars Camulus.” ref 

Household deity (a kind of or related to a Tutelary deity)

“A household deity is a deity or spirit that protects the home, looking after the entire household or certain key members. It has been a common belief in paganism as well as in folklore across many parts of the world. Household deities fit into two types; firstly, a specific deity – typically a goddess – often referred to as a hearth goddess or domestic goddess who is associated with the home and hearth, such as the ancient Greek Hestia.” ref

“The second type of household deities are those that are not one singular deity, but a type, or species of animistic deity, who usually have lesser powers than major deities. This type was common in the religions of antiquity, such as the Lares of ancient Roman religion, the Gashin of Korean shamanism, and Cofgodas of Anglo-Saxon paganism. These survived Christianisation as fairy-like creatures existing in folklore, such as the Anglo-Scottish Brownie and Slavic Domovoy.” ref

“Household deities were usually worshipped not in temples but in the home, where they would be represented by small idols (such as the teraphim of the Bible, often translated as “household gods” in Genesis 31:19 for example), amulets, paintings, or reliefs. They could also be found on domestic objects, such as cosmetic articles in the case of Tawaret. The more prosperous houses might have a small shrine to the household god(s); the lararium served this purpose in the case of the Romans. The gods would be treated as members of the family and invited to join in meals, or be given offerings of food and drink.” ref

“In many religions, both ancient and modern, a god would preside over the home. Certain species, or types, of household deities, existed. An example of this was the Roman Lares. Many European cultures retained house spirits into the modern period. Some examples of these include:

• Brownie (Scotland and England) or Hob (England) / Kobold (Germany) / Goblin / Hobgoblin
• Domovoy (Slavic)
• Nisse (Norwegian or Danish) / Tomte (Swedish) / Tonttu (Finnish)
• Húsvættir (Norse)” ref

“Although the cosmic status of household deities was not as lofty as that of the Twelve Olympians or the Aesir, they were also jealous of their dignity and also had to be appeased with shrines and offerings, however humble. Because of their immediacy they had arguably more influence on the day-to-day affairs of men than the remote gods did. Vestiges of their worship persisted long after Christianity and other major religions extirpated nearly every trace of the major pagan pantheons. Elements of the practice can be seen even today, with Christian accretions, where statues to various saints (such as St. Francis) protect gardens and grottos. Even the gargoyles found on older churches, could be viewed as guardians partitioning a sacred space.” ref

“For centuries, Christianity fought a mop-up war against these lingering minor pagan deities, but they proved tenacious. For example, Martin Luther‘s Tischreden have numerous – quite serious – references to dealing with kobolds. Eventually, rationalism and the Industrial Revolution threatened to erase most of these minor deities, until the advent of romantic nationalism rehabilitated them and embellished them into objects of literary curiosity in the 19th century. Since the 20th century this literature has been mined for characters for role-playing games, video games, and other fantasy personae, not infrequently invested with invented traits and hierarchies somewhat different from their mythological and folkloric roots.” ref

“In contradistinction to both Herbert Spencer and Edward Burnett Tylor, who defended theories of animistic origins of ancestor worship, Émile Durkheim saw its origin in totemism. In reality, this distinction is somewhat academic, since totemism may be regarded as a particularized manifestation of animism, and something of a synthesis of the two positions was attempted by Sigmund Freud. In Freud’s Totem and Taboo, both totem and taboo are outward expressions or manifestations of the same psychological tendency, a concept which is complementary to, or which rather reconciles, the apparent conflict. Freud preferred to emphasize the psychoanalytic implications of the reification of metaphysical forces, but with particular emphasis on its familial nature. This emphasis underscores, rather than weakens, the ancestral component.” ref

“William Edward Hearn, a noted classicist, and jurist, traced the origin of domestic deities from the earliest stages as an expression of animism, a belief system thought to have existed also in the neolithic, and the forerunner of Indo-European religion. In his analysis of the Indo-European household, in Chapter II “The House Spirit”, Section 1, he states:

The belief which guided the conduct of our forefathers was … the spirit rule of dead ancestors.” ref

“In Section 2 he proceeds to elaborate:

It is thus certain that the worship of deceased ancestors is a vera causa, and not a mere hypothesis. …

In the other European nations, the Slavs, the Teutons, and the Kelts, the House Spirit appears with no less distinctness. … [T]he existence of that worship does not admit of doubt. … The House Spirits had a multitude of other names which it is needless here to enumerate, but all of which are more or less expressive of their friendly relations with man. … In [England] … [h]e is the Brownie. … In Scotland this same Brownie is well known. He is usually described as attached to particular families, with whom he has been known to reside for centuries, threshing the corn, cleaning the house, and performing similar household tasks. His favorite gratification was milk and honey.” ref

Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

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Hinduism around 3,700 to 3,500 years old. ref

 Judaism around 3,450 or 3,250 years old. (The first writing in the bible was “Paleo-Hebrew” dated to around 3,000 years ago Khirbet Qeiyafa is the site of an ancient fortress city overlooking the Elah Valley. And many believe the religious Jewish texts were completed around 2,500) ref, ref

Judaism is around 3,450 or 3,250 years old. (“Paleo-Hebrew” 3,000 years ago and Torah 2,500 years ago)

“Judaism is an Abrahamic, its roots as an organized religion in the Middle East during the Bronze Age. Some scholars argue that modern Judaism evolved from Yahwism, the religion of ancient Israel and Judah, by the late 6th century BCE, and is thus considered to be one of the oldest monotheistic religions.” ref

“Yahwism is the name given by modern scholars to the religion of ancient Israel, essentially polytheistic, with a plethora of gods and goddesses. Heading the pantheon was Yahweh, the national god of the Israelite kingdoms of Israel and Judah, with his consort, the goddess Asherah; below them were second-tier gods and goddesses such as Baal, Shamash, Yarikh, Mot, and Astarte, all of whom had their own priests and prophets and numbered royalty among their devotees, and a third and fourth tier of minor divine beings, including the mal’ak, the messengers of the higher gods, who in later times became the angels of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Yahweh, however, was not the ‘original’ god of Israel “Isra-El”; it is El, the head of the Canaanite pantheon, whose name forms the basis of the name “Israel”, and none of the Old Testament patriarchs, the tribes of Israel, the Judges, or the earliest monarchs, have a Yahwistic theophoric name (i.e., one incorporating the name of Yahweh).” ref

“El is a Northwest Semitic word meaning “god” or “deity“, or referring (as a proper name) to any one of multiple major ancient Near Eastern deities. A rarer form, ‘ila, represents the predicate form in Old Akkadian and in Amorite. The word is derived from the Proto-Semitic *ʔil-, meaning “god”. Specific deities known as ‘El or ‘Il include the supreme god of the ancient Canaanite religion and the supreme god of East Semitic speakers in Mesopotamia’s Early Dynastic Period. ʼĒl is listed at the head of many pantheons. In some Canaanite and Ugaritic sources, ʼĒl played a role as father of the gods, of creation, or both. For example, in the Ugaritic texts, ʾil mlk is understood to mean “ʼĒl the King” but ʾil hd as “the god Hadad“. The Semitic root ʾlh (Arabic ʾilāh, Aramaic ʾAlāh, ʾElāh, Hebrew ʾelōah) may be ʾl with a parasitic h, and ʾl may be an abbreviated form of ʾlh. In Ugaritic the plural form meaning “gods” is ʾilhm, equivalent to Hebrew ʾelōhîm “powers”. In the Hebrew texts this word is interpreted as being semantically singular for “god” by biblical commentators. However the documentary hypothesis for the Old Testament (corresponds to the Jewish Torah) developed originally in the 1870s, identifies these that different authors – the Jahwist, Elohist, Deuteronomist, and the Priestly source – were responsible for editing stories from a polytheistic religion into those of a monotheistic religion. Inconsistencies that arise between monotheism and polytheism in the texts are reflective of this hypothesis.” ref

Jainism around 2,599 – 2,527 years old. ref

Confucianism around 2,600 – 2,551 years old. ref

Buddhism around 2,563/2,480 – 2,483/2,400 years old. ref

Christianity around 2,o00 years old. ref

Shinto around 1,305 years old. ref

Islam around 1407–1385 years old. ref

Sikhism around 548–478 years old. ref

Bahá’í around 200–125 years old. ref

Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

ref, ref, ref

Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

Damien Marie AtHope (Said as “At” “Hope”)/(Autodidact Polymath but not good at math):

Axiological Atheist, Anti-theist, Anti-religionist, Secular Humanist, Rationalist, Writer, Artist, Jeweler, Poet, “autodidact” Philosopher, schooled in Psychology, and “autodidact” Armchair Archaeology/Anthropology/Pre-Historian (Knowledgeable in the range of: 1 million to 5,000/4,000 years ago). I am an anarchist socialist politically. Reasons for or Types of Atheism

My Website, My Blog, & Short-writing or Quotes, My YouTube, Twitter: @AthopeMarie, and My Email: damien.marie.athope@gmail.com