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Egotheism

"Autotheism" redirects here. For the album by The Faceless, see Autotheism (album).

Egotheism or autotheism (from Greek autos, 'self', and theos, 'god') is the is the belief in the divinity of oneself or the potential for self-deification.[1][2][3] This concept has appeared in various philosophical, religious, and cultural contexts throughout history, emphasizing the immanence of the divine or the individual's potential to achieve a godlike state.[4] While critics often interpret autotheism as self-idolatry or hubris,[5] proponents view it as a form of spiritual enlightenment or personal transcendence.[6]

History

Ancient Religions

Autotheistic beliefs can be traced back to ancient civilizations, where rulers and individuals were often deified. In ancient Egypt, pharaohs were declared gods during their reigns, merging their political and spiritual authority.[7]

In Indian Philosophy, identification of the self (atman) with the ultimate reality (Brahman), expressed in the phrase aham Brahmāsmi ("I am Brahman"). This reflects the idea that divinity resides inherently within the self and can be realized through spiritual awakening.[8] Similarly, Jainism teaches that one who extinguishes all of their karma becomes a tirthankara with godlike knowledge and powers.[9]

Medieval to Enlightenment

In medieval Christianity, certain heterodox groups, such as the Adamites,[10] believed in self-deification.[11]

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.[12][13]

During the Protestant Reformation, Henry VIII was accused of autolatry for asserting his authority over the Church of England, effectively positioning himself as the supreme spiritual authority.[14][15][16]

In the 18th century, Enlightenment thinker Jean-Jacques Rousseau proposed the idea of a civil religion to unify society, which critics accused of encouraging self-worship among citizens.[17] [18][19][20][21][22]

Post-Enlightenment Thought

In the 19th century, Transcendentalist philosophies emerged, with Johann Gottlieb Fichte and Ralph Waldo Emerson emphasizing the divine potential of the individual. Critics labled these ideas as "egotheism," accusing them of promoting excessive individualism.[23][24]

In the 19th century, Max Stirner advocated for a form of autotheism through his philosophy of egoism. In his work The Ego and Its Own, Stirner argued that the individual is the ultimate authority and creator of meaning, rejecting external deities and societal constructs.[25]

Friedrich Nietzsche's conceptualized the Übermensch as a self-determined individual who transcends human limitations and creates their own values, embodying a form of self-deification.[26]

Modern Examples

Political and Religious Leaders

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.[27][28][29][30] After his death he was declared 'Eternal President' by the North Korean authorities.

Contemporary religious figures who have professed themselves to be deities include Father Divine and Jim Jones.[31]

Mormonism

Mormon beliefs incorporate autotheistic elements through the doctrine of exaltation. This teaching holds that individuals can achieve godhood in the afterlife through faithfulness and spiritual progression, emphasizing the potential for divinity within each person.[32]

Modern Spirituality

Contemporary spiritual movements, such as those influenced by New Thought, often emphasize the divinity of the individual and the potential for self-realization. These movements focus on personal empowerment and the belief that individuals can achieve a godlike state through self-awareness and positive thinking.

See also

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. ^ Hurth, Elisabeth (August 30, 2007). Between Faith and Unbelief: American Transcendentalists and the Challenge of Atheism. BRILL. ISBN 9789047421269 – via Google Books.
  6. ^ Hans, Jonas (2001). The Gnostic Religion: The Message of the Alien God and the Beginnings of Christianity (3rd ed.). Beacon Press. ISBN 978-0807058015.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ Radhakrishnan, Sarvepalli (1994). The Principal Upanishads (in English and Sanskrit). Indus / Harper Collins India. ISBN 978-8172231248.
  9. ^ Orr, Norman (January 29, 2021). Embracing Biological Humanism: Abandoning the Idea of God. Archway Publishing. ISBN 9781480898684 – via Google Books.
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ de Lazari, A. (1999). Идеи в России. Idee w Rosji (in Russian). Semper. ISBN 978-83-907031-8-3. Retrieved 2023-01-17.
  14. ^ 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.
  15. ^ Routledge Library Editions: Historiography. Routledge Library Editions: Historiography. Taylor & Francis. 2021. p. 17-PA186. ISBN 978-1-317-26808-6. Retrieved 2023-02-19.
  16. ^ 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.
  17. ^ Griffin, Roger (2007). Modernism and Fascism. Palgrave Macmillian. ISBN 978-1403987846.
  18. ^ 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.
  19. ^ 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.
  20. ^ 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.
  21. ^ 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.
  22. ^ 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.
  23. ^ "The Contemporary Review". A. Strahan. October 2, 1868 – via Google Books.
  24. ^ Woodress, James Leslie (October 3, 2004). "American Literary Scholarship". Duke University Press – via Google Books.
  25. ^ Stirner, Max (1995). The Ego and Its Own. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521456479.
  26. ^ Nietzsche, Friedrich (1885). Thus Spake Zarathustra. ISBN 978-1910749258.
  27. ^ 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.
  28. ^ 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.
  29. ^ Vantage Point. Naewoe Press. 1982. Retrieved 2023-02-13.
  30. ^ 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.
  31. ^ "10 Real People Who Became Gods". September 2, 2016.
  32. ^ "Gospel Principles- Chapter 47: Exaltation". ChurchofJesusChrist.org.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  • Peabody, Elizabeth Palmer. “Egotheism, the Atheism of To-Day” 1858, (reprinted in 1886 in her Last Evening with Allston)
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