The Myth of the Mithra's...

[loCAtek]

Roger that, clicking your link;

This article needs additional citations for verification.

As for the second; are not the Sun, Moon, Sky, Fire aspects of nature?
Which Greco-Roman deity was not representative of an aspect of the natural world?

[Scooter]

Roger that, clicking your link;

This article needs additional citations for verification.

And yet the existence of a version of the Golden Rule in each of the religions listed is appropriately cited to sources. Do you have any basis for denying its presence in ANY of the faiths listed?

Which Greco-Roman deity was not representative of an aspect of the natural world?

Aphrodite/Venus - goddess of love
Ares/Mars - god of war
Hermes/Mercury - messenger of the gods, god of commerce
Hera/Juno - goddess of marriage and the family
Apollo/Phebo - god of knowledge, music, poetry, archery
Artemis/Minerva - goddess of wisdom and handicrafts

etc., etc.

[Sean]

Roger that, clicking your link;

This article needs additional citations for verification.

I love the way you only trust Wikipedia when it agrees with you...

As for the second; are not the Sun, Moon, Sky, Fire aspects of nature?
Which Greco-Roman deity was not representative of an aspect of the natural world?

Okay then... A few examples from each.

Greek:
Hecate, Hermes, Irene, Lachesis, Nike, Tyche, Hestia, Eros, Hades, Eris, Hera, Bacchus, Ares, Athena, Hephaestus, Enyo, Artemis.

Roman:
Venus, Mars, Artemis, Minerva, Cupid, Discordia, Orcus, Vulcan, Liber, Fortune.

I can wait while you look them up.

So at the risk of repeating myself:

I would also like you to back up your assertion that the Greek and Roman mythologies are based on nature worship.

[thestoat]

I love the way you only trust Wikipedia when it agrees with you...

Or, indeed, any website

[Crackpot]

Bad call on Apollo/Phebo Scooter they were the sun god(s)

[Scooter]

Yes, as well as god of all those other things which were not of the natural world.

Unless someone has found some raccoons that recite poetry while practicing their archery.

[loCAtek]

You muppet!

Do you never actually research anything before you post? Try this.

I would also like you to back up your assertion that the Greek and Roman mythologies are based on nature worship. Go on... let's be having it!

No problemo,

The earlier inhabitants of the Balkan Peninsula were an agricultural people who, using Animism*, assigned a spirit to every aspect of nature. Eventually, these vague spirits assumed human forms and entered the local mythology as gods.[13]

*Word Origin & History

animism
1866, reintroduced by Eng. anthropologist Sir Edward Burnett Taylor (18321917), who defined it (1871) as the "theory of the universal animation of nature," from L. anima "life, breath, soul." Earlier sense was of "doctrine that animal life is produced by an immaterial soul" (1832), from Ger. Animismus,

...

Cultural Dictionary
animism [( an -uh-miz-uhm)]

The belief that natural objects such as rivers and rocks possess a soul or spirit. Anima is the Latin word for “soul” or “spirit.” ( See voodoo.)
animism [( an -uh-miz-uhm)]

The belief, common among so-called primitive people, that objects and natural phenomena, such as rivers, rocks, and wind, are alive and have feelings and intentions. Animistic beliefs form the basis of many cults. ( See also fetish and totemism.)

Dictionary.com

[loCAtek]

Roger that, clicking your link;

This article needs additional citations for verification.

And yet the existence of a version of the Golden Rule in each of the religions listed is appropriately cited to sources. Do you have any basis for denying its presence in ANY of the faiths listed?

Which Greco-Roman deity was not representative of an aspect of the natural world?

Aphrodite/Venus - goddess of love
Ares/Mars - god of war
Hermes/Mercury - messenger of the gods, god of commerce
Hera/Juno - goddess of marriage and the family
Apollo/Phebo - god of knowledge, music, poetry, archery
Artemis/Minerva - goddess of wisdom and handicrafts

etc., etc.

Um, when did I deny it?

My previous quote;

("We must treat others as we wish others to treat us")
as the common principle for many religions.

However, it was the monotheistic and Far Eastern beliefs than made that the focus of their religion, rather than appeasing the gods of nature.

[loCAtek]

Wiki doesn't have to agree with me; its articles just have to have verifiable sources, which I or anyone can check.
By its nature, Wikipedia is just a compilation of data, but not a source of it.

[Gob]

No problemo,

The earlier inhabitants of the Balkan Peninsula were an agricultural people who, using Animism*, assigned a spirit to every aspect of nature. Eventually, these vague spirits assumed human forms and entered the local mythology as gods.[13]

"The Earlier inhabitants" do you know what this means? Do you know where the Romans are from? Do you know how much of Greece was in the Balkans? Do you know anything at all?

To save you typing ( you already save yourself from any thinking) your answer to all of these questions should be "no."

[loCAtek]

Why?

[Gob]

Thank you. You have shown you do not know what you are talking about. Again.

[loCAtek]

No, I'm asking you what you are talking about; there appears to be a difference.

[Gob]

Do you know what "earlier inhabitants' means? If so, please post your understanding of this phrase.

[Scooter]

And yet the existence of a version of the Golden Rule in each of the religions listed is appropriately cited to sources. Do you have any basis for denying its presence in ANY of the faiths listed?

Um, when did I deny it?

When you said this:

'The Gold [sic] Rule' is most prevalent in monotheistic religions: Judaism, Islam, Christianity and the beliefs of the East: Buddhism, Hinduism, that believe in co-existence.

If it is "more prevalent" in monotheistic religions (embraced by all the major ones, you forgot Baha, 'iSikhism and Zoroastrianism, btw, and probably some others) then it must be notably missing from one or more of the major polytheistic religions. Care to tell us which one(s)?

it was the monotheistic and Far Eastern beliefs than made that the focus of their religion, rather than appeasing the gods of nature.

Last time I checked, the focus of Christianity/Judaism/Islam is God/Allah.

There's a reason why Jesus said the greatest commandment was to love God with all you strength, etc., and that he subordinated the commandment to love one's neighbour as oneself to it.

The God of Christianity/Judaism/Islam doesn't require appeasement? Jews only stopped offering ritual sacrifices because the Temple was destroyed and they no longeer had a place to offer them. Orthodox Jews insist that sacrifices will be resumed if and when the Temple is rebuilt. In the meantime, in lieu of animal or other sacrifices to appease their God, Judaism requires thrice daily prayers as an offering (more appeasement). Three of the five pillars of Islam (acknowledgement of Allah as the one god and of Mohammed as his prophet), the need to pray five times a day, and the pigrimmage to Mecca, are all about appeasing Allah (who also figures prominently in the remaining two. And two of the largest branches of Christianity (Roman Catholicism and Orthodox) believe that to this day they are obligated to re-enact the sacrifice of Jesus everyday (in the form of the Eucharist) as an offering to God.

[loCAtek]

And yet the existence of a version of the Golden Rule in each of the religions listed is appropriately cited to sources. Do you have any basis for denying its presence in ANY of the faiths listed?

Um, when did I deny it?

When you said this:

'The Gold [sic] Rule' is most prevalent in monotheistic religions: Judaism, Islam, Christianity and the beliefs of the East: Buddhism, Hinduism, that believe in co-existence.

If it is "more prevalent" in monotheistic religions (embraced by all the major ones, you forgot Baha, 'iSikhism and Zoroastrianism, btw, and probably some others) then it must be notably missing from one or more of the major polytheistic religions. Care to tell us which one(s)?

Thank you for making my point

it was the monotheistic and Far Eastern beliefs than made that the focus of their religion, rather than appeasing the gods of nature.

Last time I checked, the focus of Christianity/Judaism/Islam is God/Allah.

There's a reason why Jesus said the greatest commandment was to love God with all you strength, etc., and that he subordinated the commandment to love one's neighbour as oneself to it.

The God of Christianity/Judaism/Islam doesn't require appeasement? Jews only stopped offering ritual sacrifices because the Temple was destroyed and they no longeer had a place to offer them. Orthodox Jews insist that sacrifices will be resumed if and when the Temple is rebuilt. In the meantime, in lieu of animal or other sacrifices to appease their God, Judaism requires thrice daily prayers as an offering (more appeasement). Three of the five pillars of Islam (acknowledgement of Allah as the one god and of Mohammed as his prophet), the need to pray five times a day, and the pigrimmage to Mecca, are all about appeasing Allah (who also figures prominently in the remaining two. And two of the largest branches of Christianity (Roman Catholicism and Orthodox) believe that to this day they are obligated to re-enact the sacrifice of Jesus everyday (in the form of the Eucharist) as an offering to God.

Offering/appeasement to God is not the same as worship of nature.

God/spirit is the source of material nature, and should be acknowledged as such.

[Scooter]

Thank you for making my point

Your point can only be made by providing examples of major polytheistic religions that do not embrace some form of the Golden Rule. Since you cannot, you have made my point, and thanks for being so honest in admitting it.

Offering/appeasement to God is not the same as worship of nature.

Thanks for admitting you were wrong to single out only polytheistic relgions for seeking to appease their gods, since you now admit that monotheistic religions also do so.

[loCAtek]

Thank you for making my point

Your point can only be made by providing examples of major polytheistic religions that do not embrace some form of the Golden Rule. Since you cannot, you have made my point, and thanks for being so honest in admitting it.

LOL WOT? Major polytheistic religions that do not embrace some form of the Golden Rule, was your point, if I recall?

Offering/appeasement to God is not the same as worship of nature.

Thanks for admitting you were wrong to single out only polytheistic relgions for seeking to appease their gods, since you now admit that monotheistic religions also do so.

'Not the same' is not the same in monotheistic religions.

[Scooter]

LOL WOT? Major polytheistic religions that do not embrace some form of the Golden Rule, was your point, if I recall?

YOU claimed that the Golden Rule was "more prevalent" in monotheistic religions. To substantiate that, YOU need to identify some major polytheistic religion(s) that do not embrace some version of the Golden Rule.

Can you do that?

Case closed.

'Not the same' is not the same in monotheistic religions.

So you are admitting that you were wrong to single out polytheistic religions for appeasing their gods, since monotheistic religions do it too. Who cares whether it is "the same" method of appeasement or a different one? Once again you cannot substantiate your original assertion, and rather than admit you were wrong, you move the goalposts to something completely different.

[loCAtek]

YOU claimed that the Golden Rule was "more prevalent" in monotheistic religions. To substantiate that, YOU need to identify some major polytheistic religion(s) that do not embrace some version of the Golden Rule.

Um no, 'more prevalent' grants that it exists in other forms, just in lessor to inferior quantity. That is not a claim that 'polytheistic religion(s) ... do not embrace some version of the Golden Rule.'

In fact, it is the same statement; that polytheistic religion(s) embrace some smaller version of the Golden Rule, BUT monotheist religion(s) embrace the Golden Rule more prevalently and fully.