On April 28, the next lecture was held as part of the IIIT lectures series for CIS countries. The lecture on «Monotheism as part of the globalization processes of modernity» was delivered by Olga GOLD, PhD, from the Mediterranean Centre of Sociology, Political Science and History (MESOPOLHIS) at the University of Aix-Marseille (Provence, France).
In her lecture, Olga Gold focused on issues such as:
- basic concepts and religious beliefs.
- the history of monotheism, going as far back as the period of the Ancient Kingdom of Egypt;
- the influence of the idea of monotheism on the world view of the world's population at that time, allowing us to affirm the presence of globalisation processes in society even before Christ;
- the influence of the idea of monotheism on the spread of other values, as opposed to paganism/paganism and polytheism
- the principles and cultural patterns changing societies (especially spiritual life) of the Middle East, the Arabian Peninsula and then Western Europe.
At the beginning, the lecturer defined the concept of monotheism. Briefly, it can be described as a belief in a supreme god when the other elements of polytheism/religious hierarchy have lost their meaning. Therefore, during the lecture, Olga Gold suggested looking at the different religions as monotheistic.
Monotheism as a phenomenon emerged in Egypt during the II-III millennium B.C. The ideas of monotheism spread through cultural, economic and political processes in social life. The transition from fetishism or polytheism to monotheism is often accompanied by state or economic interests.
A change in religious beliefs is accompanied by a change in cultural patterns in societies. Also according to the lecturer, the change of religious perceptions in favour of monotheism often leads to a change of ethical attitudes (such concepts as "responsibility", "family life", "attitude towards animals").
More than 45 participants from different countries - Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan - registered for the lecture. Participants were interested in contemporary research on monotheism and contemporary discussions on the impact of monotheism.
During the announcement of the lecture an electronic version of the book "Anthropomorphic Depictions of God: The Concept of God in Judaic, Christian, and Islamic Traditions: Representing the Unrepresentable" by Dr Zulfiqar Ali Shah (USA), published by IIIT in translations in Russian, Ukrainian, Azeri and Kyrgyz languages, was distributed.
A recording of the lecture can be viewed on the Institute of Knowledge Integration YouTube channel at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvzELIfXxW4&t=21s
