The Documentary Hypothesis (Judaism and Polytheism)

[Id82]

Due to a request in another thread I wanted to create a new thread discussing pretty much the history of the Abrahamic faiths. Since they are all pretty much connected together.
When I watched Evidence's video on the history of God and monotheism http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlnnWbkMlbg&list=PLA0C3C1D163BE880A&index=19. I was pretty blown away. I knew their had to be some history towards the development of monotheistic religions but didn't really understand until I watched this video. It definitely peaked my interest in learning more about religious history.

Basically the video explains how the polytheistic religions of the Canaanites and the Babylonians came to eventually form the Abrahamic faiths we know today. Way back in the day an empire like the Canaanites were polytheistic worshiping many Gods such as El Elyon (God Most high) Baal (God of the harvest) and Asherah (The mother God) empires were divided up into territories and each territory supposedly worshiped or focused on one of the Gods from their Pantheon. If someone were to move to another territory they would take on the worship of that territories God. The ancient Israelites happened to worship a God named Yahweh Sabbaoth (God of the armies.) Through out Judaic history it is explained how the Old testament or the Torah is developed through it being edited by different sources during different time periods. Apparently God is referred to by different names in the ancient texts. Being called El, Baal and Yahweh, an apologist will tell you that these were just different names for God. But due to Canaanite history and their Gods it is clear that these were different Gods in the old testament. Sentences such as "Thou shall have no other Gods before me." Now make more sense, and a Golden calf which is a symbol for El Elyon, which is what the Israelites are dancing around when Moses comes down from the mountain with the ten commandments makes more sense as well.

I think it's very interesting how all of these religions came together. Christians have this idea in their head that everything came together perfectly as their Bible says so with out ever looking into the history of it, and the history of how their God came to be. Of course they say that with out reading it and assume it's this perfect Godly source with out thinking much about it.

I would love to be able to discuss this with some people as I'm still trying to learn more about this, if anyone has any more information they would like to share on the history of God or the documentary hypothesis it would be appreciated. I think more people should watch his video.

[Old Viking]

You should have paid attention the first time I told you.

[Id82]

Um thanks?

[PosthumanHeresy]

Thanks, glad to see this got a thread.

[Star Cluster]

See, this is exactly why the Bible cannot be considered a perfect text or true word of God.  You cannot get the full story without resorting to referencing outside documents.  If it truly were the divinely inspired word of God and was a true history of the Judaic/Christian religion, then it should stand on its own.  But it fails rather miserably at that.  That's why there are so many denominations, sects, and sub-divisions within both Judaism and Christianity.  Everybody reads it and interprets it differently.

And even Islam isn't immune to this as there are many different sects within that religion. 

[PosthumanHeresy]

See, this is exactly why the Bible cannot be considered a perfect text or true word of God.  You cannot get the full story without resorting to referencing outside documents.  If it truly were the divinely inspired word of God and was a true history of the Judaic/Christian religion, then it should stand on its own.  But it fails rather miserably at that.  That's why there are so many denominations, sects, and sub-divisions within both Judaism and Christianity.  Everybody reads it and interprets it differently.

And even Islam isn't immune to this as there are many different sects within that religion.

I swear, there's some wordsmith who was laughing his ass off after making the word "sect", or more importantly, "sects".

[Dan]

I swear, there's some wordsmith who was laughing his ass off after making the word "sect", or more importantly, "sects".

But who doesn't love some sects now and then?

[Old Viking]

Is it possible to feel a sectsual attraction?

[DharmicDalek]

I think honestly it's the most damning thing about Christianity and Judaism is that there holy books have changed so much. Islam, in this case has a much better point because it is easily proven that the book was written by one hand over time, as they claim it is. It being God's hand or Mohammad's is up for debate for sure, but it WAS the same voice over time. Hinduism on the other hand freely has edited all of our books and we're proud of it. A freely living God should speak organically like that.

[Id82]

Yeah but Islam is still based off of the Abrahamic religions of Christianity and Judaism. They believe in the same God and believe in the prophets of Jesus, Moses and Abraham. It doesn't matter if someone wrote a book that was all true about the life of someone who was a follower of these religious teachings and a new religious cult was formed from it it all goes back to the ancient polytheistic beliefs of the middle eastern region that was formed into monotheism. If they claim that all of those ancient canaanite, babylonian and sumerian Gods that they so strongly believed in are now dead or were bullshit then the one God from the Abrahamic faiths who is one God out of a whole pantheon of Gods is bullshit as well.