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10 T HE M ONOTHEISTIC F AITHS : J UDAISM , C HRISTIANITY , AND I SLAM

request for sacrifice had been a test of Abraham’s faith, one that he had passed. “Because you have done this and not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descen- dants as numerous as the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore,” God promised Abraham. “Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your off- spring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me” (Genesis 22: 16–18). Abraham is generally considered the first monotheist —a per- son who worships only one deity. The idea of a single, all-power- ful God was a revolutionary concept that would change the world, ultimately spawning three important faiths: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Today the spiritual descendants of Abraham make up more than half of the world’s population. Pre-Monotheistic Religious Thought No one can say exactly how or when religious thought first devel- oped. The Jewish, Christian, and Muslim scriptures (the Torah, Bible, and Qur’an, respectively) agree that religious thought dates to the creation of the world, because Adam and Eve, the first man and

animism— a primitive religion in which all things in nature are believed to have conscious spirits, and a supernatural force is believed to animate the universe. henotheist— one who worships a single God but does not deny the possible existence of other gods. monotheist— one who believes in the existence of a single, all-powerful God. polytheistic— relating to belief in, or worship of, multiple gods. scripture— a body of writings considered sacred or authoritative by adherents of a particular reli- gion. theology— the study of religious faith, practice, and experience, especially the study of God and God’s relationship to the universe. Words to Understand in This Chapter