Who, What & Why?

Long, long ago our human ancestors, at brief times of solitude, when not actively doing what was necessary to survive, may have looked at the world around them and asked these questions. It is natural then, considering the absence of the knowledge we now possess, that they created their own explanations which in time became the foundation of religious beliefs and practices. This includes the notion for the existence of unseen supernatural forces, both good and evil, to account for natural phenomena and events that occurred in their lives. In time these ideas became the source of cultural mythologies that varied depending on where human societies were located and why there are so many different religions in the world today.

Pantheism, Polytheism and Monotheism:

A distinction needs to be made regarding ritualistic and non-ritualistic religious beliefs and practices. Ritualistic refers more or less to organized and regularly recurring worship services and observances. Non-ritualistic are a system of beliefs that are generally private and do not involve any sort of ritual practices.

Pantheism is the philosophical belief that reality, the universe, and nature are something like a divinity or a supreme entity. The physical universe is thus understood not as a personal god but an unknowing power, still expanding and creating, which has existed since the beginning of time. Some beleivers in pantheism adhere to a dualistic cosmology where good and evil coexist as equal concepts which often oppose each other. In George Lucas' Star Wars, "The Force" is a clear example of dualism with two distinct sides: the light side and the dark side.

Polytheism is the belief in or worship of more than one god. Polytheistic belief is usually assembled into a pantheon of gods and goddesses, along with their own religious sects and rituals. In religions that accept polytheism, the different gods and goddesses may be representations of forces of nature. Some polytheistic religions include, but are not limited to: Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Shintoism, various African and native American religions.

Monotheism is the belief in a single all-powerful god. Monotheists believe that reality's ultimate principle is the only omnipotent and omniscient goodness that is the creative ground of everything other than itself. The three main monotheistic religions are Christianity, Judaism and Islam.

Ancient Temple Practices:

Temple worship and practices varied by culture, but generally involved rituals, festivals, and offerings.

Food Offerings In ancient religious cultures, offerings of food were often made to the gods during religious ceremonies and celebrations. These offerings could include meat, bread, wine, and other food items. In some cultures the offerings were not left for the gods but consumed by fire on an altar.

Animal Sacrifices Animal sacrifice was a prevalent practice in many ancient civilizations where animals would be ritually killed as a way to appease the gods, seek favors, or atone for sins, often by offering the animal's blood and flesh on an altar. Many cultures throughout history have also practiced human sacrifice. The various rationales behind human sacrifice are the same that motivate religious sacrifice in general.

Idolatry Idol worship was a common practice in ancient civilizations, with idols being made from a variety of materials, including metal, stone, and wood. The practice of worshipping physical representations of deities lay in the belief that doing so will please or satisfy the gods, leading to favorable outcomes.

Temple Prostitution Prostitutes in the employ of some temples offered themselves for sex to draw people to the temple, generate revenue, and promote worship of their goddess.

Judaism & Christianity:

Judaism Judaism is one of the world’s oldest religions, dating back nearly 4,000 years, and is considered to be the original Abrahamic faith. According to the Old Testament book of Genesis, Abraham was a native of Ur in Mesopotamia (modern day Iraq). He is called by God to leave his own country and people and journey to Canaan (modern day Israel) where he will become the founder of a new nation. Abrahams monotheistic faith was generally non-ritualistic.

Followers of Judaism believe in one God who, according to the book of Genesis, is the creator of all things. Judaism is named after Jacob's son Judah because the term "Jew" is derived from the name Judah, who was the ancestor of one of the twelve tribes of Israel the grandson of Abraham, and the land inhabited by his descendants was called Judea, thus connecting the religion to the lineage of Judah.

The ritualistic practices associated with Judaism has its origins in the Biblical book of Exodus which tells the story of the Israelites, led by Moses, being delivered from slavery in Egypt. In brief, Moses met with God on mount Sinai for 40 days and nights. When he came back down to the camp of Israelites he had the Ten Commandments written on stone tablets. Later, he delivered a myriad of other laws and instructions related to many things, most importantly the construction of a sanctuary structure which served as the site where all religious rituals were conducted. In contrast to polytheistic religions, idolatry and the worship of other gods was forbidden by the first of the Ten Commandments. Jewish law also forbid human sacrifice.

Christianity: The name, Christian, stems from the Greek word christos which is the translation of the Hebrew word messiah (the anointed one). The first Christians, including Jesus' disciples and all those who followed him were, in fact, Jews but they did not call themselves Christian. According to the book of Acts that name was given them some years after the crucifixion about the year 40 AD. The term was likely originally used as a mocking insult by the Greeks who lived in Asia Minor (modern day Turkey). You may wonder what the first Christians were doing in Asia Minor? Again, according to the New Testament, the zealous Jewish officials in Jerusalem pursued and persecuted the upstart "Jews for Jesus" movement forcing many of them to flee to surrounding countries.

Jesus did not come to start a new religion. If this is true then what was his mission? According to the earliest writers of the New Testament, Jesus went about publicly proclaiming the good news: "The time has come... the kingdom of heaven has come near." In Judaism and Christianity there is a general opinion about the nature of God that he is vengeful and one to be feared. Much of this can be attributed to many, but not all, of the Old Testament authors. Anyone who has done a serious study on the life of Jesus have come to beleive that he came to dispel this notion. "If you really know me, you will know the Father as well."

So what is the New Testament message regarding Jesus? Probably the best answer to this question is what the pious Jews of his day, those who came to hate him because he questioned their authority, said about him. When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: "Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?" They accused him of being "a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners." Even worse, they claimed "it is by the prince of demons" that he healed the sick. Tax collectors were hated because they were Jews who worked for Rome which governed Palestine in Jesus' day. The general consensus then is that Jesus did not reject anyone based on their lifestyle choices. Quite a contrast to many so-called Christians today.

So if it wasn't Jesus' intention to start a new religion, how is it that there are hundreds of Christian denominations in the world today? The short answer is that human beings have a problem agreeing on most things. Without naming names, each founder of a Christian denomination beleived they had a more accurate understanding of the Bible, prophetic interpretation, worship practices, and theological doctrines. Quite often some churches even split over minor disagreements. The answer why there are so many world religions and Christian denominations lies at the heart of human nature.