Ancient and classical beliefs with similarities found in the Bible

by RetroTherapy 4 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

  • RetroTherapy
    RetroTherapy

    I’ve been studying religions and beliefs lately and i’ve been noting all the similarities they have with the bible. I haven’t even scratched the surface with my notes and i’m nowhere even near learning all of them but i think some of you might find what i’ve found so far interesting. I’m sure there are a ton of other things i haven’t come across yet. Sorry there are no sources, these are infact my own personal notes but a quick google search/wikipedia and you’ll be able to see for yourself.

    Prehistory - Quechua Indians:

    • Spirits and land must be fed with blood and fat (sacrifice)

    Prehistory - Maori:

    • Death did not exist in the beginning of the world, was brought in by sin (death was brought in by an act of incest)

    44,000 BCE - Xam San:

    • unseen forces at work.

    10,000 BCE - Ainu:

    • spirits are immortal.

    • Most important spirits are gods.

    • If we treat the god's good, gods will provide food ( do good and god will reward)

    10,000 BCE - Sami:

    • supernatural beings control the world

    2270 BCE - Ancient Babylonians:

    • The god Marduk kills goddess Tiamar and makes all other god’s accept him as king. (hierarchy of gods and men, only one powerful god over all other gods)

    2000 BCE - Ancient Egyptians:

    • Osiris will judge us and our hearts will be weighed against our sins. if we are judged worthy, we will enjoy everlasting life.

    • Resurrection in paradise.

    3000 BCE - Baiga:

    • humans were made from the earth.

    3000 BCE - Chewong:

    • If you are being bad, violent or competitive, you will receive supernatural repercussions.

    1400 BCE- Ancient Minoans and Mycenaeans:

    • Mother goddess gave birth to a divine son.

    1400 BCE - Zoroastrians:

    • First monotheistic faith (belief in the existence of one god)

    • The creator is wholly good, represents order and truth.

    • both good and evil can be seen in the world.

    • there exist a wholly evil being.

    800 BCE - Ancient Romans:

    • God’s take interest in domestic and public affairs.

    • Spirit gods act as our guardians.

    800 BCE- Shinto:

    • The world was created by the gods at the beginning of heaven and earth.

    600 BCE - Mahavira:

    • Five vows of non violence, truth-telling, chastity, non-stealing and non attachment.

    600 BCE - Confucius:

    • Heaven is the source of moral order.

    • Order is maintained by goodness.

    3rd century CE - Aztec, Mayan, and other Mesoamerican peoples:

    • We owe the gods a debt for life which is of blood. (human sacrifice)

    8th century CE - Vikings:

    • Catastrophe and violence will signal the beginning of the end.

    • The barrier between worlds of the living and the dead will be breached.

    • In a mighty conflict the gods themselves will die.

    • The sun turns black, earth sinks into the sea, the bright stars vanish from the sky.

    • In the twilight of the gods, the whole world will be destroyed.

    • A new world will arise with new hope for humanity.

  • new hope and happiness
    new hope and happiness

    Been there Retro: kind of thought provoking isnt it !

  • Make Lemonade
    Make Lemonade

    "A Hero of a Thousand Faces" is a source for a great deal of information about religion past and present. The opinions of Freud and Jung are used to interpret the meanings of the myths discussed. Those you can take with a grain of salt and just stick to the past stories told by different religions in different periods of history.

    A follow up book you could read is "the integral vision" by Ken Wilber. You could argue that Ken Wilber believes he is the next step people shoud take. To me it is the most disturbing book and philosophy I have read since leaving J.W.s. It pushes all the wrong buttons. I will not be following Ken Wilber's discipline.

    What I did gain was insights into the big picture of religions. This can be useful in reasoning with people stuck in cults.

  • Maat13
    Maat13

    RetroTherapy,

    perhaps it may be a good idea to stay away from any belief system similar to the bible.

    Has this new found information shed any new light or aided you to a new conclusion?

    Maat

  • problemaddict 2
    problemaddict 2

    Someone told me of a Chinese story regarding sticks that turned to snakes and back to sticks to show Gods power (a la Moses), which predates the bible by quite some time. anyone know what this is off the top of their head?

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