by jimwalton » Fri Nov 18, 2022 4:51 am
Thank you for that clarification. I got that much from the original post. My question more pertains to how that perception is like Christianity. One of the general characteristics of religion in the ancient world was that of the Great Symbiosis, where the people considered that the things that they did brought about particular actions from the deity. The deity needed them for food and various other accoutrements, and they needed the deity for fertile crops and general health. The Israelite religion was distinctively anti-great-symbiosis. They specifically and distinctively did not practice superstitious rituals with the hope of bringing about goods supplied by the deity. Instead, ancient Israelite religion was based on a covenant relationship, unique in the ancient world.
Christianity, following on the heels of Judaism, was even less sacramental and symbiotic than Judaism. In Christianity there is no temple, no sacrifices, no priests, and no symbiotic rituals. My question to the original poster, which I would be glad to discuss with you, is how you think Christianity is just a big cargo cult.
Thank you for that clarification. I got that much from the original post. My question more pertains to how that perception is like Christianity. One of the general characteristics of religion in the ancient world was that of the Great Symbiosis, where the people considered that the things that they did brought about particular actions from the deity. The deity needed them for food and various other accoutrements, and they needed the deity for fertile crops and general health. The Israelite religion was distinctively anti-great-symbiosis. They specifically and distinctively did [i]not[/i] practice superstitious rituals with the hope of bringing about goods supplied by the deity. Instead, ancient Israelite religion was based on a covenant relationship, unique in the ancient world.
Christianity, following on the heels of Judaism, was even less sacramental and symbiotic than Judaism. In Christianity there is no temple, no sacrifices, no priests, and no symbiotic rituals. My question to the original poster, which I would be glad to discuss with you, is how you think Christianity is just a big cargo cult.