First of all, I am aware that depending upon how you put things, there may be various numbers of Abrahamic religions at the moment.
However, I am going to go with most people and say there are currently three Abrahamic religions. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Clearly, just from the fact there are at least those three - and by so many definitions far more (although I also recognise that by other definitions there is only one religion) - there is the scope for adding yet another religion to this group.
**How do you assess the possibility of a fourth Abrahamic religion? And much more interestingly, what do you think its form would be?
**
I personally do not think that a fourth Abrahamic religion of size is likely, although I do recognise it to be possible. My reasoning is that any proper enduring religion needs some decent religious claims (aka “miracles”) and an enthusiastic, charismatic leader - and I just cannot see those occurring in the present environment, as the schizophrenic and other “genuine believers” will be treated whilst those who wish to just make things up to try to seize power have easier ways of doing it - much better to start a new sect rather than try to reprogram everyone - and of course there is now skeptic scruitiny as well. But I may be wrong and frankly am more interested in plausible ideas as to how there could be another one as it’s more fun a
Right now Mormonism is probably considered a subset of Christianity, but with enough time, just as Christianity was originally just a sect of Judaism, Mormonism might eventually be considered separate enough to be called a different religion.
Mormons say they’re Christian so good enough for me. If Jack Chick were a Doper, he’s suggest Catholicism (or maybe he’d put it under “Satanhamic religions”). That doesn’t make his opinion correct.
I was going to say Mandaeism, but I guess they’re not fond of him, nor Moses. Interestingly, they don’t believe in Jesus but worship his pal John the Baptist. They also follow other OT figures. So if you use a term like Judeo-Christian(-Islamic), then they might count.
Druze are an offshoot of Shia, maybe. But it’s very easy to argue that they’re a separate group, and most people do. Being small doesn’t make you not part of the big boy’s club
I immediately thought of the Mandaeans. We know what “another Abrahamic religion” looks like. Whether there will ever be four major worldwide ones is a question of what catches on. It could be argued there are only two that really have on a large scale, since Jews proselytize kind of intermittently.
They say that now; but as iiandyiiii points out that could change. Christians themselves originally just considered themselves a Jewish sect, not a separate religion.
I could see (ETA someone) founding a movement that combines the current main 3, argues that all 3 have lost their way, and that the Torah, the Living Christ and the Prophet Mohammed should be read, studied and new Confessions derived.
It would take one hell of an Evangelist to make it happen, but it could depending on where an area was leaning.
What is needed IMHO (Not that I approve of it) is for one of those groups mentioned to be persecuted or to suffer a huge calamity, followed by the seemingly miraculous triumph or success of the remaining members among powerful elites.
The second step, after getting power, requires to control the hearts and minds of the rulers of the conquered territories (by peaceful or other means) while limiting the reach of the old religions.
This brings up the interesting question of whether new religions can really take hold and spread much in the internet age; it seems to me that every single religion today, even the big ones, started out as what would now be considered cults. In the modern age it seems unlikely a cult could gain much traction- though perhaps scientology is a limited argument against this.
Something like a nuclear war or asteroid strike decimates humanity & knocks back civilization, and by the time civilization starts to put itself back together (if it can) one or more sects of the Abrahamic religions has both acquired a large following and diverged enough that it no longer considers itself a part of its parent religion. Mormonism after a century or so of barely any interaction with mainstream Christianity, say. Or some relatively isolated place like say Madagascar, after being spared much of the damage from whatever disaster smashed humanity creates some idiosyncratic version of Christianity, gives it a new name, and conquers a new empire for a power base.
The West has been trending more secular, less religious, and more skeptical. A (popular) new religion of any type would imply a reversal. It’s one thing to hold onto the vestiges of a cultural legacy out of inertia, it’s another to completely jump ship. Seems about as likely as your Christian friends and neighbors converting to Judaism or Islam.
Isn’t that basically the Baha’i Faith? OK, admittedly Bahá’u’lláh, being Iranian, tied it to Zoroaster, and then threw in some Hindu and Buddhist references, which someone trying to be an Abrahamic restorationist might skip. But someone has probably done it.
Maybe some of the people who identify as Sufi but not Moslem.
Eh, Judaism only has something like 15 million adherents and gets to count as a popular religion, so its not like you need to convert a large proportion of the global population. I don’t think something like that is incompatible with a wider trend towards increased secularism.
I think the main problem a new religion has in modern times is that with the information technology, the general population is going to end up with a “warts-and-all” picture of any founder figure, rather then just accounts written by the faithful after his/her death. That kind of thing makes converting new members pretty hard. The Mormons have this problem despite the fact that their founder lived 200 years ago, and the Scientologists much more so.
If we had a collection of all the stupid or offensive things Jesus would’ve said on Twitter or all the court records from Mohammad’s wild teenage years, I suspect those religions would have a tough time winning converts as well.
Well, the Mormons’ doctrines, cosmology, mythology, historiography, Christology and soteriology are in many ways fundamentally different from all other Christian sects’. Whatever the Mormons are, they are something different from what Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant Christians are. Like, the latter three are at this table over here, and the Mormons are at that table over there. (And the Witnesses and Adventists and Christian Scientists are just kinda hovering around looking for a seat.)
Doctrinally, that is. Culturally they’re just another kind of Protestant.
Noachites or B’Nai Noah- Faith in One God who forbids idolatry, blasphemy, murder, adultery, theft, bleeding of & by extension cruelty to animals, and Who commands us to have systems of justice set up.
Dennis Prager’s Ethical Monotheism & classic Unitarianism could also qualify.
a
