Kurasawa, Masanori. Translated by Kelly Malone. "Is Polytheism Really Tolerant?" (多神教は本当に寛容であるのか) Japan Evangelical Association Theological Commission Pamphlet 6 (May 2006): 49-59.
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III. CHRISTIANITY'S MONOTHEISM AND ITS MULTIPLICITY
III.A. The Church's Calling in a Polytheistic World
The biblical world, however, does not assume the existence of polytheism. On the contrary, it is said concerning “idol worship,” that people who do not recognize the “Creator” who created heaven and earth, worship everything created by the Creator rather than the Creator (Rom. 1:23, 25). Idol worship is described as the empty thoughts of fallen human beings and the reflections of dark hearts. In order to divide the Hebrews from the polytheistic society of Egypt, Moses commanded at Mt. Sinai that only the “God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob” is “God.” (Ex. 20:1-12, Deut. 6:14). At first glance, this God was misunderstood as Israel's tribal god who benefited only Israel, excluding other peoples. However, this was not the truth. Rather, Israel was “a Kingdom of Priests” (Ex. 19:6) entrusted with a calling from God to show that “Israel's God is the God of the whole world, and through Israel every people is to be blessed” (Gen. 12:3). Israel was chosen to serve as a “servant” in order to give other peoples the blessing of knowing the true God. In not carrying out this calling and keeping God and his blessing for themselves, the Hebrews exalted their sense of national election so that Israel also became the object of God's judgment (Amos 9:7). And this calling given to Israel was handed over to the “church” which is the spiritual Israel.
III.B. The Oneness and Universality of God the Creator
In the context of the polytheistic Greco-Roman world, Paul emphasized that the God of the Jews was also the God of the Gentiles on the basis of the oneness of God based on God the Creator (Rom. 3:29-30). In this passage it is clear that the biblical God is not only the (exclusive) God of the Jews, but also the (universal) God of the people of the whole world. In this context, the one Creator God who revealed Himself through Jesus Christ, by His atonement and reconciliation, showed His love for the people of all nations. Moreover, the invitation to know this God and this salvation is not a religious conversion that results from strength (power); it is through “faith” as a result of human free will. In the way this faith is revealed, linguistic and cultural diversity is intended so that an abundant and deep understanding of God is experienced. Moreover Paul, against the polytheistic Corinthian Christians in the polytheistic land where there are “many gods” and many “lords”, said other than “the One God” there are no gods, and other than “the One Lord Jesus Christ” there is no lord (1 Cor. 8:4-6). And by making clear the relationship between idols and evil spirits, Paul emphasizes that they should that what is offered to idols is not offered to God but to evil spirits (1 Cor. 10:20). This points to the one true God as the origin of everything, but also to “many gods” and “many lords” who reveal the work of the “powers of darkness” (evil spirits) among people.
III.C. The Exclusivity and Mutuality of the Trinitarian God
When the Old Testament says, “There is One God,” we must remember this God is “God the Trinity.” This God who is “One” is also three, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, who maintain “harmony” within a fellowship of love. In the nature of this “Three in One” God, the exclusivism which has the nature of “oneness” and individual cooperation which is shown in the “three”, unlike anything else shows the origin and basis which makes consistent harmony possible. The work of creation of the Trinitarian God is an example. God the Father is the basis of all existence, God the Son is the reasonable orderly principle (Logos) of the created world, and God the Holy Spirit is the giver and preserver of life (Shuebel 1998:75). However, human beings created in the “image of God” rebelled, revolted against the order of creation, and became living “corpses.” As a result, among human beings there is exclusion and prejudice towards those who are different which strengthens assimilation and conformity. However, God the Father, in Jesus Christ, provided the way to restore human relationships. By means of Him, the enmity between people was done away with (Eph. 2:15). God the Holy Spirit, by means of Jesus Christ, “through faith” actualizes reconciliation with God and reconciliation between human beings. In the work of each Person of the Trinity “the one work of salvation and reconciliation” is completed. The dynamic relationship of “the one and the many” brings about “the unity in diversity”, and in Christ through the body of cooperative faith (the church) the created world comes to life (Gal. 3:28). Monotheism which believes in the Trinitarian God (Trinitarianism), in church history, in the Middle Ages encouraged a ritually unified structure in the church-ruled society and in the early days of the modern era sanctioned absolute monarchy based on the theory of the right of kingship received from God. However, among believers in biblical monotheism, against nationalistic intolerance based on Israel's sense of election, equality with other peoples before the absolute one God is explained (Amos 9:7) (Nishitani 2004:208). In this way, Trinitarianism is a view of God which is able to avoid the absolutism produced from the uniformity and identity of simple monotheism, to avoid the confusion produced from the polytheism's pluralistic sense of values, to repair what was broken by the fall of the created world, and to truly bring about reconciliation and symbiosis.
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