well, Christianity in particular arose as a back lash against Roman cruelty. People were crucified for what we today would regard as minor crimes such as theft. Life was cheap. Also in Saudi there was a need for unification of warring tribes that were destroying one another. It is probably also due to evolution of social ideas. It is probably no accident that the three most important modern religions arose relatively close together, that is, Buddhism, Christianity and Islam. It was due to various perceptions of social need in each society.

Surely Christianity was a spin-off from Judaism?

And from a world perspective, how about Chinese religion?

Hi Thomas, perhaps you should allow a little more long-term influence to Mesopotamian beliefs than you are. Consider the multiple similarities between the reported life of Gilgamesh and that of Jesus of Nazareth. For example, they both have a God as a parent and end up being worshipped as a God themselves.

Note: I refer specifically to the relatively new translation of the Epic of Gilgamesh by Benjamin R. Foster.

Best

James

Did ancient Egypt have a 'single god' in any meaningful sense? Moreover, could the mythologically based ideologies of ancient Egypt be said to constitute a 'religion'? Perhaps! The ideology of the ancient Egyptian state allowed that the king was empowered by the universal creator [be it Atum, Re, Ptah, Amun - from the various mythologies] to maintain the physical universe in perfectly balanced order as it was created by the demiurge at the First Time. That is, the king had absolute power on earth as sanctioned by the creator - and one may perhaps see reflections of that concept in some world religions!

The religion of Egypt lasted three thousand years, which I would consider pretty long-lasting. Regarding Mesopotamia, it is easy to see the similarities between ancient Mesopotamian mythology and that from Abrahamic faiths, meaning that those ideas have also been pretty long-lasting.

Thomas, for some possibilities regarding the influence of ancient Egyptian beliefs on later cultures, including the religions and philosophy of the Western world, you may like to look at my recently published book, full text available on Researchgate. It seems to be pretty much on topic for your question! Book Tutankhamun Knew the Names of the Two Great Gods: Dt and nHH...

I concur with all that is being stated here. Also, I would like to add social evolution, as Valerie Saunders mentioned. As cultures realized that we could understand significant natural phenomena without the need for external/spiritual/paranormal explanation, we moved away from the many gods (Pantheon/Pagan/Pharaonic) religions/ideologies/philosophies to more monotheistic belief structures. As a major religion, Buddhism has not even declared an actual "God." I spent 25 years studying Buddhism, and the fact is that the religion/philosophy had no need for a creator or deity, so one was never formally inserted. Today, many Buddhists answer the creator/God question by saying, "don't know."

Edward

As a longtime scientific reductionist, I inevitably suspect that it was as least partly developments in human society that developed human thinking about the gods and their orgranisation. Best James

Steven R. W. Gregory During the 18th Dynasty Akhenaten changed the religious structure to a monotheistic form of worship to Aten. Surely that accounts for some value. He also became one of the least liked rulers not long after his death. The priests were not big fans if memory serves me correctly.

Hello Edward. The (sometimes heated) debate around the topic makes it difficult to draw any firm conclusions regarding the relatively short-lived phenomenon of Atenism. Consequently it is difficult to assess how it may have influenced any subsequent belief systems. The notion that Atenism was in fact monotheistic is itself questionable: henotheistic or monolatristic may be more accurate descriptors - other 'gods' are very much in evidence during the period, not least in the artworks found in residences in Akhetaten. Moreover, the so-called Great Hymn to the Aten - a primary source for the period - refers to Aten as Re-Horakhty who rejoices in the horizon, in his name as Shu who is in the Aten. In this way Re, Shu, and Horus - figures evident in mythologies favoured in both earlier and later periods - are recognised. In the same text the king is said to be one living on Maat - a primary goddess throughout the Pharaonic Period. Atenism has been seen as a rejection of the Theban Amun-Re and 'a reformation, a return to the sun-cult of the pyramid builders' (Simpson, The Literature of Ancient Egypt: 289) - although I am sure other views abound!

In the Sumerian poem (4000+ years ago) on the death of Gilgamesh it is described how the senior members of his court (his wife, second wife, concubine, barber, palace retainers etc) go with him to their death in his tomb. Is this logical but grim custom encounted anywhere else eg in ancient Egypt? Note: not in the rather later Akkadian epic.

JD

COME ON, GUYS, we are discussing the long-term dynamics of religious belief in general here. Few topics are more important! Surely someone has something more to say!! Or are we all lost in detail? James