Open Journal of Social Sciences

Volume 9, Issue 1 (January 2021)

ISSN Print: 2327-5952   ISSN Online: 2327-5960

Google-based Impact Factor: 1.63  Citations  

The Religious Evolution Theory: The Parallel Religious Evolutions in the Middle East and India

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DOI: 10.4236/jss.2021.91025    486 Downloads   3,261 Views  Citations
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ABSTRACT

This paper proposes the religious evolution by natural selection adapting to civilizational shifts from technological revolutions, and survival of the fittest. For an example, the parallel religious evolutions by natural selection in the Middle East (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) and India (Brahmanism, Buddhism, and Hinduism) are through the adaptations to the civilizational shifts from technological revolutions in terms of the Bronze Age, the Iron Age, and the Advanced Iron Age. The civilizational shift from tribal nations with national kings and polytheism during the Bronze Age to a mega empire with one centralized emperor and deity during the Iron Age produces the parallel religious evolutions from theocratic polytheistic Pre-Deuteronomic Judaism to theocratic monotheistic Judaism in the Middle East and from theocratic polytheistic Vedism to theocratic monotheistic Brahmanism in India. The civilizational shift for the rise of ordinary people during the Advanced Iron Age produces the parallel religious evolutions from theocratic monotheistic Judaism to spiritual monotheistic Christianity in the Middle East and from theocratic monotheistic Brahmanism to spiritual monotheistic Buddhism in India. The absorption of Christianity by modified Judaism resulted in Islam to dominate the Middle East, and in parallel, the absorption of Buddhism by Brahmanism resulted in Hinduism to dominate India. As a result, Pre-Deuteronomic Judaism-Judaism-Christianity-Islam in the Middle East is parallel to Vedism-Brahmanism-Buddhism-Hinduism in India. In conclusion, the parallel religious evolutions by natural selection in the Middle East and India are through the adaptations to the civilizational shifts from the technological revolutions. The religious evolution theory is the foundation of religious pluralism as the biological evolution theory is the foundation of biological multi-species. The religion in the coming Intelligence Age is the religious evolution theory which explains the relations among religions, and maintains the original religions and their texts.

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Chung, D. (2021) The Religious Evolution Theory: The Parallel Religious Evolutions in the Middle East and India. Open Journal of Social Sciences, 9, 334-351. doi: 10.4236/jss.2021.91025.

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