I am working on theories about religions. Eseentailly, all mainstream religions that have arisen out of our culture (East and West, Twins of the same birth--the Fertile Crescent) have certain themes in them. Salvation seems to be the most prevalent. Deeper thinkers than I have identified salvation (enlightenment, Nirvana, redemption, etc.) as an allegory for contentment. But these religions do not identify it as such. They claim that salvation (enlightenment, redemption, Nirvana, so forth) is a real thing that can be achieved by doing a list of things revealed to their followers through holy persons, prophets, etc. Right now all these ideas are sort of floating around in my head and I'd appreciate some help in sorting them out.

As near as i can figure, the only religions (defined as any philosophy that describes a relationship with Divinity), that are not salvationist are Wiccan Paganism (the farming religion; figure out the ways fo Divinity, live in harmony with them), Animism (Divinity is in the here and the now, in the spirits of things of the present, Gods walk amongst us, and so tread lightly lest you "step on their feet), and Nihilism (fuck Divinity!).

Judiasm doesn't believe in salvation as far as i know, however i could be wrong
though we wiccans don't believe in salvation per se, many of us believe in some form of karma or reincarnation. both of these cycle do involve a form of salvation. correct me if i'm incorrect though.

I said that Wicca did NOT believe in salvation as a goal. As for Judaism, being a revealed religion through Abraham and Moses, it has several characteristics of what I am calling "salvationist" religions.

is nihilism a religion? I always thought it was more anti-religious.

i always thought nihilism was a philosophy

Nihilism is a religion as I am defining religion. I am defining religion as any philosophy which carries a description of a relationship between humanity and Divinity. Can't spell "anti-religious" withous "religous."

Nihilism doesn't believe in any divinity, therefore there is no relationship dealing with a divinity, and so nihilism is not a religion by your own definition.

Disbelief or Unbelief is a religious position. No belief in Divinty one way or another means you have no religious position.

Hence Anything thats says or is based on "There is no God" is making a religous statement, and is a religious positon.
Anything that says "God? *shrug* Dont know, pass the popcorn this is a good show" or the like is not.

The first recorded religions, those of the Sumerians (who invented history and therefore are the first recorded ), didn't have an afterlife.
Even the Sumerian one god cult that became the Hebrews, didn't believe in an afterlife initially, the whole idea was alien to them so where did it come from?

I know the devil (in his incarnation as satan) was invented in the seventh century but does anyone know of the first appearance of an afterlife?

Certainly the early bible didn't mention an afterlife.

Later on in the bible it cropped up but only for a chosen few (abraham and moses poping in and out of clouds).

As far as I can remember, the Romans and the Greeks didn't have an afterlife either (except, again for the chosen few)

Thinking about it I would guess it would have appeared during the "Salvation" of the Guals, and Gaelic Peoples, they'd have to have something in there to compete with the "Summerlands"

Ok, we all know how Christianity has absorbed other faiths over the years (don't we?) could Christianity have absorbed this too?

Could the original teachings of Christianity have been that only a select few got an afterlife?

Feroluce, it may have been the first recorded religion, but anthropologists and acheaologists know pretty darn well than for about three million years before the sumerians, there were the animists. Animism--the belief in spirits, invisible poeple, present walking gods, and the Divinity or a Divine aspect to all things--was a universal religion among mankind for all of the time BEFORE the appearance of farming, cities and civilization as we know it. As for the Sumerian cult of the One God becoming the Hebrews, I don;t know where you recieved that tid-bit, but I learned (not in school, but through reading) that the Sunmerians were one group, where the Semites were another group. The Sumerians become farmers and city builders, while the Semites were sheep herders and wanderers (interesting perspective on the Cain and Abel story, no?) The Sumerians were also conquerers and absorbed the various tribal wandering group that lived around them, making them either slaves or being cultural missionaries to them.

Umm...'scuse me. Hades? Land of the Dead?