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A Primal Perspective on the Philosophy of ReligionOther Concepts of God

A Primal Perspective on the Philosophy of Religion: Other Concepts of God CHAPTER II The question of monotheism has been a vexed one in the study of religion. The concept has around it such a halo in Western thought that it almost invariably imparts a tint of value judgement to the vision of the scholars from a monotheistic tradition, as they survey other traditions. Monotheism is the central, but it is not the only attribute of God which needs to be reconfigured as the philosophical vision is extended to encompass the primal religions. Infinite, Self-Existent There are passages in the works of Mircea Eliade, when he talks of the sky and sky gods, which are so eloquent in the testimony they offer to the attributes of infinity and self-existence of the sky-gods that it is futile to try to summarize them; it would be wiser to relinquish a part of this section to them since we do not hope to surpass them. Of the many passages the following is perhaps most to the point, which describes how the primal human being, no more than us, had the need “to look into the teachings of myth to see that the sky itself directly reveals a transcendence, a power and a holiness.” As http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png

A Primal Perspective on the Philosophy of ReligionOther Concepts of God

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Publisher
Springer Netherlands
Copyright
© Springer 2006
ISBN
978-1-4020-5013-8
Pages
33 –55
DOI
10.1007/1-4020-5014-3_2
Publisher site
See Chapter on Publisher Site

Abstract

CHAPTER II The question of monotheism has been a vexed one in the study of religion. The concept has around it such a halo in Western thought that it almost invariably imparts a tint of value judgement to the vision of the scholars from a monotheistic tradition, as they survey other traditions. Monotheism is the central, but it is not the only attribute of God which needs to be reconfigured as the philosophical vision is extended to encompass the primal religions. Infinite, Self-Existent There are passages in the works of Mircea Eliade, when he talks of the sky and sky gods, which are so eloquent in the testimony they offer to the attributes of infinity and self-existence of the sky-gods that it is futile to try to summarize them; it would be wiser to relinquish a part of this section to them since we do not hope to surpass them. Of the many passages the following is perhaps most to the point, which describes how the primal human being, no more than us, had the need “to look into the teachings of myth to see that the sky itself directly reveals a transcendence, a power and a holiness.” As

Published: Jan 1, 2006

Keywords: Religious Experience; African People; Primal Society; John Hick; Religious Thinker

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