Distinguishing between a fake religion and a religion making false claims.

What do they believe? What do you think? Talk about religion as it exists today.

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andrewcriddle
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Re: Distinguishing between a fake religion and a religion making false claims.

Post by andrewcriddle »

ABuddhist wrote: Sun Apr 30, 2023 11:19 am ......................................

2. Furthermore, from what I understand about Gmirkin's model, I would qustion whether Judaism in his model would count as a fake religion based upon my definition. people wh really worshipped YHWH, he claimed, and who really believed in the theological and philosophical claims in Plato's works, created, in his model, a scripture which melded these ideas. The scripture was claimed to be older than it was, but it reflectged actual religious beliefs. Such a practise, if true would not be the first or the last time that an intellectual elite, guided by geniune religious belief, would create a scripture with falsely attributed antiquity in order to make that belief authoritative; cf, e.g., the Abhidhamma Pitaka in Theravada Buddhism (older than c. 270 BCE), the Heart Sutra composed (apparently based upon a geniune vision) by Xuanzang, and the Book of Jasher written by Jacob Ilive.
One issue is that Gmirkin IIUC is arguing that the Pentateuch was written by Platonists in such a way as to deliberately conceal the debt to Plato's ideas. If this is correct it would cause real questions as to its good faith and genuiness.

Andrew Criddle
ABuddhist
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Joined: Wed Jul 21, 2021 4:36 am

Re: Distinguishing between a fake religion and a religion making false claims.

Post by ABuddhist »

andrewcriddle wrote: Mon May 01, 2023 4:47 am
ABuddhist wrote: Sun Apr 30, 2023 11:19 am ......................................

2. Furthermore, from what I understand about Gmirkin's model, I would qustion whether Judaism in his model would count as a fake religion based upon my definition. people wh really worshipped YHWH, he claimed, and who really believed in the theological and philosophical claims in Plato's works, created, in his model, a scripture which melded these ideas. The scripture was claimed to be older than it was, but it reflectged actual religious beliefs. Such a practise, if true would not be the first or the last time that an intellectual elite, guided by geniune religious belief, would create a scripture with falsely attributed antiquity in order to make that belief authoritative; cf, e.g., the Abhidhamma Pitaka in Theravada Buddhism (older than c. 270 BCE), the Heart Sutra composed (apparently based upon a geniune vision) by Xuanzang, and the Book of Jasher written by Jacob Ilive.
One issue is that Gmirkin IIUC is arguing that the Pentateuch was written by Platonists in such a way as to deliberately conceal the debt to Plato's ideas. If this is correct it would cause real questions as to its good faith and genuiness.

Andrew Criddle
Such concealment would be necessary in order to make the Pentateuch seem to be older and more authoritative, and need not indicate that they did not believe both Platonism and YHWH-worship to be true.
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