Opening

I want to outline a monotheism for our times. Not to found a new religion but rather to help those who have a religious belief to worship better and to have better theological understanding and practice within their existing faith group, but also for those who are not able to sign up to an existing faith and yet who nevertheless have a non-aligned faith, belief or understanding of monotheism in their hearts, and even those who do not but who are open to moral development and who are genuinely interested in truth.

So my task is to describe how monotheism can and should be done in the 21^st century.   

The first step in this unenviable task must be to set out what is meant by monotheism. Of course the idea means different things to different people, both between and also – even more frustratingly within – faith groupings. These differences can sometimes make it seem like there can never be any rapprochement between worldviews, a highly pessimistic and ultimately depressing view. But this book is based on the opposite assumption, which is that there is the possibility of a common theology of monotheism which will allow individual faiths to prosper and flourish within their cherished forms and traditions, staying truie to the doctrines that are hallowed while also allowing them to connect productivey and with prophetic inspiratuion with the wider population – a common theology which allows people of all faiths or even in some cases none to come together with a transcendent understanding and a commitment to individual, social and moral progress.

 It may seem to readers that this kind of approach while well meaning will automatically  constitute a watering down of the faiths distinct practices and beliefs, whereas in fact I am convinced  it will allow everyone to be even more true to the monotheistic essence that originally amimated the founders of their faith, their earliest converts and therefore the beauty and goodness that exists at the heart of each religion’s historical ideal.     

So let us make it clear, what we mean by this, as a first step is the existence of a higher reality than the one we see around us and that we as individuals are not ultimately in charge of either the universe or, more controversially our own selves.  Now while these propositions may seem like ones of faith, and traditionally it is true to say that they have been mades as such, as we shall see they are now supported by a number of different scientific processes and approaches whether from the accepted  traditions of neuroscience and cosmology or from the more contested scientific tradition of what might be called 'comparative contemplative culture'.

But before going into all the theories and ideas that support this statement, let's try and look at this idea of a higher reality from a common or garden point of view - from the perspective of the iundividual human being.