Religious syncretism

This chapter delves into how different religious traditions and stories could be interconnected or reinterpreted in light of the theory that an advanced extraterrestrial civilization, the Elohim, played a key role in human development. It aims to provide a cohesive view that bridges gaps between diverse religious narratives, offering a unifying perspective on the synthesis of these religious beliefs.

Serapis, the Graeco-Egyptian syncretic deity #

In the tumultuous aftermath of Alexander the Great’s demise in 323 BC, Ptolemy I made a bold move, intercepting Alexander’s body en route to Macedon and instead laying it to rest in Memphis, later relocating it to an illustrious tomb in Alexandria. Amidst this, he engaged in a strategic conflict against Perdiccas, the royal guardian of Philip III of Macedon. The ensuing turmoil led to Perdiccas’s downfall, assassinated by his own men in 320 BC, paving the way for Ptolemy I to assert his unchallenged authority over Egypt, a pivotal turn in its renowned history. This marked the beginning of the Hellenization of Egypt. In this early Hellenistic period, Ptolemy I’s reign ushered in a new era marked by the influx of Greek settlers, melding with the ancient Egyptian populace. This convergence of cultures within his kingdom presented Ptolemy with a unique challenge: to harmonize the coexistence of Greek and Egyptian societies, each with their deep-rooted traditions and beliefs, under his rule. One important aspect of both these highly esteemed and ancient cultures was the veneration for their deities. It is not difficult to imagine that both pantheons of Gods proved to be incompatible. Ptolemy’s solution to this socio-cultural puzzle would not only define his reign but also leave a lasting impact on the cultural landscape of Egypt. Namely, he introduced Serapis, a deity combining aspects of Greek gods like Zeus and Hades with Osiris, the Egyptian god of the afterlife, and Apis, the sacred bull. This synthesis aimed to bridge cultural divides between the Greek and Egyptian populations, easing tensions and fostering unity under his reign. By doing so, Ptolemy established a shared religious ground, a process which is commonly known as “religious syncretism.”

In very simple terms, religious syncretism refers to the fusion of diverse religious beliefs and practices. As the aforementioned case of Serapis suggests, there are countless examples where religious syncretism has proven to be a successful strategy by which rulers had the possibility to unify their subjects under a syncretic deity. But this doesn’t mean syncretism can only serve political ends. There’s another type of religious syncretism we want to explore. The type of religious syncretism that connects the dots and shows a coherent picture of what has been and will be. Namely, that a great majority of all religions have a common source and upheld a common relationship with our creators over the passage of time. But before we get to behold this insight, at least two other concepts need to be introduced first. First, the comparative study of mythologies and religions, a field of research where myths and religions are compared in an attempt to identify shared themes and commonality. Second, the continuity of revelation, a theological concept that has been known throughout many instances of religions and yet failed to lay the intended groundwork for upcoming revelations to be properly recognized as such.

Multiple flood accounts #

In more than 2000 years, George Smith was the first to read out loud the lines of an ancient account of a Mesopotamian Flood myth that bore striking ressemblance with the Great Flood known from the Biblical Pentateuch. It was on the 3rd of December, 1872, that George Smith¹, a self-taught Assyrologist read translated fragments of Assyrian cuneiform tablets before the well esteemed Society of Biblical Archeology in London. It was no easy task for him up that point. The tablet he was reading from had first to be completed before you could commence to translate them. When these tablets got discovered in the Library of Ashurbanipal in Nineveh by Austen Henry Layard, his assistant Hormuzd Rassam, and W. K. Loftus in the early 1850s, the tablet which contained the account was broken off at mid point. The Times of London had offered a large reward for anyone who could produce the missing tablets. George Smith thought he himself knew where to dig for the missing pieces in Nineveh. He set off to win the reward. In an unlikely manner, he managed to locate the missing pieces among thousands of other tablets within a short amount of time. The flood story was now completed and proved to be part of a larger poem, known today as the Epic of Gilgamesh. The completed account was the basis of his reading in 1872 and was published in a seminal work titled The Chaldean Account of Genesis. This was heureka moment for the scientific establishement to realize that there was an independent account of a very fundamental theme from the Bible, the flood story. For some, it meant confirmation of the Bible as holy scripture, for others it meant that the Bible had lost its credibility.

As of today, research has brought forward a whole plethora of documented accounts of cataclysmic flood myths worldwide. For instance, the Epic of Gilgamesh from Mesopotamia and the Biblical story of Noah’s Ark are seminal tales of great floods sent by divine forces to purge humanity. In South Asia, the Hindu narrative of Manu echoes a similar theme of divine warning and salvation. The Greeks have their version in the story of Deucalion and his wife, Pyrrha, who repopulate the earth after a catastrophic deluge. In Africa, diverse tribes like the Kwaya, Mbuti, and Maasai each harbor unique flood stories, often reflecting a cosmic reset. Across the ocean, in the Americas, the Muisca and Inca civilizations recount floods as divine retribution, reshaping the moral and physical landscape. Similarly, Australian Aboriginal stories frequently depict great floods that sculpted the terrain. In China, the Gun-Yu myth where the theme is based on the efforts of Great Yu and Gun try to control the flood. Dà Hóngshuǐ (大洪水), simply meaning Great Flood, is another related all-encompassing Chinese flood myth. In Japan, the Ōnamazu (大鯰) myth describes a giant underground catfish causing earthquakes. It would fill pages to enumerate them all.²

Comparing mythologies #

What has been made possible for everyone to see since George Smiths’ traduction of the Epic of Gilgamesh, rendering the Biblical Great Flood story but one mythological account among many, wasn’t unique to the Flood motif. Also rooted in the second half of the 19th century is the work of Friedrich Max Müller. Müller, a German-born British philologist and Orientalist. His approach to mythology, which began around 1856, was deeply rooted in linguistic studies, particularly the comparative study of Indo-European languages. He proposed that the similarities and relationships among these languages could also be applied to the study of mythologies. This innovative approach paved the way for what we know as Comparative Mythology. Just as water remains water regardless of what it is called in different languages, the protagonists and figures of a given folk tale may bear different names, but may still share a thematically sound common ground. This is referred to as a mytheme, a unit of narrative features that can be used to compare different myths of seemingly unrelated origins.

It would seem natural to assume that only so many mytheme can be shared among world cultures, but that’s precisely where the case can be argued for when put together shared themes and motifs that the majority of cultures and peoples from around the world end up sharing. These mythemes have been so numerous and repeating themselves in various folklores that whole lists had to be compiled cataloguing each possible distinct mytheme, noting where it occurs and what its defining characteristics are. Such a catalogue is the so-called “Motif-Index of Folk-Literature”, compiled by the American folklorist Stith Thompson published in 1936 and revisited in 1958. Another index with a similar stated goal of tracking all possible folklore motifs would be Aarne–Thompson–Uther Index, named after their creators. These indices represent the essential tool for keeping track of and comparing myths and folktales. If one would ever parse such an index, one would come quickly to the realization that these bodies of work are quite exhaustive and enumerate rather obscure motifs. The point however remains. Besides the already explored Flood motif, there is a number of other motifs that are worthwhile to mention. Genesis-like motifs such as “Creation of man from clay”, “Creators from above” or the “Sky Father”. Or more menacing motifs such as the “Primordial Chaos”, “Titanomachy” (Greek for war among the gods) or the “Theft of Fire”. All of these motifs are represented well in most cultures and have an equivalent.

Comparing religions #

Universalism #

Progressive revelation #

The common source #

In the first book The Book Which Tells The Truth, at the very beginning of Chapter “At the Root of All Religions”, Yahweh says the following about religions and religious sects:

It is not only in the Bible and the Gospels that there are traces of the truth; testimonies can be found in practically every religion.

[…]

The Kabala is the closest book to the truth, but almost all religious books allude to us with varying degrees of clarity. This is especially true in those countries where the creators had bases - in the Andes, in the Himalayas, in Greece where Greek mythology also contains important testimonies, as well as in the Buddhist and Islamic religions and among the Mormons. It would take many pages to name all the religions and sects that testify in a more or less obscure way to our work.

The meaning of religion #

Recapping #

Religious syncretism refers to the blending of different religious beliefs, practices, and cultural elements into a new, unified system. In a world where all religions were rooted in the same source - the Elohim - it could lead to a greater acceptance of syncretism and a renewed interest in finding common ground among the world’s diverse religious traditions.

Under this premise, the various religious texts, stories, and myths could be reinterpreted as different interpretations of the Elohim’s teachings, messages, and interventions in human history. This reinterpretation could create a sense of shared spiritual heritage, potentially leading to increased dialogue, cooperation, and understanding among religious communities.

Believers in different faiths might be more willing to recognize similarities in their respective religious teachings and practices, and to explore the ways in which these teachings can be reconciled or integrated. This could potentially lead to the development of new syncretic religious movements or the reformation of existing ones, with a focus on the shared extraterrestrial origin as the unifying element.

Furthermore, if the Elohim were considered the common source of all religions, discussions about religious superiority and exclusivity could be diminished, fostering increased tolerance and acceptance among people of different faiths. This could promote a more inclusive and harmonious interfaith dialogue, with the potential to reduce religious conflicts and tensions.