WI: No Judaism

Would Zoroastrianism still exist?

  • It would.

    Votes: 52 94.5%
  • No.

    Votes: 3 5.5%

  • Total voters
    55
By Jupiter's gonads, I dare say the statue and statuette industry gets a fair boost.

Also, Freddie Mercury (Farrokh Bulsara) leads a Zoroastrian Revivalist movement, those gatherings are fantastic to attend.
 
Zorastrianism, the older religion, would naturally exist.
Otherwise, I still think Monotheism is likely, it just might be even more hellenistic than OTL and Duotheism might be more of a force.
Could we have a form of "Gnostic Monoteism" instead of Judaism and Christianity? I'm thinking some weird greek monotheist religion with eastern influenc

Most probably Manichaeism (a daughter religion of Zoroastrianism) would be much more widespread; IOTL it almost happened in the Roman Empire, but it's now extinct. For that matter, Zurvanism (which is also extinct and also was a daughter religion of Zoroastrianism) would be more widespread most probably. I see Zoroastrianism being to Manichaeism and Zurvanism what Judaism is to Christianity and Islam, as Zoroastrianism was the progenitor religion to those two other religions (which transcended ethnic boundaries) and otherwise remained restricted to 1-2 ethnic groups (in this case, the Persians).
 
Most probably Manichaeism (a daughter religion of Zoroastrianism) would be much more widespread; IOTL it almost happened in the Roman Empire, but it's now extinct. For that matter, Zurvanism (which is also extinct and also was a daughter religion of Zoroastrianism) would be more widespread most probably. I see Zoroastrianism being to Manichaeism and Zurvanism what Judaism is to Christianity and Islam, as Zoroastrianism was the progenitor religion to those two other religions (which transcended ethnic boundaries) and otherwise remained restricted to 1-2 ethnic groups (in this case, the Persians).
Manichaeism is an Abrahamic faith. Its theology is Abrahamic, it's founder was raised an esoteric jew (which naturally butterflies it away anyway) and it even held Christ as the saviour. It is as Abrahamic as Islam or Christianity, being the Persian expression where Christianity was greek and Islam was Arabic.
 
Manichaeism is an Abrahamic faith. Its theology is Abrahamic, it's founder was raised an esoteric jew (which naturally butterflies it away anyway) and it even held Christ as the saviour. It is as Abrahamic as Islam or Christianity, being the Persian expression where Christianity was greek and Islam was Arabic.

Let's just say, then, an alternate form of Manichaeism (and which could be called by something else), as it was influenced by Buddhism and other Eastern religions (which would surely exist without Judaism) just as much as Judaism, Christianity, etc.
 
Buddhism might spread west. Alternatively, Roman Paganism may codify in a manner similar to that of Hinduism.

Socratic monotheism perhaps?

Hypsistarian Monotheism, with a belief that Zeus is the only Gd, might catch on.
 
Buddhism might spread west. Alternatively, Roman Paganism may codify in a manner similar to that of Hinduism.

Socratic monotheism perhaps?

Hypsistarian Monotheism, with a belief that Zeus is the only Gd, might catch on.
Socratic Monotheism? Could you explain better such an interesting idea?
Also Platonic Monotheism (If Platonism still exists.) may develop.
 
Let's just say, then, an alternate form of Manichaeism (and which could be called by something else), as it was influenced by Buddhism and other Eastern religions (which would surely exist without Judaism) just as much as Judaism, Christianity, etc.
...that still makes 0 sense.

Its like saying an alternate form of Islam in a world where the Arabian peninsula has fallen beneath the waves.

But on the influence of Buddhism on Manichaeism... yes and no.

Much of the association between the two is of course there in early Manichaeism, but in more of a respectful way, and largely for pragmatic purposes. The advantage of Manichaeism on the silk road was that, like Buddhism, it was hyper inclusive and so in many ways HAD to be favourable towards Buddhism because it was the other inclusive alternative.*

Its theology and practice however for much of its earlier years was still fundamentally more akin to Abrahamic philosophy, adressing philosophical issues within the bible and having relevatory texts about biblical stories in a way akin to mormonism. This is further compounded by the nature of Mani as the "paraclete" or embodiment of the holy spirit as Christ was the embodiment of the son.

When it became forced east by the rise of Islam, it was there and then that it lost much of its abrahamic side and embraced Buddhidm wholesale.
 

yoyo

Banned
"Judaism" might still arise ITL. YHWH might just be replaced with Chemosh, Moloch, or some other Canaanite divinity. This might happen if Israel gets conquered by the Moabites or Edomites.
 

Marc

Donor
I am a bit semi-deterministic when it comes to history, i.e. most major historical events arise from deep structural reasons which can't be hand-waved away. I do think that there is an argument in the thesis of evolutionary development leading to Monotheism. So, if not Judaism, then something thematically similar will occur. Of course, the devil is in the details - but that becomes pure fantasy fiction, not alternate history.
 
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