The Bible's Views on Pagan Dharmas

[TTCUSM]

Namaste Everyone,

A few months ago, I came across a Canadian website called www.religioustolerance.org. This website contains some very interesting information about the way Abrahamists view pagan Dharmas:

The term "Pagan" is sometimes used to refer to ancient polytheistic religions. The Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary defines "pagan" as: "belonging to a religion which worships many gods, especially one which existed before the main world religions." 1

The Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) contain many references to the societies surrounding the Israelites -- Babylonians, Canaanites, Philistines, etc. These are commonly referred to as Pagans:

There are allegations that these societies engaged in human sacrifices:
II Kings 3:26-27: "...the king of Moab...took his eldest son that should have reigned in his stead, and offered him for a burnt offering upon the wall."
Psalms 106:37-38: "Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils, And shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan: and the land was polluted with blood."

 

[TTCUSM]

magalaan,

Based on my study of the Rig Veda, the Devas were deities that preside over nature, while the Asuras were deities that preside over moral laws.

During the Vedic period, there was a conflict between people who worshiped the Devas (Aryas) and people who worshiped the Asuras (Dasas).

Previously, it was believed that the Dasas were dark-skinned speakers of Dravidian languages whose descendents now live in South India. However, the Rig Veda states that the Dasas migrated westward:

Book 7, Hymn 6:
1. PRAISE of the Asura, high imperial Ruler, the Manly One in whom the folk shall triumph-
I laud his deeds who is as strong as Indra, and lauding celebrate the Fort-destroyer.
2 Sage, Sing, Food, Light,—they bring him from the mountain, the blessed Sovran of the earth and heaven. I decorate with songs the mighty actions which Agni, Fort-destroyer, did aforetime.
3 The foolish, faithless, rudely-speaking niggards, without belief or sacrifice or worship,— Far far sway hath Agni chased those Dasytis, and, in the cast, hath turned the godless westward.

Now, you may ask, which country lies to the west of India? The answer is Persia. If you look at the names of various South Indian tribes, you will find that none of them refer to themselves as "Dasas". However, there IS a Persian tribe that refers to itself as the Dahae.

Also, the pre-Islamic religion of Iran was Zoroastrianism, which considers the Ahuras to be divine and the Devas to be demonic. The chief deity is Ahura Mazda, who represents good, and the chief demon is Ahriman, who represents evil.

When the Persians liberated the Jews from the Babylonian captivity, the Jews incorporated ideas from Zoroastrianism into their religion. The Christian concept of Satan (the devil) may be derived from Ahriman.

BTW, Ahura Mazda may be the Iranian equivalent of Varuna.

 

[Jainarayan]

However, the Rig Veda states that the Dasas migrated westward:



Now, you may ask, which country lies to the west of India? The answer is Persia. If you look at the names of various South Indian tribes, you will find that none of them refer to themselves as "Dasas". However, there IS a Persian tribe that refers to itself as the Dahae.

Sanskrit 's' = Persian 'h'... Sindhu = Hindu; sapta = hapta; Dasa = Daha[e]; asura=ahura (thought the roles reversed), when Proto-Indoiranian began to diverge into Iranian and Sanskrit.

Just sayin'.

 

[Badran]

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