Firstly, I don't think it's relevant what the beliefs were before the Pentateuch was penned. Certainly there's no evidence that Judaism as we know it existed prior to it, but if it did so what? As of the 7-8th century BC it became the first religion that we know of to be based on a written text. Maybe not, maybe it became that way in the 2nd century BC, but certainly by the time of Jesus all the Jewish authorities used it as their authority, all of them studied it and used it as the basis of their beliefs. This was not the case with the Greek gods. The Greeks weren't reading their rules and understanding their beliefs and faiths from a text.
Now, in 2015, almost every religion is based on a text rather than being based around a ruler or a group of people who rule. But 2,000 years ago it was the only one like that.
Now, in 2015, almost every religion is based on a text rather than being based around a ruler or a group of people who rule. But 2,000 years ago it was the only one like that.
For Religion & Health see:[/b][/size] Williams & Sternthal. (2007). Spirituality, religion and health: Evidence and research directions. Med. J. Aust., 186(10), S47-S50. -LINK
The WIN/Gallup End of Year Survey 2013 found the US was perceived to be the greatest threat to world peace by a huge margin, with 24% of respondents fearful of the US followed by: 8% for Pakistan, and 6% for China. This was followed by 5% each for: Afghanistan, Iran, Israel, North Korea. -LINK
"That's disgusting. There were clean athletes out there that have had their whole careers ruined by people like Lance Armstrong who just bended thoughts to fit their circumstances. He didn't look up cheating because he wanted to stop, he wanted to justify what he was doing and to keep that continuing on." - Nicole Cooke
The WIN/Gallup End of Year Survey 2013 found the US was perceived to be the greatest threat to world peace by a huge margin, with 24% of respondents fearful of the US followed by: 8% for Pakistan, and 6% for China. This was followed by 5% each for: Afghanistan, Iran, Israel, North Korea. -LINK
"That's disgusting. There were clean athletes out there that have had their whole careers ruined by people like Lance Armstrong who just bended thoughts to fit their circumstances. He didn't look up cheating because he wanted to stop, he wanted to justify what he was doing and to keep that continuing on." - Nicole Cooke
