[ThanhPhero]

Yes they have traded as have all societies. But they had not the economic concepts that come from the Judaeo Christian base. Their business could get very rich but not particularly widespread. They were based on family connections and the ruler's interests. The ruler controlled trade. Modern trade springing from Judaeo Christian Europe grew rapidly because it was based on trust and rules that pertained across family and ethnic lines and did not depend on the beneficience of rulers. Europens did not depend on rulers or family connections. The Europeans certainly made use of such relationships but much trade was carried on in spite of rulers. The Asians were limited to even steven trade. The Jews developed letters of credit and could trade in receipts and bills of lading and work with discounting ond other manifestations of a system of trust.

[Modernman]

Modern trade springing from Judaeo Christian Europe grew rapidly because it was based on trust and rules that pertained across family and ethnic lines and did not depend on the beneficience of rulers.

I think you're painting with too broad a brush. The factors that lead to the creation of a system of free trade, where people feel safe doing business with strangers, is mostly a cultural and legal phenomenon. Even in most of Judeo-Christian Europe, business and commerce was heavily family-oriented and not "free," in the sense we're talking about. Think Italy during the renaissance or the system of patronage so historically dominant in Russia, France etc.

The "Western" system of doing business arose in England and places like the Low Countries and was, for the most part, a by-product of representative government. That is to say, our system of government was championed by the middle and merchant classes, who had a strong economic interest in setting up a commerical/financial/legal regime that allowed for enforcement of contracts, independent judiciaries etc.

So, our way of doing business is only appealing to a society with representative government. A society run by some form of aristocracy (whether hereditary or something like Communist China or even France) has no interest in a commercial/financial system that is open to everyone. I don't think religion plays an important role in this determination.