The Indo-Europeans

• Polytheism - the belief in many gods
• They lean toward a pholosophic or "speculative" view of the world
• Tried to predict the outcomes of battles between good and evil
• Most important sense was sight. They would make many pictures and sculptures of their gods or mythical events.
• Cyclic view of history - there is no beginning and no end
• Hinduism and Buddhism are from Indo-European origin
  • believed man can become one with God through religious insight
  • believed in transmigration of soul or reincarnation

• Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all share a Sematic background
• Monotheism - beleif in one God
• Linear view of history - the beginning is when God created the world the end is Armageddon
• God intervenes in the course of history
• Hearing was the most important sense
• Semites are not supposed to make any images of God
  • within Islam, people should not compete with God in "creating" anything
• Purpose is not to be released from cycle of rebirth, but to be redeemed from sin and blame

• God promised to hold Israel in hand, but the people had also promised to keep God's commandments
• Prophets preached that God would redeem a chosen few and sens a "Prince of Peace," a "Son of God" who would find the "Kingdom of God"

• Jesus of Nazareth came forward as the "Messiah" and a savior
• Handed out "remissions of sin"
• Preached "love thy neighbor as thyself", love our enemies, compassion for weak and poor, forgivness for those who err, etc
• Nobody can earn God's mercy
  • God's mercy is boundless but we must pray for forgivness
• Died on the cross because of his radical preachings and beliefs were at odds with many interests and power factors(like Socrates)
• Christians believe Jesus was the only righteous person to have ever lives because he saved humanity from God's wrath

• Beleived that Jesus had risen from his grave
• Man has no soul
• According to Christianity there is nothing to man that is immortal...BUT...they believe in the resurrection of the body and eternal life
• Responisble for the beginning of the spread of Christianity

• Paul believed that Christianity was a Jewish sect
• "Old Covenant" vs. "New Covenant"
• "All of us Christians"
• Jesus was both God and man