Morality somehow requires religion. Nicholson, Henry B., 1971, Religion in Pre-Hispanic Central Mexico, en Robert Wauchope (ed.), Handbook of Middle American Indians, University of Texas Press, Austin, Vol. In contrast, 41 percent of those who left their childhood religion say they relied on their parents for support. At first, the Sassanians seemed to win this war, but the Byzantine emperor Heraclius managed to turn the tables and defeated the Persians, who never recovered. Remarkably, this was the moment when the war between the Sassanians and Byzantine took an unexpected turn: Heraclius launched a successful counter-offensive. In other words, the question is not what caused the Arab expansion, but what caused the collapse of the Sassanian and Byzantine Empires. In short, a monotheistic expansion from the Arabian Peninsula was in the making and its chances were greatly improved when the Sassanian Persians attacked the Byzantine Empire. The Incense Route had brought together the various parts of the Arabian Peninsula: the cities in what is now Yemen, the towns and tribes along the route to the northwest (e.g., Yathrib, Dedan, Hegra, Tayma), and the Ghassanid and Lakhmid federations along the urban periphery of the Roman/Byzantine and the Sassanian Empires. The Tayma Oasis had a Jewish minority and the kingdom of Himyar in Yemen for several years had a Jewish government.

Cults are new religious movements and are often characterized as small, secretive, and highly controlling of members and may have a charismatic leader. However, rates of religious disaffiliation vary across traditions. What seems reasonably certain, however, is that Muhammad promoted an Arab monotheism (different from the Jewish and Christian monotheisms) and that he believed that only monotheists would be saved on the day of Judgment. A second process was the rise of monotheism on the Arabian Peninsula. Leaving the Arabian Peninsula, they took Damascus as their residence. Yathrib – now called al-Madinah an-Nabawiyyah, “the city of the Prophet” – remained the residence of the descendants of Ali (and Muhammad), who continued to claim leadership. After the assassination of caliph Ali in 661 CE, power in the new Arab state was transferred back to the family of his predecessor Uthman: the Umayyads. However, if I have not replied within seven days; then write back.

A man named Clovis Bray may have been their creator, but after the Collapse, most of their history, including their reason for being, was lost. True spiritual growth occurs when we accept the hard truth concerning ourselves, including our purpose, identity and the will of God for our lives. In addition, premise (b) is not necessarily true either. The conversion of the emperor Constantine the Great (r.306-337) gave these Christians support and although there were non-exclusivist Christians for at least a century to come (e.g., Bacurius), protecting the one true faith was now the responsibility of the emperor. This war was to last for a quarter of a century, from 602 to 628. It looked as if the world was coming to an end and God was coming to judge the nations, especially after the Persians had captured Jerusalem and taken the True Cross. One of the first real Islamic monuments is the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem. This is one possible reconstruction of the life and teachings of Muhammad. Although many Muslims believe that Muhammad introduced monotheism, he may in fact have introduced a cultic reform within a henotheistic sanctuary.

The fact that it persecuted Christians is evidence for the presence of this monotheistic faith as well. This does not mean that religious zeal played no role at all, but the historian cannot close his eyes for the fact that Christians fought in the Arabian armies and Zoroastrians could be tax collectors. Religious conflicts could and did escalate, seriously weakening the empire. In some states like Florida and New Hampshire, religious protests against specific autopsies are reviewed on a case-by-case basis. As indicated above, there are several theories, ranging between Rodinson’s faith in the general reliability of the sources (especially Ibn Ishaq’s Life of the Prophet of God) and Crone’s hyperskeptical approach. His revelations constitute the Quran and the message can be summarized in three sentences: there was only God, the day of Judgment was very close, only the believers would be saved. Until then, the believers had used existing churches: the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, for example, used to be a Christian cathedral.