1. Name the major religion (older than 100 years) that that is not a tax exempt organization collecting money from its adherents

- I belong to a church that is not tax exempt, even though the vast majority of its money goes to projects that would be considered charitable.
Talking in terms of 'major religions' allows for massive generalisations.

2. Name the major religion (older than 100 years) that does not indoctrinate children.

- Again talking of 'major religions'. I have a two year old daughter and if she is interested I will expose her to as many philosophies and religions as possible and very much encourage her to make her own mind up - that's if she want anything to do with it all - she may choose to follow nothing, and that is her absolute right.

It would be disgraceful to have her thinking something that she has not rationally and freely accepted.

3. Name the major western religion (older than 100 years) that acknowledges the Epic of Gilgamesh.

- The issue here is the dual accounts of floods amongst other things.

'The timings of the flood accounts are vastly different. The Gilgamesh flood took only 3 weeks, whereas the Genesis flood lasted nearly a year. The Gilgamesh flood included several 7 day long events. This "perfect" number is found throughout the Bible, so would be expected to be retained if copied from the epic of Gilgamesh. However, the Bible uses numbers like 40 and 150 - much longer timeframes.'

'The boats in the two accounts are quite different. The Gilgamesh boat was an unseaworthy cube with a slate roof. Obviously, such a design would immediately flip over or roll around in the water. In contrast, the ark had dimensions that were ideal for a seaworthy ship. This might be surprising, since both cultures were not noted for their nautical skills. It is obvious that the gods of the Sumerians had no expertise in shipbuilding.'

It is possible that the flood was a real event in the history of mankind that was passed down through the generations of different cultures. If so, the Gilgamesh account seems to have undergone some rather radical transformations.

4. Name the major religion (older than 100 years) that doesn't threaten those that ignore its teachings with eternal damnation/rebirth.

- I don't want to start a debate with Philege here, but the nature of Hell is a subject under debate by serious theologians. The middle ages and Dante's fire and eternal torture do not serve us well and are sucked up by Christians who prefer to accept what they are told rather than actually studying what the Bible says in its original language. Hell may in fact simply be a place where God has withdrawn from and humanity is left to its own devices without any restraints. I obviously won't go into the scriptural detail here but the church as a whole has believed different things at different times on this matter, and it may be that we have the 'Church' at the heights of its societal power to thank for using the threat of fire and brimstone to hold to power.


Blacknad.