Egotheism

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Egotheism or autotheism is the deification or worship of the self. [1] [2] [3] Critics of Johann Gottlieb Fichte and Ralph Waldo Emerson used the terms to label their transcendental philosophy. [4] [5] [6] [7] Autolatry is another synonym which was used to label the ideology of Max Stirner. [8] [9] [10] [11]

Contents

Ancient religions

Several Egyptian kings declared themselves gods during their reign. [12] Identification of the atman (self) with Brahman is a tenet of some sects of Hinduism. In Jainism, one who extinguishes all of their karmas becomes a tirthankara with godlike knowledge and powers. [13] The proto protestant Adamites [14] believed in self-deification. [15]

Modern religions

Early individuals who declared themselves to be gods include the English prophet John Robins and Danilo Filipov, who led a heterodox Quaker cult in Russia. [16] [17] Henry VIII was accused of autolatry after becoming a Protestant and establishing Anglicanism. [18] [19] [20] After he reconverted to Protestantism, Jean-Jacques Rousseau advocated civil religion which was accused of inspiring self worship amongst citizenry. [21] [22] [23] [24] [25]

Founder of North Korea Kim Il Sung instituted worship of himself amongst the citizens and it is considered the only country to deify its ruler with citizens bowing to his statues. [26] [27] [28] [29] After his death he was declared 'Eternal President' by the North Korean authorities. Contemporary figures who have professed themselves to be deities include Father Divine and Jim Jones. [30] Mormonism is a religion that teaches self-deification. [31]

See also

Related Research Articles

Agnosticism is the view or belief that the existence of God, the divine, or the supernatural is either unknowable in principle or currently unknown in fact. It can also mean an apathy towards such religious belief and refer to personal limitations rather than a worldview. Another definition is the view that "human reason is incapable of providing sufficient rational grounds to justify either the belief that God exists or the belief that God does not exist."

Monotheism is the belief that one god is the only deity. A distinction may be made between exclusive monotheism, in which the one God is a singular existence, and both inclusive and pluriform monotheism, in which multiple gods or godly forms are recognized, but each are postulated as extensions of the same God.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Theism</span> Belief in the existence of at least one deity

Theism is broadly defined as the belief in the existence of at least one deity. In common parlance, or when contrasted with deism, the term often describes the philosophical conception of God that is found in classical theism—or the conception found in monotheism—or gods found in polytheistic religions—or a belief in God or gods without the rejection of revelation, as is characteristic of deism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hindu deities</span> Gods and goddesses in Hinduism

Hindu deities are the gods and goddesses in Hinduism. Deities in Hinduism are as diverse as its traditions, and a Hindu can choose to be polytheistic, pantheistic, monotheistic, monistic, even agnostic, atheistic, or humanist. The terms and epithets for deities within the diverse traditions of Hinduism vary, and include Deva, Devi, Ishvara, Ishvari, Bhagavān and Bhagavati.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Religion in Japan</span>

Religion in Japan is manifested primarily in Shinto and in Buddhism, the two main faiths, which Japanese people often practice simultaneously. According to estimates, as many as 80% of the populace follow Shinto rituals to some degree, worshiping ancestors and spirits at domestic altars and public shrines. An almost equally high number is reported as Buddhist. Syncretic combinations of both, known generally as shinbutsu-shūgō, are common; they represented Japan's dominant religion before the rise of State Shinto in the 19th century.

Civil religion, also referred to as a civic religion, is the implicit religious values of a nation, as expressed through public rituals, symbols, and ceremonies on sacred days and at sacred places. It is distinct from churches, although church officials and ceremonies are sometimes incorporated into the practice of civil religion. Countries described as having a civil religion include France and the United States. As a concept, it originated in French political thought and became a major topic for U.S. sociologists since its use by Robert Bellah in 1960.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Idolatry</span> Worship of an idol as though it were a god

Idolatry is the worship of a cult image or "idol" as though it were a deity. In Abrahamic religions idolatry connotes the worship of something or someone other than the Abrahamic God as if it were God. In these monotheistic religions, idolatry has been considered as the "worship of false gods" and is forbidden by texts such as the Ten Commandments. Other monotheistic religions may apply similar rules.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ethnic religion</span> Religion associated with a particular ethnic group

In religious studies, an ethnic religion is a religion or belief associated with notions of heredity and a particular ethnic group. Ethnic religions are often distinguished from universal religions, such as Christianity or Islam, which are not limited in ethnic, national or racial scope.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apotheosis</span> Glorification of a subject to divine level

Apotheosis, also called divinization or deification, is the glorification of a subject to divine levels and, commonly, the treatment of a human being, any other living thing, or an abstract idea in the likeness of a deity.

Nature worship also called naturism or physiolatry is any of a variety of religious, spiritual and devotional practices that focus on the worship of the nature spirits considered to be behind the natural phenomena visible throughout nature. A nature deity can be in charge of nature, a place, a biotope, the biosphere, the cosmos, or the universe. Nature worship is often considered the primitive source of modern religious beliefs and can be found in pantheism, panentheism, deism, polytheism, animism, Taoism, totemism, Hinduism, shamanism, some theism and paganism including Wicca. Common to most forms of nature worship is a spiritual focus on the individual's connection and influence on some aspects of the natural world and reverence towards it. Due to their admiration of nature, the works of Edmund Spenser, Anthony Ashley-Cooper and Carl Linnaeus were viewed as nature worship.

<i>Quindecimviri sacris faciundis</i>

In ancient Rome, the quindecimviri sacris faciundis were the fifteen members of a college (collegium) with priestly duties. They guarded the Sibylline Books, scriptures which they consulted and interpreted at the request of the Senate. This collegium also oversaw the worship of any foreign gods which were introduced to Rome. They were also responsible for responding to divine advice and omens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern religions</span> Religions that originated in East, South and Southeast Asia

The Eastern religions are the religions which originated in East, South and Southeast Asia and thus have dissimilarities with Western, African and Iranian religions. Eastern religions include:

There are no known official statistics of religions in North Korea. Officially, North Korea is an atheist state, although its constitution guarantees free exercise of religion, provided that religious practice does not introduce foreign forces, harm the state, or harm the existing social order. Based on estimates from the late 1990s and the 2000s, North Korea is mostly irreligious, with the main religions being Shamanism and Chondoism. There are small communities of Buddhists and Christians. Chondoism is represented in politics by the Party of the Young Friends of the Heavenly Way, and is regarded by the government as Korea's "national religion" because of its identity as a minjung (popular) and "revolutionary anti-imperialist" movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">God</span> Principal object of faith in monotheism

God in monotheistic belief systems, is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the universe or life, for which such a deity is often worshipped". Belief in the existence of at least one god is called theism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vishvakarma Puja</span> Hindu observance

Vishvakarma Puja, also rendered Vishvakarma Jayanti, is a Hindu observance dedicated to Vishvakarma, the architect of the gods.

In religious studies and folkloristics, folk religion, traditional religion, or vernacular religion comprises various forms and expressions of religion that are distinct from the official doctrines and practices of organized religion. The precise definition of folk religion varies among scholars. Sometimes also termed popular belief, it consists of ethnic or regional religious customs under the umbrella of a religion; but outside official doctrine and practices.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deity</span> Supernatural being

A deity or god is a supernatural being considered to be sacred and worthy of worship due to having authority over the universe, nature or human life. The Oxford Dictionary of English defines deity as a god or goddess, or anything revered as divine. C. Scott Littleton defines a deity as "a being with powers greater than those of ordinary humans, but who interacts with humans, positively or negatively, in ways that carry humans to new levels of consciousness, beyond the grounded preoccupations of ordinary life".

Religious syncretism is the blending of religious belief systems into a new system, or the incorporation of other beliefs into an existing religious tradition.

Omizunu was a Japanese deity. the Great Great Grandson of Susanoo-no-Mikoto.

References

  1. ↑ "Egotheism definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary".
  2. ↑ "Definition of AUTOTHEISM".
  3. ↑ "Autolatry definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary".
  4. ↑ Versluis, Arthur (September 16, 1993). American Transcendentalism and Asian Religions. Oxford University Press. ISBN   978-0-19-536037-0 – via Google Books.
  5. ↑ "The Contemporary Review". A. Strahan. October 2, 1868 – via Google Books.
  6. ↑ Hurth, Elisabeth (August 30, 2007). Between Faith and Unbelief: American Transcendentalists and the Challenge of Atheism. BRILL. ISBN   9789047421269 – via Google Books.
  7. ↑ Woodress, James Leslie (October 3, 2004). "American Literary Scholarship". Duke University Press – via Google Books.
  8. ↑ Murray, James Augustus Henry (1888). "A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles".
  9. ↑ "Lippincott's Monthly Magazine". 1868.
  10. ↑ Janet, Paul (October 5, 1866). "The Materialism of the Present Day: A Critique of Dr. Büchner's System". H. Baillière – via Google Books.
  11. ↑ Methodist Episcopal Church (1865). The Methodist Quarterly Review. American periodical series, 1800-1850. G. Lane and P.P. Sanford. p. 32. Retrieved 2023-02-19.
  12. ↑ Sabbahy, Lisa K. (April 24, 2019). All Things Ancient Egypt: An Encyclopedia of the Ancient Egyptian World [2 volumes]. ABC-CLIO. ISBN   9781440855139 – via Google Books.
  13. ↑ Orr, Norman (January 29, 2021). Embracing Biological Humanism: Abandoning the Idea of God. Archway Publishing. ISBN   9781480898684 – via Google Books.
  14. ↑ Smith, V.S. (2008). Clean: A History of Personal Hygiene and Purity. Clean: A History of Personal Hygiene and Purity. Oxford University Press. p. 271. ISBN   978-0-19-953208-7 . Retrieved 2023-06-11.
  15. ↑ Tricoire, D.; Laborie, L. (2022). Apocalypse Now: Connected Histories of Eschatological Movements from Moscow to Cusco, 15th-18th Centuries. Routledge Studies in Early Modern Religious Dissents and Radicalism. Taylor & Francis. p. 50. ISBN   978-1-000-62499-1 . Retrieved 2023-06-11.
  16. ↑ Delany, P. (2015). British Autobiography in the Seventeenth Century. Routledge Library Editions: Autobiography. Taylor & Francis. p. 94. ISBN   978-1-317-37621-7 . Retrieved 2023-01-17.
  17. ↑ de Lazari, A. (1999). Идеи в России. Idee w Rosji (in Russian). Semper. ISBN   978-83-907031-8-3 . Retrieved 2023-01-17.
  18. ↑ Routledge Library Editions: Historiography. Routledge Library Editions: Historiography. Taylor & Francis. 2021. p. 17-PA186. ISBN   978-1-317-26808-6 . Retrieved 2023-02-19.
  19. ↑ Oman, C.W.C. (2018). Revival: The Sixteenth Century (1936). Routledge Revivals. Taylor & Francis. p. 106. ISBN   978-1-351-34170-7 . Retrieved 2023-02-19.
  20. ↑ Sangster, A. (2019). The Roots of Nationalism in European History. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. p. 94. ISBN   978-1-5275-3688-3 . Retrieved 2023-03-06.
  21. ↑ Mosse, G.L.; de Grazia, V. (2023). The Nationalization of the Masses: Political Symbolism and Mass Movements in Germany from the Napoleonic Wars Through the Third Reich. The Collected Works of George L. Mosse. University of Wisconsin Press. p. 3. ISBN   978-0-299-34204-3 . Retrieved 2023-02-26.
  22. ↑ Griffin, R.; Feldman, M. (2004). Fascism: The nature of fascism. Critical concepts in political science. Routledge. p. 145. ISBN   978-0-415-29016-6 . Retrieved 2023-02-26.
  23. ↑ Kecmanovic, D. (2013). The Mass Psychology of Ethnonationalism. Path in Psychology. Springer US. p. 202. ISBN   978-1-4899-0188-0 . Retrieved 2023-02-26.
  24. ↑ University of Prince Edward Island (1978). Canadian Review of Studies in Nationalism: Revue Canadienne Des Études Sur Le Nationalisme (in French). University of Prince Edward Island. Retrieved 2023-02-26.
  25. ↑ Anderson, A.; Valente, J. (2002). Disciplinarity at the Fin de Siècle. Princeton University Press. p. 170. ISBN   978-0-691-08962-1 . Retrieved 2023-03-06.
  26. ↑ He, K.; Feng, H. (2013). Prospect Theory and Foreign Policy Analysis in the Asia Pacific: Rational Leaders and Risky Behavior. Foreign Policy Analysis. Taylor & Francis. p. 62. ISBN   978-1-135-13119-7 . Retrieved 2023-02-12.
  27. ↑ Floru, JP (2017). The Sun Tyrant: A Nightmare Called North Korea. Biteback Publishing. p. 7. ISBN   978-1-78590-288-8 . Retrieved 2023-02-13.
  28. ↑ Vantage Point. Naewoe Press. 1982. Retrieved 2023-02-13.
  29. ↑ Yeo, A.; Chubb, D. (2018). North Korean Human Rights: Activists and Networks. Cambridge University Press. p. 262. ISBN   978-1-108-69284-7 . Retrieved 2023-08-06.
  30. ↑ "10 Real People Who Became Gods". September 2, 2016.
  31. ↑ Hewitt, Hugh (March 12, 2007). A Mormon in the White House?: 10 Things Every Conservative Should Know About Mitt Romney. Simon and Schuster. ISBN   9781596980488 – via Google Books.
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