The similarities seen between different regions and belief systems throughout history makes one ponder on the religion systems. A wide range of religious rituals, varying from burial and mourning practices to almsgiving, from confession to holy trinities continue to exist both in celestial and polytheist beliefs. We all know that each religion is the best teller of the story for its believer. Then again, what is the reason of the common practices and performances despite such diversity? If the belief models are in fact so similar, why on earth do we are members of different religions?
The Latin word “paganus”, originally meaning villager, was used in the Middle Ages to refer to non-Christians, indicating idolatry. Today, it is a synonym for polytheism, expressing belief systems with multiple deities. Taking the historical flow into account, it is not surprising to see that certain religious rituals originating from antique age beliefs are still being practiced in religions serving monotheism. After all, no tribe or civilization in history has ever abandoned their thousand-year-old worshipping models just because they converted to a new and more systematic religion. These deep-rooted practiced have somehow evolved in the new religion and became a part of it. Soon enough, they turned into an element of the new system. For instance, Central Asian Turkic tribes believed that the soul left the body for good on the seventh day following the death. It is no coincidence that traditionally today the family members gather on the seventh day following the funeral to recite prayers. Neither it is a must imposed by the religion. Similarly, the traditions of tying a red sash bridal belt or the red headband worn by the mother right after the birth are in fact repellents for the albiz, i.e., the devil. In the Old Mesopotamia, the Sumerians used to take a goat, tell all their sins to it before they release it to the desert. When the goat finally came back, it was sacrificed to god. This was probably one of the earliest versions of “confession”. One cannot now how much of the sins were assumed by the goat, however today, the Christian church still offers this service to its followers within the scope of the sacrament. In all polytheist systems, there are certain practices of “almsgiving or sacrificing for one’s own life”. Many Jewish congregations practice the Kaparot ritual on the eve of the Yom Kippur (Atonement Day). Ashkenazi Jews swing a rooster over one’s head while reciting prayers, whereas the Sephardi Jews limited this practice to swinging moneybags around the head. On the other hand, secular or reformist Jews do not practice the ritual at all. We hereby, pay our respects to those, who practice almsgiving without turning the money around the head, for their contribution to traditional Islam, which offers a large variety of ayahs and hadiths on the virtue and methodology of almsgiving, or sadaqah.
One can find more examples of antique age rituals living in today’s celestial religions. The most remarkable of them is the “trinity” doctrine, we come across all around the world. One cannot help but think: For those of us, who think alike, the path leads us to nowhere else but Tawhid. Is one of the routes deviating from this path ends up in the Trinity? In most of the antique age religious systems, it is believed that a pantheon, represented by three main figures, rule the entire world. Commonly, in all systems we find a chief of gods, at the top of the deity class, and two gods on each side, assisting the chief: Osiris- Isis- Horus in Antique Egypt; Brahma- Vishnu- Shiva in India; Zeua-Hades-Poseidon in Antique Greece. As a matter of fact, you may find similar trinities anywhere, including the Celtic or Chinese mythologies. It is a common production of the human mind, which is unable to see the God, the unreachable. Usually, envoys are assigned as middlemen (idols or souls of the ancestry) and world is divided into three sections: the sky, the earth and the underworld. A similar perspective continues to exist in the “trinity” practice in Christianity. The divine essence is divided among the father, son and the holy spirit.
The history of religions is as old as the history of humanity. It is impossible to understand today without examining the history and to understand the existing rituals and practiced without studying the history of religions. In other words, distinguishing true religion from superstitions is not easy. Nonetheless, knowing all what we know today, we end up doing the same thing: Contemplation. The result of this effort of understanding of the deviations and common denominators is very clear. Through history, man, created in Tawhid and with a nature that needs no iconography whatsoever, has never been inclined to shirk, individually. The history of civilizations is full of examples that show us how shirk was not created by individual traits but by the impositions of certain classes with common interests and targets. Karl Marx’s widely known quote “Religion is the opium of the people” is stating an obvious fact of 5000-year-long history. Opium is swallowed in packs, which later open in the stomach. The user feels deeply relaxed as the opium is released. And the rest is “dolce vita”. Obviously, we must have swallowed something through the path, otherwise we would not answer the question “How many does Allah merit?” as “Three”, without hesitation.
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