There is only one common factor that unites every religion that has ever existed into one group

[TEPO]

Even Scientology believes in life after death.

 

[nothingeasy]

Are you suggesting that the Sadducees believed that life after death was not possible at all for anyone ever, or just that most would not experience it?

they believed there was no such thing. for anyone

 

[gabanzo]

Yes, life after death truly is the one belief that all religions share. It was believed by the Egyptians, Jews, Roman pagans, Greek pagans, Gaulic and Celtic Pagans, Zoroastrians, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, and many more.

…It’s amazing really.

I don’t think you have to believe in life after death to be a Buddhist. Look it up I bet I’m right.

 

[Aelred_Minor]

I believe the Sadducees did not believe in life after death for anyone. I was taught the same about the ancient Mesopotamian civilizations, but I don’t know if that was true.

 

[Aelred_Minor]

Actually, there are 3.

1. Creed
2. Code
3. Cult

That is, all religions profess to believe something (creed), proclaim a moral law (code), and express a way of worship (cult).

Many things that get called “religions”, such as Hinduism and Buddhism and the various “indigenous” religions, do not have unified creeds or codes at least as we Christians would expect to see, and cults are often very localized. Paganism, in other words, can be compared to Abrahamic religions only in a very vague or very ham-fisted way.

 

[TEPO]

I believe the Sadducees did not believe in life after death for anyone. I was taught the same about the ancient Mesopotamian civilizations, but I don’t know if that was true.

I think a lot of people don’t take into consideration the fact that the Sadducees were a “politico-religious sect.” newadvent.org/cathen/13323a.htm

They are considered by some experts to have been more of a “political Party”.

 

[Oreoracle]

I think a lot of people don’t take into consideration the fact that the Sadducees were a “politico-religious sect.” newadvent.org/cathen/13323a.htm

They were considered by some to be more of a “political Party”.

It looks like you’re just going to dismiss every counterexample as being non-religious. This is a classic No True Scotsman fallacy.

But you can help us out here. What is your definition of “religion”? Be specific, and then stick with that definition for the remainder of the thread.

 

[Aelred_Minor]

I think a lot of people don’t take into consideration the fact that the Sadducees were a “politico-religious sect.” newadvent.org/cathen/13323a.htm

They are considered by some experts to have been more of a “political Party”.

I don’t think you could separate sect from political party in Judaism of the last few centuries BC and the first century AD. Politics and religion were that intertwined. The point is they were a religious group that (unless they have been grossly misrepresented in what I have heard and read about them) explicitly denied an afterlife.

 

[TEPO]

It looks like you’re just going to dismiss every counterexample as being non-religious. This is a classic No True Scotsman fallacy.

But you can help us out here. What is your definition of “religion”? Be specific, and then stick with that definition for the remainder of the thread.

To be honest, I haven’t been able to view any Sauducee texts that explicitly state that life does not continue after death. Acts 4:1-2 actually suggests otherwise: “And as they spake unto the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them, being sore troubled because they taught the people, and proclaimed in Jesus the resurrection from the dead.”

 

[PRmerger]

Many things that get called “religions”, such as Hinduism and Buddhism and the various “indigenous” religions, do not have unified creeds or codes at least as we Christians would expect to see, and cults are often very localized. Paganism, in other words, can be compared to Abrahamic religions only in a very vague or very ham-fisted way.

I don’t think one has to have a “unified” code to fit into this paradigm. If one identifies as a Hindu or Buddhist, it’s pretty clear that he has embraced a particular creed. At least, in generalities.

 

[PRmerger]

It looks like you’re just going to dismiss every counterexample as being non-religious. This is a classic No True Scotsman fallacy.

But you can help us out here. What is your definition of “religion”? Be specific, and then stick with that definition for the remainder of the thread.

You may be conflating 2 different posters here Oreoracle. I said that the Epicureans weren’t a religious group. Not Tepo.

From what I can see he only did this once as well.

 

[Oreoracle]

You may be conflating 2 different posters here Oreoracle. I said that the Epicureans weren’t a religious group. Not Tepo.

From what I can see he only did this once as well.

Ah, and so it is. Nonetheless, I think a definition of “religion” would still serve this thread well.

 

[PRmerger]

Ah, and so it is. Nonetheless, I think a definition of “religion” would still serve this thread well.

I already gave it. It’s any group of people that has

1. Creed
2. Code
3. Cult

That is, all religions profess to believe something (creed), proclaim a moral law (code), and express a way of worship (cult).

 

[TEPO]

Many things that get called “religions”, such as Hinduism and Buddhism and the various “indigenous” religions, do not have unified creeds or codes at least as we Christians would expect to see, and cults are often very localized. Paganism, in other words, can be compared to Abrahamic religions only in a very vague or very ham-fisted way.

But to agree on one thing, such as life after death, whether spiritual or physical, is at least one shared belief. Which puts the barrier not between religions and spirituality, but between those with faith and those with none.

…for whatever it’s worth.

 

[nothingeasy]

But to agree on one thing, such as life after death, whether spiritual or physical, is at least one shared belief. Which puts the barrier not between religions and spirituality, but between those with faith and those with none.

…for whatever it’s worth.

your flogging a dead horse at this stage.

 

[nothingeasy]

I already gave it. It’s any group of people that has

1. Creed
2. Code
3. Cult

That is, all religions profess to believe something (creed), proclaim a moral law (code), and express a way of worship (cult).

 

[TEPO]

your flogging a dead horse at this stage.

If 99.99% of all religions/spiritualities believe in the afterlife, while only one “sect” of (extinct) Jews didn’t, I’d hardly call that much of a loss.

Name one other actual religion that denied the belief in an afterlife and then I might consider the fact that I was wrong… Even the Zoroastrians who predate the Jews believed in the afterlife! Judaism as a whole does anyways.

 

[Oreoracle]

Let’s disregard the sparse counterexamples for now and assume you’re right, TEPO. All religions believe in the afterlife. But as we’ve seen here, many religions believe in an afterlife for only a select few. So it’s not that religions feel that human life is so sacred that it can’t or won’t be extinguished; rather, these religions we’ve mentioned have carefully designed a sort of reward that can be given to reinforce good behavior while we’re here on Earth.

So I think a more blunt answer to the question posed by this thread is “All religions promise rewards for good people.”

 

[nothingeasy]

If 99.99% of all religions/spiritualities believe in the afterlife, while only one “sect” of (extinct) Jews didn’t, I’d hardly call that much of a loss.

Name one other actual religion that denied the belief in an afterlife and then I might consider the fact that I was wrong… Even the Zoroastrians who predate the Jews believed in the afterlife! Judaism as a whole does anyways.

will I did, and Zoroastrians is a straw man.
the Saudacees had since the high priest at the time of Jesus trial was a Suadacees and as such believed he never would actually face an afterlife judgment so they had of course a massive impact on the whole human race. the question has been proved wrong ,you now want to debate the percentage you were wrong.

 

[Razanir]

Let’s disregard the sparse counterexamples for now and assume you’re right, TEPO. All religions believe in the afterlife. But as we’ve seen here, many religions believe in an afterlife for only a select few. So it’s not that religions feel that human life is so sacred that it can’t or won’t be extinguished; rather, these religions we’ve mentioned have carefully designed a sort of reward that can be given to reinforce good behavior while we’re here on Earth.

So I think a more blunt answer to the question posed by this thread is “All religions promise rewards for good people.”

Examples range from as ancient as Ancient Egyptian mythology to much more modern like Jehovah’s Witnesses.