Do you beleave in God(Poll)

[Byzantine Prince]

Do you think the origin of Judaism and hence Christianity can be found in the mythology of ancient Sumer or Egypt?

No doubt about it. The jews basically conformed to the Egyptian monotheistic period religion of Aton. Akhenaton, the pharaoh actually changed all the scriptures to read that there is only one god. The jews took that to heart and when they got back they streted writing their own mythology with Adam and Eve and all that.

Aton was influenced by Amon who influenced Zeus(or Dias), which is why in latin the word for god is Deus(Zeus). All these religions are interconnected and very similar really.

[GoreBag]

Do you think the origin of Judaism and hence Christianity can be found in the mythology of ancient Sumer or Egypt?

Sumer, yes. Egypt, not so much, although, at one point, Egypt did assimilate a great deal of Sumerian influence.

My reference to Egypt was more about how things which would seem shocking today were commonplace in the religion, such as the sacrifice and mummification of literally hundreds of thousands of animals or the torture-sacrifce of female prisoners of war by forcing them to have sex with a gigantic, stone statue of a particular ithyphallic deity.

[Byzantine Prince]

NeonGod, what part of Sumer religion influenced Judaism. I dont' think we know anything about their religion, they are sooo old(about 2700's). I think you might be thinking about the Assyrians, but they were polytheists as well.

Egypt has had the most profound influence on Christianity and even pagan religions of Europe. I refer to my previous post.

[GoreBag]

NeonGod, what part of Sumer religion influenced Judaism. I dont' think we know anything about their religion, they are sooo old(about 2700's). I think you might be thinking about the Assyrians, but they were polytheists as well.

Egypt has had the most profound influence on Christianity and even pagan religions of Europe. I refer to my previous post.

Considering how Abraham lived in Ur before YHWH apparently spoke to him and told him to leave, bringing his story of Monotheism with him, I would say that his Sumerian upbringing would have had a great deal to do with the shaping of Judaism.

There is a fair deal known about the Sumerian religion. You know, Marduk and all that good stuff. It forms the basis for H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu mythos.

[Byzantine Prince]

~
I think you are refering to Babylonians because Abrahamwas supposed to have lived between 2000 and 1500 while Ur was annihilated in 2004. Not to mention that Abraham is a kind of a fictional character only known through the Bible.

From Encarta:

Sumerian Religion, religious beliefs of the peoples of ancient Sumer. The Sumerians believed that the universe was ruled by a pantheon comprising a group of living beings, human in form, but immortal and possessing superhuman powers. These beings, they believed, were invisible to mortal eyes and guided and controlled the cosmos in accordance with well-laid plans and duly prescribed laws.

~

[GoreBag]

Abraham bounced around other cities after he left Ur. I don't remember their names, but the point is the same. Besides, that's just a 4-year gap.

In any case, I would dispute that, considering that Jewish calendar is well over its 5000th year, and Abraham founded the religion...

One set of the Sumerian gods were anthropomorphic and benificent, Marduk being one of them. The Elder Gods were the evil buggers and they were the ones upon which the Cthulhu stories were based.

Abraham's a fictional character? Yeah, right, buddy. You insist that Achilles was a real person; what's the difference?

[Byzantine Prince]

what's the difference?

About 1500 years.

[GoreBag]

About 1500 years.

In other words, nothing?

[Byzantine Prince]

I'm confused.
How could Abraham have taken monotheism from the Sumerians when the Sumerians weren't monotheistic and were destroyed during 2000-1500 in which Abraham was alive?

[GoreBag]

I'm confused.
How could Abraham have taken monotheism from the Sumerians when the Sumerians weren't monotheistic and were destroyed during 2000-1500 in which Abraham was alive?

I didn't say he took Monotheism from them. I'm saying he was a Sumerian and could not escape his own culture, affecting Judaism at its inception.

He couldn't have existed from 2000-1500 if the Jewish calendar has existed for over 5000 thousand years.

[Byzantine Prince]

That's what my encyclopedia had. It said he lived between 2000-1500 acording to the Bible. I think I'll trust my encyclopedia.

Also you completely ignore that Egypt had profound influence on Judaim being the worship of Aton was the first true monotheistic religion.

[GoreBag]

That's what my encyclopedia had. It said he lived between 2000-1500 acording to the Bible. I think I'll trust my encyclopedia.

Also you completely ignore that Egypt had profound influence on Judaim being the worship of Aton was the first true monotheistic religion.

It can't be monotheistic if it wasn't the only god, can it? Besides, not all Egyptians bought into it, especially at the lower echelons of society. I doubt it had that much impact as a whole.

[Byzantine Prince]

Read up on it. It had profound impact, but you won't know unles you read something about it. Google Worship of Aton or something.

[Papewaio]

Is an atheist someone who does not believe in a higher power then themselves?

If so does that make God an atheist?

[Byzantine Prince]

The Judeo-Christian God doesn't have a personality or belief system of his own.

[Uesugi Kenshin]

An Atheist does not believe in any God and at least hypothesizes that there is no God, if not outright denies the existence of one. By my definition an Atheist also does not believe in fate, charma or anything else like that, though the true dictionary definition may differ from my own.