| Egann said: Oh, yeah, the similarities to other religions are numerous and cataloged. In fact there are a number more than you pointed out. That's not the point. The point is that for making a religion from scratch, Judiasm is the last one you would have picked. Judiasm was one of the few religions in the Roman empire which took itself seriously because it assumed it was a factual religion. Religions for the rest of the empire were much more pragmatic and relativistic. The Jews were much more historically aware and convinced of their past than other cultures, and if you doubt compare the Torah with Virgil's Aeneid. The Torah was a history text which literally included censuses. dictating their history. Comparatively speaking, the Roman "we're descended from the Trojans" story has almost no historical detail and just about everyone who read the Aeneid regarded it as revisionistic. History just wasn't culturally important to the Romans, and it wasn't that important for most of the people they conquered. The present was always what was on their minds. And to compound all this, Judiasm and Jews in general were distinctly unpopular because of their holier-than-thou attitude. Again, religion which took itself seriously when everyone else didn't care. Expecting me to believe Roman aristocrats fabricated Christianity is insane. Maybe a Jewish sect would have the knowledge and means (although motive is another matter) but Roman? How many Romans actually knew Judiasm well enough to fake it's EXTREME historophilia? When Israel was a tiny province filled with dime a dozen trouble makers? It just makes no sense. |
Well the problem is, if you read the ones he pointed out. You'll note they actually aren't ones that are catalogued and all more or less just straight made up or embellshed.
There are broad similarties and themes in religions, sure. Including religions that never had any contact with each other ever.
Just how their are tons of connections between tons of mythological monsters across the world in areas that didn't traditionally mix.
It's ludicrous in general to suggest such things come from conspiracy theory relgion creation though. Might as well suggest that China, Romania and North America all have vampire like creatures because of Ancient Aliens. (also, they actually aren't very similar outside of broad strokes. They all involve the undead though so clearly ancient aliens.)
A better theory though would be just to point out that people on a base level are very similar, with the same questions and fears etc.
Paralel Evolution. If it can happen biologically it sure as hell can happen in religion.
