Martin Buber on monotheism and its discontents

It has been argued that monotheism is inherently exclusionary and hence violent. I argue that Martin Buber was alert to this claim and addressed it, albeit implicitly, in his writings on biblical faith and Judaism. He sought to restrain the negative manifestations of monotheism and to enhance its universalistic promise by freeing theistic belief, and Judaism in particular, from supercessionist theological and metaphysical presuppositions. In place of doctrinal affirmations, Buber elaborated a phenomenology of theistic faith. In pursuing this end, he did not shy from enjoining insights from Asian religions, especially Buddhism and Daoism.