World's major religions boil down to similar beliefs

I have posted snippets of what I am going to say here in other threads. The difference here is the bias towards religion.

One must wonder how come so many different religions have similar stories contained in their religious texts...maybe names and detail differ, yet the story taken as a whole is the same.

For example the story of creation, the flood, Sodom and gomorrah...all are contained within the 3 great religions of christianity, islam and of course judaism.

Some stories are even universal....such as the flood story. A brief google search yielded this website at the top of the list:
Flood stories

This link contains a collection of all the flood stories and myths from different cultures around the world, yet accepted as part of the religious history in some religions. More interestingly, some cultures that predated judaism, christianity and islam had their own versions of the flood story. This is only one example of many.

How did this come about? Differing religions based on same stories? Amazing isn't it?

The truth is how it came about

Don't expect a lot of action on this thread, it's not debatable. Lack of debate makes for a lot of inaction. You're right, most of the religions teach much of the same thing. Damn man, no conflict there. Oh well.

What in hell/heaven/tarnation makes Judaism, Christianity and Islamism the "3 great religions"?

On measures of devotion (number of followers through small blips in human history), on measures of any value contributed to the human condition, this categorization does seem very debatable.

You have the "strong men" like Samson, Gilgamesh, Hercules...

You have the virgin births in Jesus, Zoroaster...

You have the "Catholic" symbols of:

1. The Tower of Babel, shared by Mayans and Catholics

2. Symbols of the cross from one side of the world to another

3. Four arch-angels, four clan spirits, four bacab

4. The raising of the dead, death, and resurrection of one man (Namely Jesus and Ytzamna)

You have the lone prophets proclaiming a One High God in lands where there are many gods (Zoroaster, Abraham, Ytzamna)

You have a High God battling dragons, from God vs Rahab to Enki (marduk) vs Tiamat, Odin vs ???


Or, more "current" religions, such as Judean, Hebrew, Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, Christian... that they all use the same book. Granted, one version is written by man, the other dictated from God, but when they all have the same major characters and events...

The list, my friend, goes on and on.

Yes, most of the worlds major religions do boil down to similar beliefs. They all believe in something they never saw or haver any proof of. Kinda like one of those imaginary friends.

Originally posted by MaskedAvatar
What in hell/heaven/tarnation makes Judaism, Christianity and Islamism the "3 great religions"?

On measures of devotion (number of followers through small blips in human history), on measures of any value contributed to the human condition, this categorization does seem very debatable.

That's a pretty narrow view. What about Wicca? What about Bhudism? What about ancient Greek philosophy? They also teach the same things. Truth is truth.

Numbers mean nothing, religion isn't a democracy, people thinking, that's something. Something that's sorely missing in this day.

Originally posted by soothsayer
You have the "strong men" like Samson, Gilgamesh, Hercules...

Legends should be in many cultures because this is part of the unified history from before the flood and right after the flood.

You have the virgin births in Jesus, Zoroaster...

Jesus was prophecied about in Genesis 3
There are books referred to in the NT that are not in the OT. There is missing prophecy and it is showing up in other cultures.

You have the "Catholic" symbols of:

1. The Tower of Babel, shared by Mayans and Catholics

The tower is in the bible. It seems that the pyramid like structure is worldwide. Perhaps a glimpse into babel

2. Symbols of the cross from one side of the world to another

Here is another x and another X, T, t
It was an instrument of death

3. Four arch-angels, four clan spirits, four bacab

What is the source for their only being 4?
4 rivers out of eden
4 men on the ark
4 directions of the compass (corners of the earth)
4 horsemen

4. The raising of the dead, death, and resurrection of one man (Namely Jesus and Ytzamna)

Lazerus, the little girl, the son of the widow.....

You have the lone prophets proclaiming a One High God in lands where there are many gods (Zoroaster, Abraham, Ytzamna)

You have a High God battling dragons, from God vs Rahab to Enki (marduk) vs Tiamat, Odin vs ???

God doesnt battle dragons

Or, more "current" religions, such as Judean, Hebrew, Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, Christian... that they all use the same book. Granted, one version is written by man, the other dictated from God, but when they all have the same major characters and events...

The list, my friend, goes on and on.

You can invent your own reason not to believe or just take one of the standard cookie cutter reasons. But all of this has already been covered.

Originally posted by hellfire3
For example the story of creation, the flood, Sodom and gomorrah...all are contained within the 3 great religions of christianity, islam and of course judaism.

Well it's not surprising that these religions share a lot of stories, especially Christianity and Judaism since the Christian Bible actually contains pretty much all of the Jewish holy texts.

Islam has its own Koran, but it obviously borrows heavily from the other two monotheistic religions.

Nonsence.

The world religions are NOT based on the same beliefs.
So what if the historical beliefs are the same, the Flood, etc, that is not a "belief".

The difference is that Islam, Judasim, etc are based on "Follow these steps and you will go to heaven".

Where as Christianity says "follow me and you will go to heaven"

The difference is about who the "leaders" of the religion are. It not "copy what I do" but "believe who I am" that seperates Christianity from the rest.

All other arguements are just just semantics about the icing on the cake, at the base they are totally differenet cakes.

[edit on 27-7-2005 by Netchicken]

jake1997... yes, the Tower of Babel was in the Bible. But the Mayans also had a legend just like it, with the building of a structure, a diety becoming upset, and breaking apart the tounges... then again, the Mayans had ALOT of the Catholic beliefs incorporated into their religious system (which is one of the reasons why the Spanish slew them, because only the devil could have told them that stuff).

And your comment about missing prophecies (from the Bible) showing up in other cultures? And you quoted the Summerian?! Do you even know where Genesis comes from?

The cross was not a symbol of death. The anhk represented LIFE. Does not the crucifix represent eternal LIFE for you? Besides that, it also represented the cardinal points, and the swatzika represented the movement of the sun.

As far as religions go, Judean is very young. How could older religions steal ideas from it?

Forget about Lazarus and the such. Was he a god, or a prophet? No, he was Jesus' childhood friend. I was talking about those who preached of a one god, who were also able to raise the dead. I doubt Lazarus was able to bring back the dead.

**Interesting fact, jake... Ytzamna also bore marks of a crucification, and also rose from the dead in three days.**

People should really, really, take a deep look into what they believe in, and learn more about it. Why things are the way they are.

Yes, I am afraid that GOD ALMIGHTY did battle a dragon. Look towards the older Jewish texts, or better yet, do a word search on google for Rahab. If you can prove to me that those are alse, then I shall bow to you. Until then, be careful of what you claim to know, for ignorance is not an excuse when it comes to the dealings of our creators... (and what would he have to say when he learns Elohim means "the gods"?)

About my comparison of Jesus and Zoroaster... maybe I wasn't specific enough. Maybe I should have stated "prophets who, of virgin birth, which were impregnated by a beam of light from the heavens, and who would be exiled from their birth lands because they preached a different view... answers being, once again, Jesus and Zoroaster. You should probably know that Zoroaster was born BEFORE Jesus.

So, who's religion borrows from others?

I know, I know... two classic blunders here. I should have just "edited" the previous post, adding this new information, and the second being I should have just let it go. Live and learn.

Rahab Definition

And, since this would seem more truthful to some then others, I present to you a direct quote from the Bible:

Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD; awake, as in days of old, the generations of long ago. Was it not you who cut Rahab in pieces, who pierced the dragon? Was it not you who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep; who made the depths of the sea a way for the redeemed to pass over?

Isa 51:9-10

Now that that is settled, can we continue with this thread? There are a great more similarities between religions then what most even know...

Christ stole many ideas from Lord Krishna. Islam and Christianity stem from Judaism which probably has roots in Inia and Zarathustrianism. Hercules, Beowulf, Christ, etc...

Yes the three main religions are very similar in the bases of believes because the sprouted from the same sources, Abraham is credited with the birth of them.

Now as for the other civilizations around the world their believes were not monotheistic like Christianity but polytheistic.

Taken in consideration that ones are newer Than he other ones, I will say,

"In the beginning is was Gods and Goddesses" until Christianity make into one male and only god.

Funny.

I started a thread on the "other theories of creation" and religions of the world but I got not interest from members.

www.abovetopsecret.com...

Its nice links to other civilizations views and own stories about creation.

[edit on 27-7-2005 by marg6043]

Those 3 religions all started from similar roots in the middle east so of course they are going to be similar. When compared to religions from other regions such as Hinduism, Confucianism, Tribal religions, Shinto and pre-christian religions the similarities are not so great.

Zoroaster, when leaving Summeria, went to the eastern lands. India to be more exact. There, he learned and helped in the development of Hinduism.

And don't forget the Mayan/Catholic similarities.

IF South America was the learning center for the Americas, wouldn't it stand to reason that religious views were also spread?

About spiritualism... I would like to think that the Kabal would fall into this, since they go to and use many sources of information.

Irregardless, everything still points to the Middles East as having been the center for religion.

How did this come about? Differing religions based on same stories? Amazing isn't it?

I'd have to think that there are flood stories in most religions because devastating floods occur all over the planet and amoung all societies. Another possibility is that 'water' and the 'abyss' is just normally associated by man with the subconcsious or something along those lines, and thus a flood story might be especially appealing (and thus spread quickly or bea story that once it appears in a culture stays in it) because its a story about man awakening to conciousness of the world around him. Indeed, the flood stories contain an ark or a big boat, and we can think about emerging from the ark of the bible after spending so much time in chaos and darkness (literally chaos, the world itself is destroyed, its water again, like in the begining) into the light of the new calm day as a a sort of psychological or spiritual rebirth.
But again the fact that floods occur everywhere might be a simpler and more likely origin for most.

As for other facets, I think that the two basic ideas above can apply to them. Some things occur no matter where you are or no matter what society you are in. They are absolutes, and religion is asystem that ends up dealing in just these absolutes. And in addition to that there might also be the idea that some 'concepts' are just really appealing to the human mind, and because of this they are either accepted and kept or even created independantly very easily. I recall reading a book by joseph Campell that noted that, like jesus, the goddess inanna is judged, put up on a big stick, dies quickly, then, returns to life, and leaves hell bringing with her the souls of the people there. Stunningly similar to the jesus passion. And campbell also notes that some chimps have an unusual sacred ritual. One chimp will start going around in circles, this gets others to join in, and before long the whole gang of chimps will be doing it. And not just running, be stepping with a rythm of one foot and then the other on a beat. And, most intersetingly, this will often all start with one dancing around a tree or some other big stick. So its possible that the 'world tree', as campbell calls it, is something like an 'archetype' that the human mind is just, for whatever the reason, instinctually ready to respond strongly too. That doesn't necessarily explain why inanna dies on a pole or jesus dies on a stick, and indeed, it makes a heck of a lot more sense to say jesus dies on a cross because people at that time were actually crucified. But the archetype idea might explain why religions and stories that involve the archetypes are the 'big ones', the idea is so appealing that before long everyone is telling it and thinking about it.

The fact that all have some same beliefs are true too a point. They diiffer about the after life. i mean is there a after life(life after death) some of the Religions believe in karma then reincarnation. Most beliefs say there is a higher power or something like a higher power. some of the religions do not believe in hell or heaven.

according to A Brief Guide To Beliefs The 12 World Faiths are hinduism,buddhism,sikhism,judaism,christianity,islam,shintoism,taoism,
confucianism, zoroastrianism,jainism,baha"i faith.\
Of course those are not in the right order. the 3 major beliefs are Christianity with 33% then Islam with 18% then Hinduism 16
also 16% is nonReligious (including agnostics,secular humanist,atheist.
The book is great wright by Linda Edwards and aftering reading it sometimes i wonder how some of the religions even servived.
But just to make a point 3 of the 12 world faiths come from the old testiment Christianity,Judaism,Islam. Islam has the koran but believes in first 5 books of the old testiment. the koran even has the angel Gabriel in it that came from the bible.

[edit on 8-8-2005 by slymattb]