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6. MONOTHEISM & REINCARNATION
The various sects of the Hindus has similar theology which are monistic as well as henotheistic. Saivism and Vaishanvism are examples of this. Vashnavism later expanded an open definition which removed the parameters of definition as to what is incarnation thus moved towards polytheism. The Smarta model removed all the boundaries: Self, The All, is One sheer Being present in every part of creation in terms of a manifold of impersonal & personal Divine Selfmanifestations. Hence every part of the cosmos is divine in its fullness. It was Shankaracharya in AD 800 who brought this interpretation to justify worship of all different gods. He said that any of the different Hindu gods could be worshipped, since all are different manifestations of Brahman. In fact one can worship anything since they are all aspects of god.
Theo-cosmogenic models
1. Immanentism without Tanscendism : God and creation are the same. There is no Divine
essence outside creation, for Divine essence equals Divine existence. 2. Transcendentism without Immanentism: God and creation radically differ. There are two
realities Prakriti (Creation) and Purusha (Creator) 3. God Immanent and Transcendant : God is immanent in creation, but God is more than the
creation. God existed before the creation. There is a distinction between essence and existence. Creation is a manifestation of God's Power.
"Monotheistic religions are exclusive. They deny existence of gods of all other religions, unlike polytheists who believe that there can be more gods than what they themselves worship, The only time that Monotheists have been seen as tolerant of other religions is when they are beginning to move from monotheism to polytheisms and see other gods as reincarnations of their god to help explain away their ultimate God." (source :http://www.hyperhistory.net/apwh/essays/cot/t0wO3monopolytheism.htm)
From Monotheism to Polytheism: Early History of Mankind
While religions have changed over the ages Polytheism has de-evolved from Monotheism as mankind lost contact with the divine. "Where there is no vision people perish."
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