Monotheism

====Chinese religion====
{{Main|Shangdi|Tian|Mohism}}
[[File:天-bronze-shang.svg|thumb|upright|[[Shang Dynasty]] [[bronze script]] character for ''tian'' (天), which translates to Heaven and sky]]
The orthodox faith system held by most dynasties of [[China]] since at least the [[Shang Dynasty]] (1766&nbsp;BCE) until the modern period centered on the worship of ''[[Shangdi]]'' (literally "Above Sovereign", generally translated as "High-god") or [[Tian|Heaven]] as a supreme being, standing above other gods.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal|last=Dubs|first=Homer H.|date=1959|title=Theism and Naturalism in Ancient Chinese Philosophy|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/1397096|journal=Philosophy East and West|volume=9|issue=3/4|pages=163–172|doi=10.2307/1397096|jstor=1397096|issn=0031-8221|quote="It does not necessarily imply monotheism, however, since, in addition to the Supreme High-god or Heaven, there were also the ordinary gods (shen) and the ancestral spirits (guei), all of whom were worshipped in the Jou royal cult."|access-date=2022-02-20|archive-date=2022-02-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220220041158/https://www.jstor.org/stable/1397096|url-status=live}}</ref> This faith system pre-dated the development of [[Confucianism]] and [[Taoism]] and the introduction of [[Buddhism]] and [[Christianity]]. It has some features of monotheism in that Heaven is seen as an omnipotent entity, a [[Incorporeality|noncorporeal]] force with a [[personal god|personality]] [[transcendent reality|transcending]] the world. However, this faith system was not truly monotheistic since other lesser gods and spirits, which varied with locality, were also worshiped along with ''Shangdi''.<ref name=":1" /> Still, later variants such as [[Mohism]] (470 BCE–c.391 BCE) approached true monotheism, teaching that the function of lesser gods and ancestral spirits is merely to carry out the will of ''Shangdi.'' In [[Mozi]]'s ''Will of Heaven'' (天志), he writes:

{{blockquote|I know Heaven loves men dearly not without reason. Heaven ordered the sun, the moon, and the stars to enlighten and guide them. Heaven ordained the four seasons, Spring, Autumn, Winter, and Summer, to regulate them. Heaven sent down snow, frost, rain, and dew to grow the five grains and flax and silk that so the people could use and enjoy them. Heaven established the hills and rivers, ravines and valleys, and arranged many things to minister to man's good or bring him evil. He appointed the dukes and lords to reward the virtuous and punish the wicked, and to gather metal and wood, birds and beasts, and to engage in cultivating the five grains and flax and silk to provide for the people's food and clothing. This has been so from antiquity to the present.

且吾所以知天之愛民之厚者有矣，曰以磨為日月星辰，以昭道之；制為四時春秋冬夏，以紀綱之；雷降雪霜雨露，以長遂五穀麻絲，使民得而財利之；列為山川谿谷，播賦百事，以臨司民之善否；為王公侯伯，使之賞賢而罰暴；賊金木鳥獸，從事乎五穀麻絲，以為民衣食之財。自古及今，未嘗不有此也。
|''Will of Heaven'', Chapter 27, Paragraph 6, ca. 5th century BCE}}

Worship of ''Shangdi'' and Heaven in ancient China includes the erection of shrines, the last and greatest being the [[Temple of Heaven]] in Beijing, and the offering of prayers. The ruler of China in every Chinese dynasty would perform annual sacrificial rituals to ''Shangdi'', usually by slaughtering a completely healthy bull as sacrifice. Although its popularity gradually diminished after the advent of Taoism and Buddhism, among other religions, its concepts remained in use throughout the pre-modern period and have been incorporated in later religions in China, including terminology used by early Christians in China. Despite the rising of non-theistic and pantheistic spirituality contributed by Taoism and Buddhism, Shangdi was still praised up until the end of the [[Qing Dynasty]] as the last ruler of the Qing declared himself [[son of heaven]].

In the 19th century in the [[Guangdong]] region, monotheist influences led to the [[Taiping Rebellion]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Chang |first=Iris |title=The Chinese in America: A Narrative History |publisher=[[Viking Press]] |year=2003 |isbn=978-0-670-03123-8 |location=New York |pages=30–31 |author-link=Iris Chang}}</ref>