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The belief in only one God, consisting of 3 major groups, Christianity, Judaism, & Islam.

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Monotheism is a religion or belief system that involves a single God. Monotheists believe that this omnipotent, omniscient, ultimately good being is the creative ground for everything else. The monotheistic religions include the world's largest religions: Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and Sikhism.

The word "monotheism" comes from the Greek monos, which means "one," and theos, which means "god." The concept differs from polytheism, a belief in the existence of many gods, and atheism, the belief that there is no god.

The monotheistic god is believed to be unique and fundamentally different from all other comparable beings, such as the gods of other religions. The concept differs from monism, the doctrine that the universe originated in one basic principle, such as the mind, indicating idealism, or matter, referring to materialism. Monism holds that there is only one kind of reality, while monotheism has two realities: God and the universe.

The merits of monotheism and polytheism are debated by philosophers and scholars. One of the weaknesses they identify with polytheism involves questions about the ultimate origin of things where numerous gods are included. Monotheism runs into difficulties, scholars say, as it tries to explain the origin of evil in a universe overseen by a single omnipotent, omniscient god.

Various theologians and philosophers have believed that monotheism is a later development in the history of religions than polytheism. Some argue that polytheistic faiths were more primitive culturally, ethically, and philosophically, making monotheism a "higher" form of religion because it's a refinement of polytheistic religions. Although polytheistic beliefs might be older than monotheistic concepts, this view is heavily value-laden and can't readily be disentangled from cultural and religious bias.

The origin of monotheism is unclear. The first recorded monotheistic system arose in Egypt during the time of Akhenaten, who ruled in the 13th century B.C., but it didn't survive long after his death. Some suggest that Moses brought monotheism to the ancient Hebrews, though he might have been henotheistic or monolatrous, meaning worshiping one god without denying the existence of others.

Some evangelical Christians regard Mormonism as a modern example of monolatry because Mormonism teaches the existence of many gods of many worlds, yet worships only one on this planet.

Because the primary religions of Western culture are monotheistic, there no longer is much debate in the West about the attributes of monotheism vs. polytheism. The choice that remains is between monotheism and atheism.

Because monotheism believes that there is only one god, it is common for believers to think this god created all of reality and is totally self-sufficient, without depending upon any other beings. This is true in the largest monotheistic religious systems: Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and Sikhism.

Most monotheistic systems tend to be exclusive, meaning that they don't simply believe in a single god; they also deny the existence of the gods of other religious faiths. Occasionally a monotheistic religion treats other gods as aspects or incarnations of their one, supreme god; this is relatively infrequent and has occurred mostly during a transition between polytheism and monotheism, when the older gods must be explained away.

Because of this exclusivity, monotheistic religions have historically displayed less religious tolerance than polytheistic religions, which have been able to incorporate the gods and beliefs of other faiths with relative ease. Monotheistic religions have only done so while denying any reality or validity to the others' beliefs.

The type of god worshiped in a monotheistic system varies greatly. The God of Islam is depicted as unbegotten, meaning unborn, self-existent and eternal and in no way anthropomorphic. Attributing human qualities to Allah is considered blasphemous in Islam. On the other hand, the Christian God is very anthropomorphic, with God the father and God the son as part of three persons (including the Holy Spirit) in one God.

It could be said that the only thing monotheistic religions have in common is the focus on a single god.

Scholars and philosophers say monotheism:

Is a religion or belief system that involves a single God.

Focuses on a god, not a basic principle.

Has alternatives including polytheism, a belief in many gods, and atheism, a belief there is no god.

Isn't necessarily a "higher" or more evolved religion than polytheism.

Might have originated in 13th century B.C. Egypt.

Is exclusive, meaning adherents deny the existence of other gods.

Has different versions of its god among monotheistic faiths.

https://www.britannica.com/topic/monotheism https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/monotheism/#KabMon http://www.humanreligions.info/monotheism.html

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Monotheism is a religion or belief system that involves a single God. Monotheists believe that this omnipotent, omniscient, ultimately good being is the creative ground for everything else. The monotheistic religions include the world's largest religions: Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and Sikhism. The word "monotheism" comes from the Greek monos, which means "one," and theos, which means "god."

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For the most part, SWANA has a harsh standard of living. Poverty, unemployment, political instability.

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Fundamentalism: a form of a religion that upholds belief in the strict, literal interpretation of scripture.
Secularism: the principle of separation of the state from religious institutions.

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Secularism is the concept that we can manage our affairs and institutions -- government, business, schools, personal lives -- without the influence of religious faith. Fundamentalist beliefs are based on the conviction that our lives and institutions should be guided by divine instruction as revealed by sacred texts.

Fundamentalism

The term fundamentalism first emerged among Christian Protestants during Fundamentalist-Modernist Controversy of the early 1900s. Characteristics of fundamentalists include a literal interpretation of the Bible, acceptance of the doctrines of virgin birth, young-earth creationism, the resurrection and Second Coming. Fundamentalists also promote the concept of "biblical separatism," which encourages adherents to avoid contact with people who do not share the fundamentalist world view.

The term fundamentalist is now commonly applied far beyond its Protestant roots, to encompass Islam, Judaism, Hinduism and other faiths. The popular interpretation focuses on fundamentalist opposition to modernity, strict interpretation of moral codes and strong rejection of secularism.

Secularism

In many early civilizations, religion and government were often one and the same, an arrangement known as theocracy. The earliest known entertainment of secular ideas emerged from the Greek philosopher Epicurus, Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius and Muslim philosopher Ibn Rushd (Averroës). But the concept of government and other institutions operating separately from religious influence didn't gain wide acceptance until the Enlightenment in the 1600s.

Early Western writing on secularism, such as John Locke's "A Letter Concerning Toleration" and John Stuart Mill's "On Liberty," stressed religious tolerance and saw secularism as a way to minimize conflict in cultures with a plurality of faiths. After gaining independence from Britain in 1947, India embraced secular government to unify Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and Christians.

Opposing Views

Fundamentalism and secularism are joined by their relationship to religious conviction. Fundamentalism attempts to preserve core religious beliefs and requires obedience to moral codes. Secularism's premise is that social stability can be achieved without reliance on religion. Some cultures, including the United States, have a mix of both. In the U.S., tension between these views is evident in the political arena, where social conservatives and secular liberals hold different positions on issues like sex education, reproductive choice, gay marriage, evolution, censorship and state-sanctioned prayer.

Fundamentalist Violence

On occasion, fundamentalist beliefs have led to violence, most notably the 9/11 attacks by Islamic fundamentalists. Extremist groups in many denominations, however, rely on rigid interpretations of religious texts to justify their cause. Closer to home, the Ku Klux Klan is a Christian group with a history of murder, bombing, political assassination, lynching and arson. Another American Christian terrorist organization known as the Army of God has conducted a campaign of arson, bombs, murder and anthrax threats.

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Fundamentalist Beliefs and Secularism | Synonym

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Secularism is the concept that we can manage our affairs and institutions -- government, business, schools, personal lives -- without the influence of religious faith. Fundamentalist beliefs are based on the conviction that our lives and institutions should be guided by divine instruction as revealed by sacred texts.

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Saudi Arabia is a current Absolute Monarchy,
as opposed to a more freeing Constitutional Monarchy, whose country mainly complies to Sharia Laws of Islamic Beliefs & the Quran.
Other known Government types scattered in SWANA include:
Theocracy, Democracy, and Dictatorships

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Table of Contents

Audio File: National anthem of Saudi Arabia

Read a brief summary of this topic

Saudi Arabia, arid, sparsely populated kingdom of the Middle East.

Extending across most of the northern and central Arabian Peninsula, Saudi Arabia is a young country that is heir to a rich history. In its western highlands, along the Red Sea, lies the Hejaz, which is the cradle of Islam and the site of that religion's holiest cities, Mecca and Medina. In the country's geographic heartland is a region known as Najd ("Highland"), a vast arid zone that until recent times was populated by nomadic tribes. To the east, along the Persian Gulf, are the country's abundant oil fields that, since the 1960s, have made Saudi Arabia synonymous with petroleum wealth. Those three elements-religion, tribalism, and untold wealth-have fueled the country's subsequent history.

It was only with the rise of the Saud family (Āl Saʿūd)-a Najdi group for which the country is named-and its eventual consolidation of power in the early 20th century that Saudi Arabia began to take on the characteristics of a modern country. The success of the Saud family was in no small part due to the motivating ideology of Wahhābism, an austere form of Islam that was embraced by early family leaders and that became the state creed. This deep religious conservatism has been accompanied by a ubiquitous tribalism-in which competing family groups vie for resources and status-that often has made Saudi society difficult for outsiders to comprehend. Enormous oil wealth has fueled huge and rapid investment in Saudi Arabia's infrastructure. Many citizens have benefited from this growth, but it also has supported lavish lifestyles for the scions of the ruling family, and religious conservatives and liberal democrats alike have accused the family of squandering and mishandling the country's wealth. In addition, civil discontent increased after the Persian Gulf War (1990-91) over the country's close ties to the West, symbolized notably by the U.S. troops stationed in Saudi Arabia until 2005.

In the mid-20th century, most of Saudi Arabia still embraced a traditional lifestyle that had changed little over thousands of years. Since then the pace of life in Saudi Arabia accelerated rapidly. The constant flow of pilgrims to Mecca and Medina (vast throngs arrive for the annual hajj, and more pilgrims visit throughout the year for the lesser pilgrimage, the ) had always provided the country with outside contacts, but interaction with the outside world expanded with innovations in transportation, technology, and organization. Saudi Arabia's growing petroleum wealth also wrought irreversible domestic changes-educational and social as well as economic. Modern methods of production have been superimposed on a traditional society by the introduction of millions of foreign workers and by the employment of hundreds of thousands of Saudis in nontraditional jobs. In addition, tens of thousands of Saudi students have studied abroad, most in the United States. Television, radio, and the Internet have become common media of communication and education, and highways and airways have replaced traditional means of transportation.

Saudi Arabia, once a country of small cities and towns, has become increasingly urban; traditional centres such as Jeddah, Mecca, and Medina have grown into large cities, and the capital, Riyadh, a former oasis town, has grown into a modern metropolis. Most of the region's traditional nomads, the Bedouin, have been settled in cities or agrarian communities.

Land

The country occupies about four-fifths of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Jordan, Iraq, and Kuwait to the north; by the Persian Gulf, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman to the east; by a portion of Oman to the southeast; by Yemen to the south and southwest; and by the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba to the west. Long-running border disputes were nearly resolved with Yemen (2000) and Qatar (2001); the border with the United Arab Emirates remains undefined. A territory of 2,200 square miles (5,700 square km) along the gulf coast was shared by Kuwait and Saudi Arabia as a neutral zone until 1969, when a political boundary was agreed upon. Each of the two countries administers one-half of the territory, but they equally share oil production in the entire area. The controversy over the Saudi-Iraqi Neutral Zone was legally settled in 1981 by partition, yet conflict between the two countries persisted and prevented final demarcation on the ground.

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Relief

The Arabian Peninsula is dominated by a plateau that rises abruptly from the Red Sea and dips gently toward the Persian Gulf. In the north, the western highlands are upward of 5,000 feet (1,500 metres) above sea level, decreasing slightly to 4,000 feet (1,200 metres) in the vicinity of Medina and increasing southeastward to more than 10,000 feet (3,000 metres). Mount Sawdāʾ, which is situated near Abhā in the south, is generally considered the highest point in the country. Estimates of its elevation range from 10,279 to 10,522 feet (3,133 to 3,207 metres). The watershed of the peninsula is only 25 miles (40 km) from the Red Sea in the north and recedes to 80 miles (130 km) near the Yemen border. The coastal plain, known as the Tihāmah, is virtually nonexistent in the north, except for occasional wadi deltas, but it widens slightly toward the south. The imposing escarpment that runs parallel to the Red Sea is somewhat interrupted by a gap northwest of Mecca but becomes more clearly continuous to the south.

Toward the interior, the surface gradually descends into the broad plateau area of the Najd, which is covered with lava flows and volcanic debris as well as with occasional sand accumulations; it slopes down from an elevation of about 4,500 feet (1,370 metres) in the west to about 2,500 feet (760 metres) in the east. There the drainage is more clearly dendritic (i.e., branching) and is much more extensive than that flowing toward the Red Sea. To the east, this region is bounded by a series of long, low ridges, with steep slopes on the west and gentle slopes on the east; the area is 750 miles (1,200 km) long and curves eastward from north to south. The most prominent of the ridges are the Ṭuwayq Mountains (Jibāl Ṭuwayq), which rise from the plateau at an elevation of some 2,800 feet (850 metres) above sea level and reach more than 3,500 feet (1,100 metres) southwest of Riyadh, overlooking the plateau's surface to the west by 800 feet (250 metres) and more.

The interior of the Arabian Peninsula contains extensive sand surfaces. Among them is the world's largest sand area, the Rubʿ al-Khali ("Empty Quarter"), which dominates the southern part of the country and covers more than 250,000 square miles (647,500 square km). It slopes from above 2,600 feet (800 metres) near the border with Yemen northeastward down almost to sea level near the Persian Gulf; individual sand mountains reach elevations of 800 feet (250 metres), especially in the eastern part. A smaller sand area of about 22,000 square miles (57,000 square km), called Al-Nafūd ( nafūd designating a sandy area or desert), is in the north-central part of the country. A great arc of sand, Al-Dahnāʾ, almost 900 miles (1,450 km) long but in places only 30 miles (50 km) wide, joins Al-Nafūd with the Rubʿ al-Khali. Eastward, as the plateau surface slopes very gradually down to the gulf, there are numerous salt flats ( sabkhah s) and marshes. The gulf coastline is irregular, and the coastal waters are very shallow.

Drainage and soils

There are virtually no permanent surface streams in the country, but wadis are numerous. Those leading to the Red Sea are short and steep, though one unusually long extension is made by Wadi Al-Ḥamḍ, which rises near Medina and flows inland to the northwest for 100 miles (160 km) before turning westward; those draining eastward are longer and more developed except in Al-Nafūd and the Rubʿ al-Khali. Soils are poorly developed. Large areas are covered with pebbles of varying sizes. Alluvial deposits are found in wadis, basins, and oases. Salt flats are especially common in the east.

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Saudi Arabia | History, Map, Flag, Capital, Population, & Facts

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Saudi Arabia, arid, sparsely populated kingdom of the Middle East. Extending across most of the northern and central Arabian Peninsula, Saudi Arabia is a young country that is heir to a rich history. In its western highlands, along the Red Sea, lies the Hejaz, which is the cradle of Islam and the site of that religion's holiest cities, Mecca and Medina.

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Political Revolts against many corrupt Government & Leader.
Gave rise to the spread of Democracy across the region.

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The Arab Spring started in Tunisia in late 2010, when a self-immolation of a street vendor in a provincial town of Sidi Bouzid sparked mass anti-government protests. Unable to control the crowds, president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was forced to flee the country in January 2011 after 23 years in power. Over the next months, Ben Ali's downfall inspired similar uprisings across the Middle East.

The shocking self-immolation of Mohamed Bouazizi on December 17, 2010, was the fuse the lit the fire in Tunisia. According to most accounts, Bouazizi, a struggling street vendor, set himself on fire after a local official confiscated his vegetable cart and humiliated him in the public. It's not entirely clear whether Bouazizi was targeted because he refused to pay bribes to the police, but the death of a struggling young man from a poor family struck a chord with thousands of other Tunisians who began to pour into streets in the coming weeks.

Public outrage over the events in Sidi Bouzid gave expression to deeper discontent over the corruption and police repression under the authoritarian regime of Ben Ali and his clan. Considered in Western political circles as a model of liberal economic reform in the Arab world, Tunisia suffered from high youth unemployment, inequality, and outrageous nepotism on the part of Ben Ali and his wife, the vilified Leila al-Trabulsi.

Parliamentary elections and Western support masked a dictatorial regime which held a tight grip on the freedom of expression and the civil society while running the country like a personal fiefdom of the ruling family and its associates in the business and political circles.

Tunisian military played a key role in forcing Ben Ali's departure before mass bloodshed could take place. By early January tens of thousands called for regime's downfall on the streets of the capital Tunis and other major cities, with daily clashes with the police dragging the country into a spiral of violence. Barricaded in his palace, Ben Ali asked the military to step in and suppress the unrest.

In that crucial moment, Tunisia's top generals decided Ben Ali lost control of the country, and - unlike in Syria a few months later - rejected the president's request, effectively sealing his fate. Rather than wait for an actual military coup, or for the crowds to storm the presidential palace, Ben Ali and his wife promptly packed their bags and fled the country on January 14, 2011.

The army swiftly handed over power to an interim administration which prepared first free and fair elections in decades. Unlike in Egypt, the Tunisian military as an institution is relatively weak, and Ben Ali deliberately favored the police force over the army. Less tainted with the regime's corruption, the army enjoyed a high measure of public trust, and its intervention against Ben Ali cemented its role as an impartial guardian of the public order.

The Islamists played a marginal role in the initial stages of the Tunisian uprising, despite emerging as a major political force after Ben Ali's fall. The protests that started in December were spearheaded by trade unions, small groups of pro-democracy activists, and thousands of regular citizens.

While many Islamists took part in the protests individually, the Al Nahda (Renaissance) Party - Tunisia's main Islamist party banned by Ben Ali - had no role in the actual organization of the protests. There were no Islamist slogans heard on the streets. In fact, there was little ideological content to the protests which simply called for an end to Ben Ali's abuse of power and corruption.

However, the Islamists from Al Nahda moved to the foreground in the coming months, as Tunisia moved from a "revolutionary" phase to a transition to a democratic political order. Unlike the secular opposition, Al Nahda maintained a grassroots network of support among Tunisians from different walks of life and won 41% of parliamentary seats in 2011 elections.

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The Arab Spring started in Tunisia in late 2010, when a self-immolation of a street vendor in a provincial town of Sidi Bouzid sparked mass anti-government protests. Unable to control the crowds, president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was forced to flee the country in January 2011 after 23 years in power.

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Terrorist groups have shaped the landscape of SWANA.

Isis- A terrorist fundamentalist group currently active in Iraq

Taliban-Sunni Islamic fundamentalists and are the main reasons for the Woman Inequality within Afghanistan who they are at war with.

Arab–Israeli conflict-These are the clashes between Arabs and Jews over the ownership of the three occupied territories.

Al Qaeda- A Sunni Muslim extremist group. with the belief that "Every country should be Muslim."

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There are three major religions of SWANA.

Judaism--Founded by Abraham in Jerusalem (holy cite).

Islam- Was founded by prophet Muhammad holy site is Makkah and Medina

Christianity- founded by Jesus in Jerusalem most common religion in the world

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Editor's Note: This page has been retired and is no longer being updated.

Here is a look at Christianity, the most practiced religion in the world.

Beliefs/Practices

Followers of the Christian religion base their beliefs on the life, teachings and death of Jesus Christ.

Christians believe in one God that created heaven, earth and the universe.

The belief in one God originated with the Jewish religion.

Christians believe Jesus is the "Messiah" or savior of the world. They also believe that he is the son of God.

Jesus was born in a manger in Bethlehem to Mary, a virgin at the time of conception, and Joseph, her husband. Mary was visited by the angel Gabriel and told she would conceive a son and he would be the Messiah.

Jesus was crucified on a cross. His death made salvation and forgiveness of sins possible for all.

On the third day after his crucifixion, Jesus arose from the dead. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter, which is considered Christianity's most important holiday.

After Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection, God's presence remained on earth in the form of the Holy Spirit to be a comforter to all.

Salvation can only be obtained by believing that Jesus was sent by God to forgive the sins of every human, and to confess those sins to him.

Interpretations of the Bible and the practices of each church vary by denomination, but the belief in one God and Jesus as the Messiah is central to all Christians.

History

Christian beliefs date back thousands of years before Christ.

Many prophets predicted the coming of Christ according to Christian belief.

Many theologians believe that Jesus was crucified between 30 and 33 AD.

The first Christians were Jews who came to believe Jesus was the Messiah. Gentiles (non-Jews) also made up a large majority of its followers, as is the case today.

392 AD - Christianity becomes the official religion of the Roman Empire.

1054 - Disputes about the Pope's role and authority cause a split in Christianity between the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Churches. The split still exists today.

1517 - Martin Luther, a German monk, starts a movement called the Reformation after he criticizes certain church practices as well as the supremacy of the pope. This divides Western Christianity into the Roman Catholic Church and Protestantism.

Statistics

World Religions (Pew 2015 estimate):
Christian - 31.2%

Unaffiliated - 16%

Buddhist - 6.9%

Folk religions - 5.7%

Jewish - 0.2%

United States Religions (Pew 2019 estimate):
65% of adults in the US identify as Christians.

Protestant - 43%

Unaffiliated (includes atheist and agnostic) - 26%

Roman Catholic - 20%

Jewish - 2%

Muslim - 1%

Buddhist - 1%

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Editor's Note: This page has been retired and is no longer being updated. Here is a look at Christianity, the most practiced religion in the world. Followers of the Christian religion base their beliefs on the life, teachings and death of Jesus Christ. Christians believe in one God that created heaven, earth and the universe.

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The Aral Sea-positioned in far-western Asia, just to the east of the Caspian Sea, located in the countries of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Drought is shrinking the Aral Sea.

Desertification-

Desalination-

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Oil in Saudi Arabia has increased the wealth of the economy

OPEC-Organization of Petroleum Exporting countries. Organization of oil chains in SWANA.

There is a lot of abundant petroleum throughout the middle east-fossil fuels.

The natural gas reserves of SWANA are good for the environment.

Morocco

Not much water—it’s a scarce resource

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Most people live around the Arabian Peninsula, near the most economic activity.

There are lots of people that live around the Nile River,

Not many people live around the Sahara Desert due to its harsh climate