Vanarus, Machaka Lion Kings etc

[LDiCesare]

Originally Posted by B0rsuk

Another of my hypotheses:
the most popular religions are the most kind ones, in the sense they declare the most kindness to others. Look what happened to Aztecs. Voodoo still exists by some miracle, but as a curiosity.

I don't think so. The most popular religions include christianism, which was forced upon people by burning them alive if they wouldn't convert, Islam, which was spread by jihad, buddhism, which although peaceful was spread in not-so-peaceful ways by f.e. Asoka in Inida, Hinduism, which is not very nice to a lot of Hindus...
The most popular religions were spread by religious or secular leaders in a warlike way.
Christianism may have supplanted Roman and other polytheisms out of kindness, but it's probably more due to the fact it offered a heaven after death that's much more appealing than that of the Greeks: In the Odyssey, the ghosts all regret their former lives, even if they are in the Elysean fields, whereas Paradise is the top best place to live in, and you can hope to be happy in the afterlife. Kindness may not matter much here.
Then crhistianism became dominant by becoming intolerant and outlawing other religions, and by forcefully converting whoever they met.

I also think polytheism isn't jsut about adding gods, but assimilating them. Herodotus for instance will talk of Ares when he describes the god of war of another nation. Does it mean he uses a familiar name to help his readers understand, or does he think it's the same god his readers know? I don't know.

[NooBliss]

Originally Posted by LDiCesare

The most popular religions were spread by religious or secular leaders in a warlike way.
Christianism may have supplanted Roman and other polytheisms out of kindness, but it's probably more due to the fact it offered a heaven after death that's much more appealing than that of the Greeks.

That, and scaring the hell out of these who dont worship their God. Islam does the same, of course.
- Jesus loves you! Love him back or burn in Hell!

[LDiCesare]

Actually, there's a hell you don't want to go to in most religions. Tartarus for the Greeks, Hel for the Norse... The Hindus have one too. Christians, and muslims afterwards, offered a paradise to everyone. Hell was more of a tool of the church to force teh faithful to act according to the church wishes.