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Single Idea 7474
[filed under theme 29. Religion / A. Polytheistic Religion / 3. Hinduism
]
Full Idea
Traditional Hinduism has been described as more a way of living than a way of thought; it has no founder, no prophet, no creed and no ecclesiastical structure.
Gist of Idea
Hinduism has no founder, or prophet, or creed, or ecclesiastical structure
Source
Peter Watson (Ideas [2005], Ch.05)
Book Ref
Watson,Peter: 'Ideas: from fire to Freud' [Phoenix 2006], p.155
A Reaction
This contrast strikingly with all later religions, which felt they had to follow the Jews in becoming a 'religion of the book', with a sacred text, and hence a special status for the author(s) of that text.
The
21 ideas
from 'Ideas'
7461
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The three key ideas are the soul, Europe, and the experiment
[Watson]
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7462
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DNA mutation suggests humans and chimpanzees diverged 6.6 million years ago
[Watson]
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7463
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The three basic ingredients of religion are: the soul, seers or priests, and ritual
[Watson]
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7464
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The big idea: imitation, the soul, experiments, God, heliocentric universe, evolution?
[Watson]
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7465
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Babylonian thinking used analogy, rather than deduction or induction
[Watson]
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7466
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Mesopotamian numbers applied to specific things, and then became abstract
[Watson]
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7470
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During the rise of civilizations, the main gods changed from female to male
[Watson]
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7468
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In ancient Athens the souls of the dead are received by the 'upper air'
[Watson]
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7474
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Hinduism has no founder, or prophet, or creed, or ecclesiastical structure
[Watson]
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7471
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The Gathas (hymns) of Zoroastrianism date from about 1000 BCE
[Watson]
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7473
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Zoroaster conceived the afterlife, judgement, heaven and hell, and the devil
[Watson]
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7475
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Confucius revered the spiritual world, but not the supernatural, or a personal god, or the afterlife
[Watson]
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7476
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Taoism aims at freedom from the world, the body, the mind, and nature
[Watson]
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7477
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Modern democracy is actually elective oligarchy
[Watson]
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7478
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Greek philosophers invented the concept of 'nature' as their special subject
[Watson]
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7483
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Paul's early writings mention few striking episodes from Jesus' life
[Watson]
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7479
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Modern Judaism became stabilised in 200 CE
[Watson]
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7481
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The Israelites may have asserted the uniqueness of Yahweh to justify land claims
[Watson]
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7480
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Monotheism was a uniquely Israelite creation within the Middle East
[Watson]
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7484
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Jesus never intended to start a new religion
[Watson]
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7490
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Because of Darwin, wisdom as a definite attainable state has faded
[Watson]
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