Throughout history, people have developed many different religions and worshiped numerous deities. During the first and second century, people began the conversion from believing in many gods to believing in just one. Due to the mass confusion of thousands of gods, the lack of unity, and the constant wars causing all people to fear death and look for divine answers, monotheism developed.
The mass confusion of thousands of gods made polytheism too difficult and extremely unorganized. In “St. Augustine: Animistic spirits in Roman Religion,” Saint Augustine stated “But how is it possible to mention in one part of this book all the names of gods or goddesses, which the Romans scarcely could comprise in great volumes” In other words, Saint Augustine was saying that there was countless numbers of gods and goddesses that caused too much confusion and frustration. They believed they needed one god or goddess to trust in, to watch over many specific and various things.
For example, Proserpina watched over the germinating seeds, Nodutus over the joints and knobs of the stems, the farms to goddess Rumina, and the ridges and mountains to god Jugatinus. This shows that by converting to monotheism, it makes life simpler and less complicated.
Another reason why they converted to monotheism is because they needed and wanted to feel a better trust and a sense of unity. The Romans felt insecure of their religion and felt that there needed to have just one mighty god. In “Augustine Is Brought to His Faith,” Saint Augustine declared “I read no further, I did not need to; for instantly, as the sentence endedby a light of security that poured into my heartall the gloom of doubt vanished.” (Plikington 126). After Saint Augustine picked up and read the New Testament, he then knew that monotheism is better because of the trust and security that he felt. After reading the New Testament, people started to feel the sense of unity that they did not have from believing in many gods and goddesses.
The Romans feared death and they needed an answer to make them feel safe. In “The Covenant and the Law: The Book of Exodus,” Jesus said “Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession.” By knowing that, people started to feel safer and secure if they started to obey his laws. In “The Second Isaiah Defines Hebrew Monotheism,” God stated “the Lord who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread forth the earth and what comes from itl have taken you by hand and kept you” By being under just one god that created everything and has taken to be the savior and redeemer, it has made people to feel safer and not have the fear of death.
By converting from polytheism to monotheism, it has given people less confusion because there is only one all mighty god that has created everything. People felt a better trust and sense of unity by being under one god. It has also made people to have less fear of death and to feel safer under the hands of god. Therefore people started to realize by converting to monotheism, it has made life simpler and lets people to feel safer and secure under one god.
