[Old_Mil]

Yes, well. Are you a believer that the events of Genesis happened around 6000 years ago? If so, then you have a point.

While I won't say specifically 6,000 on the nose, I will say that I believe that the events of Genesis happened within thousands or tens of thousands of years and that Hinduism is a later derivative of fertile crescent polytheism.

There are two broad views of religion: that monotheism was the original faith with polytheism being a "de"-volution of this original faith...and that animistic polytheism was the original faith and that monotheism is an evolution of it. Clearly, I believe the former to be the case.

[MineralMan]

"While I won't say specifically 6,000 on the nose, I will say that I believe that the events of Genesis happened within thousands or tens of thousands of years and that Hinduism is a later derivative of fertile crescent polytheism.

There are two broad views of religion: that monotheism was the original faith with polytheism being a "de"-volution of this original faith...and that animistic polytheism was the original faith and that monotheism is an evolution of it. Clearly, I believe the former to be the case."

---

Those are interesting views...both of them. I'm not sure which one is correct. I do note, however, that polytheistic religions in regions far outside the influence of this part of the planet are more common than monotheistic religions. That leads me to think that the polytheistic religions actually predate the monotheistic ones.

Nobody really knows for certain, though...there are just too few records from those early days.

[RobbyS]

Hinduism is a synthesis of the polytheism of one group and the "monotheism" of people from southwest Asia. so I gather. That is one reason for the development of the caste system.