Is Hinduism monotheistic?
Does Hinduism have something in common with Judaism, Christianity, and Islam who all hold a strong belief in one God? How can a religion that seems teeming with various gods of colourful descriptions have a belief in one Supreme? Our Academic Director, Professor Francis X. Clooney, organised a series of lectures and seminars this term to look at this topic from different perspectives, including Vaishnava, Shiva, and the Goddess traditions. He invited guest speakers for several of the sessions in order to hear experts on other religions like Judaism and Islam. When asked about the outcome, Professor Clooney replied that the lectures were successful in exploring the concept of monotheism in a thorough way. He said, “When studying Indian religions many words of western and Christian origin are used, but do they really apply? Words like monotheism have been coined to describe Abrahamic religions and may not always be applicable in the Indian context. It is necessary to define monotheism si
