That may not be entirely true either. There was an episode of Nova from a couple years back that posits that the Hebrews didn't leave Egypt so much as overthrow the existing power structure in Canaan from below. It was a fairly interesting idea and apparently there is some archaeological evidence to back up this hypothesis.
NOVA | The Bible's Buried Secrets
...arrrgggghhh
The more information I gain, the more I have to question "What is true!!"
Thanks for the link, Steve!! We need more posters like you
Dear amrchaos: If you want to see how things are divinely inspired by a common source
just look up the basics in Buddhism, Christianity, and even Constitutional laws
and you can see the parallels.
Buddhism has Three Refuges or Three Gems, while Christianity has the Holy Trinity
(and Constitutional laws have three branches).
[You can also compare the Two principles that "all Buddhist teachings are based on":
* developing perfect WISDOM
* developing perfect COMPASSION
with the Two Great Commandments that "all the laws and prophets hang on":
* love of God (where Wisdom or Truth is a common name for God)
* love of neighbor (where charity or compassion for neighbors is the spirit of Christianity)
So if Jesus came to fulfill the New Commandment JOINING these two commandments
as one (where the love of man and love of God are united in Christ), then this spirit
of love of truth, justice and humanity fulfills ALL the laws in Christianity based on
the root principles, and all the teaching in Buddhism based on parallel equivalents.
All laws follow similar patterns, so all these can be similarly reconciled and fulfilled.
It makes sense that all attempts by man to codify or express "universal laws" [ie from "God" or self-existent in life by design/creation] would follow similar patterns.
Since man is body/mind/spirit, you can either see this as "man made in the image of God" or "man projecting our perception/experiences" on God and laws we try to define.
Either way, you can see the universal patterns that show we are connected, even if we are diverse culturally and separated historically over time. The same element show up in all religions and laws, so this shows humanity how is connected to a common source of laws.
Note: two of my favorite trinities are the ones in Confucianism
Jen, Yi, and Li (along with the Three Guiding Principles that coincide,
similar to how the Two/Three great commandments coincide with the Holy Trinity)
and the equivalent spelling out of the trinity in the Unitarian Universalist principles
(even though the UU claim not to believe in or teach the trinity)
1. free and responsible search for TRUTH and meaning (highest level of universal truth)
2. right of CONSCIENCE and democratic process (middle level of law or relationships)
3. goal of WORLD COMMUNITY, peace justice liberty for all (physical level of
peace on earth as a collective society and humanity)
Always there are three levels in a similar pattern, from
* individual to collective, and the intermediary level joining these two in harmony
* physical / mental or psychological / spiritual or collective level that is abstract
where the middle level corresponds to laws, conscience, relationships with others, etc.
something that joins the other two levels, so the point is for all three levels to
be in balance and harmony and not in conflict
The religions tend to assign figures or representations to these levels, so that is where you may not recognize how they have anything in common if you focus on the differences only.
