Why do different religions share many similarities?

[Farnhamia]

Monotheism is the belief in a single deity or god, and one of the greatest examples of this are the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam). While most people believe and think that the beliefs of these religions (whether it comes to a belief in a single god, traditions, etc) are unique, there are many examples taht show otherwise. Take Zoroastrianism for example. Just like the Abrahamic religions , Zoroastrianism believe sin a single god and shares similar beliefs on heaven, hell, and the battle between good and evil.

There are also plenty of stories from the Abrahamic religions that are shared with other religions , including the story of Adam and Eve, Noah’s ark, the creation story.

I could go on and on about the many similarities different religions have with each other, but the conclusion is still the same,
the Abrahamic religions are not unique in their beliefs, nor is any religion completely unique in belief.

So that begs the question, why is this so? Could it be that all religions are just interpretations of the same divine being? Are all religions right in a sense and is just a different cultural perspective from around the world? Tell me what you think NSG.

[Dogmeat]

No. And it's telling that you picked religions that basically grew up together. If they're similar, it's because they weren't isolated. They didn't evolve in a vacuum. They influenced each other.

[Ethel mermania]

No.

Even in your example most jews svoff at the notion xtianity is monotheistic.

[Risottia]

... Could it be that all religions are just interpretations of the same divine being? Are all religions right in a sense and is just a different cultural perspective from around the world?

NO.
There are even atheistic religions. Deities aren't a necessary part of religions, so no. Also, religions are about belief, not about facts, so no, they cannot be "right" in the same sense that GR is "right".

[Genivaria]

Monotheism is the belief in a single deity or god, and one of the greatest examples of this are the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam). While most people believe and think that the beliefs of these religions (whether it comes to a belief in a single god, traditions, etc) are unique, there are many examples taht show otherwise. Take Zoroastrianism for example. Just like the Abrahamic religions , Zoroastrianism believe sin a single god and shares similar beliefs on heaven, hell, and the battle between good and evil.

There are also plenty of stories from the Abrahamic religions that are shared with other religions , including the story of Adam and Eve, Noah’s ark, the creation story.

I could go on and on about the many similarities different religions have with each other, but the conclusion is still the same,
the Abrahamic religions are not unique in their beliefs, nor is any religion completely unique in belief.

So that begs the question, why is this so? Could it be that all religions are just interpretations of the same divine being? Are all religions right in a sense and is just a different cultural perspective from around the world? Tell me what you think NSG.

You say 'all religions' yet you only mention religions from the same area in the middle east, of fucking course there will be similarities.

[Vorausen]

No. And it's telling that you picked religions that basically grew up together. If they're similar, it's because they weren't isolated. They didn't evolve in a vacuum. They influenced each other.

How would that explain how basic morals and values like the need for sacrifice (whether personal or actual sacrifice) is a value in religions across the world, some that have never met each other. Really look at the religions a round the world, especially the ones that never came into contact with each other and you will see what I mean.

[The Taron Equalist Kingdom]

Monotheism is the belief in a single deity or god, and one of the greatest examples of this are the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam). While most people believe and think that the beliefs of these religions (whether it comes to a belief in a single god, traditions, etc) are unique, there are many examples taht show otherwise. Take Zoroastrianism for example. Just like the Abrahamic religions , Zoroastrianism believe sin a single god and shares similar beliefs on heaven, hell, and the battle between good and evil.

There are also plenty of stories from the Abrahamic religions that are shared with other religions , including the story of Adam and Eve, Noah’s ark, the creation story.

I could go on and on about the many similarities different religions have with each other, but the conclusion is still the same,
the Abrahamic religions are not unique in their beliefs, nor is any religion completely unique in belief.

So that begs the question, why is this so? Could it be that all religions are just interpretations of the same divine being? Are all religions right in a sense and is just a different cultural perspective from around the world? Tell me what you think NSG.

No, I don't believe religions are the same because Jesus and Muhammed were born in different places and Hinduism has more than a million gods.

[Neanderthaland]

No. And it's telling that you picked religions that basically grew up together. If they're similar, it's because they weren't isolated. They didn't evolve in a vacuum. They influenced each other.

How would that explain how basic morals and values like the need for sacrifice (whether personal or actual sacrifice) is a value in religions across the world, some that have never met each other. Really look at the religions a round the world, especially the ones that never came into contact with each other and you will see what I mean.

Human psychology.

If you've assigned agency to the universe (or some facet of it), and it seems to be behaving against you (storms, earthquakes, whatever), then it makes sense to humans to believe that they have offended it somehow, and to placate it. Sacrifice is a way to do that, although not an uncontroversial one. And a lot of religions take a great deal of offense to it.

I don't think that you will find really ANY "basic morals and values" in common between say... Buddhism and Nahuatl religion.

[Northern Socialist Council Republics]

how basic morals [...] is a value in religions across the world

Really? Considering that things like human sacrifice - that your average Christian or Muslim would find incredibly immoral - have been practiced by certain historical religions, this statement really needs justification.

and values like the need for sacrifice (whether personal or actual sacrifice)

People who sacrifice things for a belief tend to hold on to that belief quite tightly even in the face of contravening evidence because people have a psychological tendency against admitting to themselves that they made bad choices. Obviously, given selective pressure, the religions that are more prone to being held tightly and propagated to other people tend to be the religions that survive across the millennia.

[Major-Tom]

I'm not particularly religious, but if I were, I'd probably operate under the basis that most religions have gotten at least some stuff right. I think, to the OPs point, many world religions and their belief systems are a lot more similar than one might initially assume.

That doesn't mean they're "all right," just that they probably hit some of the same key points here and there.

[Vorausen]

Monotheism is the belief in a single deity or god, and one of the greatest examples of this are the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam). While most people believe and think that the beliefs of these religions (whether it comes to a belief in a single god, traditions, etc) are unique, there are many examples taht show otherwise. Take Zoroastrianism for example. Just like the Abrahamic religions , Zoroastrianism believe sin a single god and shares similar beliefs on heaven, hell, and the battle between good and evil.

There are also plenty of stories from the Abrahamic religions that are shared with other religions , including the story of Adam and Eve, Noah’s ark, the creation story.

I could go on and on about the many similarities different religions have with each other, but the conclusion is still the same,
the Abrahamic religions are not unique in their beliefs, nor is any religion completely unique in belief.

So that begs the question, why is this so? Could it be that all religions are just interpretations of the same divine being? Are all religions right in a sense and is just a different cultural perspective from around the world? Tell me what you think NSG.

No, I don't believe religions are the same because Jesus and Muhammed were born in different places and Hinduism has more than a million gods.

I said in a way... for example I don’t agree with every single practice of every single religion, but I agree with some ideas. For example, Buddhism I agree with the idea that if I do good things, good things will happen to me in return. I could go on and on.


It’s not that I agree with everything and believing that every religion is right at the same time , it’s instead recognizing that we have more similarities than we may think.

[Neanderthaland]

Any similarities that exist stem from the fact that all religions are born of the human mind, and so have human biases.

[Vorausen]

I'm not particularly religious, but if I were, I'd probably operate under the basis that most religions have gotten at least some stuff right. I think, to the OPs point, many world religions and their belief systems are a lot more similar than one might initially assume.

That doesn't mean they're "all right," just that they probably hit some of the same key points here and there.

Exactly my point, but rather they hit some key important ideas. Saying that another religion is completely wrong and yours is completely right would be ignoring entire beliefs.

[Major-Tom]

I'm not particularly religious, but if I were, I'd probably operate under the basis that most religions have gotten at least some stuff right. I think, to the OPs point, many world religions and their belief systems are a lot more similar than one might initially assume.

That doesn't mean they're "all right," just that they probably hit some of the same key points here and there.

Exactly my point, but rather they hit some key important ideas. Saying that another religion is completely wrong and yours is completely right would be ignoring entire beliefs.

Sure. I think the question of "why" they might hit a lot of the same ideas has less to do with their theistic "correctness" than it does human nature. Even in a lot of antiquity belief systems, there was an emphasis of "morality," for a lack of a better world, the golden rule, really. As for the supposed origins of the universe, beliefs about omnipresence in organized religions, etc etc, I still err towards saying the similarities stem from a subconscious desire to explain the "why" of everything.

But, generally, I take an open enough mind on the topic of religion that I can't be so sure I'm right here.

[Salus Maior]

Zoroastrianism, as I understand it, believes in two gods; not just one.

A good god, Ahura Mazda, and an evil god, Ahriman. That would make Zoroastrianism technically dualist, not monotheist.

That being said, I don't know that much about Zoroastrianism.

[The Alma Mater]

No. And it's telling that you picked religions that basically grew up together. If they're similar, it's because they weren't isolated. They didn't evolve in a vacuum. They influenced each other.

How would that explain how basic morals and values like the need for sacrifice (whether personal or actual sacrifice) is a value in religions across the world, some that have never met each other. Really look at the religions a round the world, especially the ones that never came into contact with each other and you will see what I mean.

For similar reasons as to why most religions have a story about a big devastating flood.
Of course, if you use basic human behaviour like living near bodies of water as the starting point to properly define humans - that could be interesting.

[Washington Resistance Army]

Zoroastrianism, as I understand it, believes in two gods; not just one.

A good god, Ahura Mazda, and an evil god, Ahriman. That would make Zoroastrianism technically dualist, not monotheist.

That being said, I don't know that much about Zoroastrianism.

It gets even more convoluted because the Yazata are just pre-Zoroastrian gods and their collective name even means "worthy of worship". Tl;dr is Zoroastrianism does not fit easily into any "ism" as it has elements of monotheism, dualism and polytheism.

[Kaledoria]

Is the Lord of the Rings a true and historically accurate book? Well, there are mountains and trees and a dude who became king and a war - all those things existed/happened in the real world, too, so yeah in a way it's true even though there are also hobbits and elves and a ring of power and the geography of Middle earth, that are not exactly historically accurate and all the names and people are different. - But other aspects are right, right?

Comparing Ahura Mazda with Yahweh and Allah sounds okay, comparing Ahriman to the Devil is a little more far fetched but whatever. Comparing Hel or Sutur from the Norse Paganism to the Devil and Odin to God is outright wrong. Comparing Ask and Embla to Adam and Eve works and comparing Ragnarok to Armageddon works if you really push it. I'm sure you can even find some aspects of Hinduism that have some parallels in some other religion, too. But there are other aspects that don't work and not a single thing is common among all religions. As the "certified fiction" example shows, if you write enough stuff, some things will be right anyway but that does not mean that the overall thing is right in any meaningful way, as long as there are central aspects, that are wrong.

[Loeje]

Abrahamic religions are similar because they're related. Shinto and Christianity would be much less similar, as an example. Anyway, no, all religions are not the same, and they're not all equally right either.

[Greater Cosmicium]

Monotheism is the belief in a single deity or god, and one of the greatest examples of this are the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam). While most people believe and think that the beliefs of these religions (whether it comes to a belief in a single god, traditions, etc) are unique, there are many examples taht show otherwise. Take Zoroastrianism for example. Just like the Abrahamic religions , Zoroastrianism believe sin a single god and shares similar beliefs on heaven, hell, and the battle between good and evil.

There are also plenty of stories from the Abrahamic religions that are shared with other religions , including the story of Adam and Eve, Noah’s ark, the creation story.

I could go on and on about the many similarities different religions have with each other, but the conclusion is still the same,
the Abrahamic religions are not unique in their beliefs, nor is any religion completely unique in belief.

So that begs the question, why is this so? Could it be that all religions are just interpretations of the same divine being? Are all religions right in a sense and is just a different cultural perspective from around the world? Tell me what you think NSG.

Yeah... This sort of religious topic is totally gonna lead to a civilized and reasonable discussion, like it always has.
^{obvious /s, I expect a flamewar that no mod could defuse to start sometime in the next few pages}

[Neanderthaland]

Is the Lord of the Rings a true and historically accurate book? Well, there are mountains and trees and a dude who became king and a war - all those things existed/happened in the real world, too, so yeah in a way it's true even though there are also hobbits and elves and a ring of power and the geography of Middle earth, that are not exactly historically accurate and all the names and people are different. - But other aspects are right, right?

Comparing Ahura Mazda with Yahweh and Allah sounds okay, comparing Ahriman to the Devil is a little more far fetched but whatever. Comparing Hel or Sutur from the Norse Paganism to the Devil and Odin to God is outright wrong. Comparing Ask and Embla to Adam and Eve works and comparing Ragnarok to Armageddon works if you really push it. I'm sure you can even find some aspects of Hinduism that have some parallels in some other religion, too. But there are other aspects that don't work and not a single thing is common among all religions. As the "certified fiction" example shows, if you write enough stuff, some things will be right anyway but that does not mean that the overall thing is right in any meaningful way, as long as there are central aspects, that are wrong.

I really enjoyed that part of Revelations where Jesus and Fenrir killed each other in single combat.

[The New California Republic]

No. Cherrypicked examples don't prove that.

[Arisyan]

oh no. Not again. *curls into a ball*

But no, they are all equally wrong. I mean, I guess Buddhism is right in a sense, but still mostly wrong. Can we move on?

[Vorausen]

Zoroastrianism, as I understand it, believes in two gods; not just one.

A good god, Ahura Mazda, and an evil god, Ahriman. That would make Zoroastrianism technically dualist, not monotheist.

That being said, I don't know that much about Zoroastrianism.

Not exactly at least from what I know. It’s like saying Christianality says that there’s two guards, rather instead is God, and the less powerful satan. Do you like to learn more I recommend checking out this article I’ll put a link to it.

https://people.howstuffworks.com/zoroastrianism.htm

The article said something about what your saying:

Central to the Zoroastrian belief system is the idea that Ahura Mazda, the supreme being of goodness and light, is opposed by Angra Mainyu, a powerful (but not equally powerful) spirit of darkness and evil. The embodiment of this evil spirit is Ahriman, the equivalent of Satan or the Devil.

[Socialist States of Ludistan]

There are by far over 2000 religions on Earth, not every single one can be right.
And this is on Earth alone, think about all the religions that humanity just hasn’t thought of, do you know how many there are? If not, the answer is infinite. It is quite literally impossible for every religion to be right, even if we just count those on Earth.