Monotheism was a Civilizational Advance Because _______

By David Barash

Will someone please help me out and fill in the blank?

When I was in fifth or sixth grade, we had a “unit” on world civilizations, which was probably a worthwhile endeavor, an early version of today’s training in multiculturalism. We learned, for example, that we owed gunpowder, the compass and printing to the Chinese; the numeric calendar to the Mayans; algebra to the Arabs and that we should thank the ancient Egyptians for monotheism.

It all seemed self-evident and beyond dispute: Different societies contributed different things to the inevitable march of civilization, culminating, of course, in us.

But today I have my doubts – not about the compass, the calendar, or algebra, but frankly, I’m more than a little on the fence when it comes to monotheism. Even as a child I couldn’t help wondering whether pharaoh Akhenaton plumped for monotheism for his own selfish reasons, because he wanted his followers to see himself as a reflection of an all-powerful, unitary deity on earth. Continue reading...