Saj, you are absolutely right on that last sentence. Religions don't begin overnight (alas, some
did begin overnight, and their foundations were so weak they crippled within a century; it's surprising Scientology remains as strong). But I'm having too much fun here poking you with a stick (sorry), so here's an analogy: suppose you devise an idea which might be a part of Atheism, but is much more open so much so that people would call it
Neo Atheism, then after your death, several centuries later, some nutjob interprets your teachings and ideas and considers you as the first priest of a newfound religion. Then what? XD
Okay, that analogy was just a fun interpretation rather than a part of a serious discussion.
First of all, I mixed up pantheism with polytheism. I have NO idea how I made such a dumb mistake. Told you I was drunk. :/ Please disregard anything I said about pantheism.
It's okay. Even if it's a mistake, I'm kinda glad that someone mentioned Pantheism.
I'm sure you know what polytheism is, living in a country that practices Hinduism. The Jews think Christians are polytheistic because Christians believe in the Trinity--that Jesus, God, and the Holy Spirit are separate beings and yet all God at the same time.
Actually, Christianity was and began as Monotheistic, where the only deity was Father (Jehova), the very same as the Jews. Islamic also worship the same deity, only differentiating the name (Allah). The Trinitarianism (aka God, Jesus and Holy Spirit) began with a simple mistranslation, affecting the majority of faith where they considered Jesus to be equivalent to God. Remove that mistranslation and it returns to Monotheism.
"Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves." - John 14:9-11.
Sounds pretty clear-cut to me.
Hardly clear cut. He mentioned that they would know God through him, but he never specified that he
was God. He said that he was
in the Father, but he never specified that he
was Father. He mentioned the Father was
in him, but he never specified that the Father
was him. "The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but
the Father who dwells in Me" All of these may mean many things
except that he is his own Father. It could mention that his teachings would help people see the nature of Father. It could mention that he loved his Father dearly.
Tell you what: ever heard of Ramayana? It's sort of like Chrono Trigger, minus the Time Travel, and Raavan makes an excellent Fiendlord. At the post-Ramayana legends where Ram and Sita go back to their Kingdom and become King and Queen (much like the end of Chrono Trigger), where Hanuman bows to them and tells them how Ram and Sita dwell within him. The jealous ones at the court scoffed and asked him to prove it. He tore his chest open and showed them the memories of Ram and Sita, all of it that was encased in love and admiration.
Now that certainly
did not mean Hanuman was Ram and Sita. When sparring with his Vanar brothers, one of his colleagues did mention, "When you confront Hanuman you will know Lord Ram." This meant that battling Hanuman would make it clear of the courage, benevolence and determination of his Lord. It certainly
did not mean he was Lord Ram.
On a side note: Whether you're an atheist or religious, the Ramayana was
awesome!
Today's amusement: Saj's discussion provoked a simple thought in my head. I asked my boss, who was going to the Church today, whether the Church would welcome a non-Christian like me if I tagged along with you. He told me:
"Whoever you are, wherever you're from, you're always welcome."
He mentioned that his community does not discriminate against our views, are always open and always welcome people of every race, caste and status. It kinda made my day, especially since it's been years since I last went to a Church. I'd like this first hand experience.