Monotheism, Polytheism and Science & Technology

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Osamu　Ichiyoshi

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Sunday 1, June, 2025

Religion and Science in Prehistoric Ages

were combined in one. Homo Sapiens became human beings when they started burying

their dead decorated with flowers. They apparently had a concept of the other world

from which we come from at birth and return to at death. The concept of the other world

tells there are worlds unseen, untouched, unreal that form the bigger world than ours.

The regular repetitions of days and nights, turning of the seasons, observation of sundry

phenomena taught our ancestors existence of natural laws. Thus our primitive

ancestors developed concepts of science and religion.

Animism

The primitive people believed in anima; souls or spirits that give life for everything. In

Japanese natural religion the spirits exist in everything; human beings, animals,

plants, rivers, oceans or mountains. I think it is understandable even today. I have my

mind in myself where I think, feel, understand and determine everything. I have a

world in myself and I am the spirit there. In short, I share animism with my distant

ancestors.

Shamanism

Our primitive ancestors believed in shamanism; methods to communicate with the

anima through ceremonies, music, dances and words. Our ancient Japanese ancestors

believed in Koto(word)-Tama(spirit); spirits in words. I also believe in it. Knowledge or

ideas have no shape nor matter hence they are expressed in words and recorded in

letters. I talk with myself when I think. Thus thinking is a form of communication.

Again I share shamanism with my distant ancestors.

Worship of ancestors

Is the basic religion in Japan. The Japanese mythology tells about our ancestors who

were gods in heaven, ocean on and under the ground. Even today almost all of us have

small altars called “Butsudan” or “Kamidana” at home. I pray every morning to my

parents for their happiness in the other world and our happiness in this world. I think

worship of ancestors is the most basic and natural religion.

Primitive ages as basis of civilization

The archaeology and linguistics have revealed the basis of civilization; all sorts of tools

for living and working, trading with distant people, building houses and forming

villages, languages for communication, etc. were established in the primitive ages. In

Japanese Jomon periods which lasted tens of thousands of years until 500 years B.C.,

there is no trace of warfare. People were free and equal and lived naturally in harmony

with the nature and among themselves..

Religion and Science & Technology in Civilization

The advent of agriculture and domestication of animals generated private property.

Competitions for better lands and water and other resources developed wars. The

Yoshinogari remain in Saga prefecture, Kyushu, Japan shows a large village doubly

surrounded with moats, large buildings for a palace and storage, tall watch towers, etc.

There are also excavated human bones showing wounded and even beheaded persons.

The heavily fortressed remain tells constant state of warfare in the 4^th century Japan.

The war combines the winners and losers into a bigger community where the winners

rule the losers. Thus the human society split into ruling and ruled classes.

The process continues until foundation of tribal states which are ruled by tribal kings.

The tribal states continue wars mutually until formation of empires ruled by emperors.

In the class divided societies, the ruling classes have the rights to rule and the ruled

classes the duties to obey. The natural freedom and equality in the primitive ages were

lost. People had to live in quite unnatural conditions.

Polytheism

In parallel with formation of tribal kingdoms, the religion developed to justify the

unnatural rule of the people by the kings. The primitive animism was deformed to

polytheism where a number of deities were systematized in a class structure to justify

rule of the kings on their subjects. Ancient Greek mythology tells about a lot of gods

with Zeus at the top. But Greek gods are quite like human beings. They even breed with

human beings hence they were basically human beings dignified in the stories.

Japanese gods are very similar to ancient Greek gods. The stories tell how the land of

Japan was formed, gods appeared and acted in long series of stories that tell how the

powerful tribes formed and united onto Yamato dynasty. Thus polytheism is a religious

reflection of the social development in the historical level of tribal kingdoms.

Monotheism

The emperors rule many tribal kings. Accordingly the highest god for the emperor must

have a much higher status than the other gods for tribal kings. If this tendency is

extremely strengthened, we get monotheism in which there is only one god. The former

tribal gods are now given such roles as angels serving the God or even Satan as a

symbol for rebellious tribal kings.

States religions

The above analysis tells the polytheisms and monotheisms were developed to justify the

unnatural rule of the people by tribal kings and emperors. All ancient empires and

kingdoms had their state religions dedicated with enormous shrines. Those religions

disappeared with those empires and kingdoms except for Judaism and a few others.

Judaism

Is a pure monotheism in denying any other gods. At the same time it is a tribal religion

exclusively for the Jews.

Islam

Is also a pure monotheism denying any other gods. Unlike Judaism, it is a world

religion for all believers regardless of tribes, nationalities, or any other conditions.

Christianity

is often misunderstood to be related with Judaism. Judaism is a tribal religion for the

Jews, while Christianity is a world religion for all people who believe in it. Jesus Christ

never prayed to Jehovah, nor preached based on Judaism. He denied Judaism, for

which he was crucified. He prayed to “ Father in Heaven”. Based on those facts, I

interpret Christianity is basically worship of ancestors. If we trace our ancestors back

in time, we must come to creation of life, earth and the universe, i.e. creator, which is

God.

Atheism

In Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism, there is no place for god. In Hinduism there

are numerous gods, hence no god in the sense of monotheism. They are religions but

much closer to science & technology.

Science & Technology

The basis of science & technology was set in the primitive ages but their methodology

was much improved by such ancient civilizations as in Egypt, Mesopotamia, India,

China and Greece driven with the development of writing systems.

The explosive growth of science & technology began with the Renaissance in Europe. It

was liberation of human spirit from the yoke of the state religion; Christianity. The

word Renaissance means “Rebirth” ; recovery of humanity of the primitive ages.

The essential difference between state religion and science & technology is as follows.

State religion;

Do not doubt the authority, just believe what is taught, that is the law.

Science & technology;

Doubt the authority. Do not believe anything unless proven by theory and

experiments. Only thus established theorem is the law

I believe the true religion today must be science & technology for the following reasons.

(1) Truth

Only established facts or theory can be a scientific law. I have never heard or

observed the law of gravity, electromagnetism, or any other scientific laws stopped

working for any moment.

(2) Open and inclusive for all people

Science & technology is open to all human beings. The basis of science & technology

was established in primitive ages by our ancestors who are totally unknown today.

Important inventions and discoveries could be made by anyone. Thus science &

technology is open to and inclusive of all the people.

(3) Welfare of the world

Today we have conquered many diseases, distances and ignorance by science &

technology. The social evil of racial discrimination can be shattered by genetics

today which has shown all human beings living on the earth share common

ancestors; we are literally brothers & sisters regardless of different races.

Conclusion

The objective of religion is to save the people. So is that of science & technology in

addition to search for the truth. I believe it is the science & technology that can clarify

the causes of our problems today and establish ways for better world in the future.

-E-