1) Panthiesm - "the world is part of God"
This includes Native American belief systems, Wicca, Gaia worship, animism, etc. Virtue and sin are not part of these systems since one can never be separated from God, you are a part of God. Everthing that exists is a reflection of God. This is expressed in Platonic philsophy
"Plato held that both abstract ideas like "love" and "truth" and concrete things like "horse" or "table" were earthly manifestations of certain "archetypes" or "universals." Thus, we are men because we partake of the Universal "Man."
For Plato, these Universals subsist in a supernal realm of their own, of which this one is a mere reflexion --- even as the things in it are reflexions of the Universals."
Cycles of birth and rebirth, reincarnation and magic are common features of these belief systems
2)Polytheism - "God is part of the world"
Egyptian myths, Greco/Roman mythology, Hinduism, Norse paganism, Babylon, Sumeria etc.
This is expressed in Aristolean philsophy:
"Aristotle, however, was a materialist --- he believed that matter was self-existent, with neither beginning nor end, and that there is no personal God. For him, although the Universals are real in a sense, they derive their reality from the sum total of their physical manifestations. In other words, where Plato would teach that horses are horses because they reflect "Horse," Aristotle held that "Horse" is "Horse" because it reflects horses. "
Virtue and sin are not part of these systems since no one can never be united with the gods, they can only be appeased. Gods reflect human characteristics (hate, fear, jealousy,vanity, etc.) and are assigned different areas of control. Gods are not omniscent or omnipotent.
3) Monotheism - "God created the world, everything in it, is perfectly Good, omnipotent and omniscent"
The Jewish tradition is unique. They were the first to ascribe perfect virtue to God and therefore created the idea that one could be seperated or united with Him as a consequence of one's actions.
Obviously, Christianity came from the Jewish tradition as did Islam
"The Jewish tradition is unique. They were the first to ascribe perfect virtue to God and therefore created the idea that one could be seperated or united with Him as a consequence of one's actions.
Obviously, Christianity came from the Jewish tradition as did Islam."
I agree with you, and I appologize if I gave you any other impression.