Gregor,
Ha ha... no... buttin' heads is not my intention here.
Although there is some common ground between Western and Eastern religions, I'd categorize Judaism and the Old Testament as part of Western religion (and culture). The New Testament and Christianity are very much part of the Western tradition. I would say Islam is Mediterranean. Perhaps that's just my Americo/Eurocentric view showing.
To me, Eastern religions/traditions include Hinduism (and any other non-Muslim religions of India), Buddhism (from India, too), Taoism, Zen, Shintoism, &c. I guess, India is the middle land, eh?
What's your views on what influenced Christianity? I realize this may be a question that you are not going to answer, since you may believe that Christianity is divine and untouched and uninfluenced by, as Jane would put it, pagans. But... think about why Christmas falls so close to the winter solstice. Perhaps early Christians were just trying to convert pagans. So... another question might be how Christianity has evolved.
Greg |
