AHC; 4th major Abrahamic religion

[WorstOfHumanity]

Your challenge is to create a 4th major Abrahamic religion, with at least as many adherants as Judaism. You can uplift a group like the Druze, or take an extinct movement and wank them, or push a fringe denomination into becoming its own religion - regardless of your method, there needs to be some historical basis.

Aside from that, good luck!

 

[dfl_90]

I'm going to take a controversial standpoint and argue that the Mormon's largely fit the bill already. I'll gladly acknowledge that they don't see themselves as a separate Abrahamic tradition, but frankly Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are mostly separated by differing cultural roots, different canon religious texts, and the simple passage of time. Mormonism fits most of those criteria as well. However, I will admit that Mormons have in recent times seem to make strides to fall more in line with mainstream Christianity, so perhaps that difference will fade, either in practice or in perception.

 

[Dancing Fool]

the Sikhs, perhaps?

 

[Godot]

View attachment 840841
the Sikhs, perhaps?

Not Abrahamic.

 

[CaesarKhan]

Yahwism (f. ~2000 BC)​

dominant in Ethiopia, East Africa ​

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Polytheistic, though with Yahweh as the highest God. Formed in the Levant, and spread around the Arabian peninsula and red sea. As attitudes changed in the homeland to become more monotheistic, more fringe followers in Africa stuck to the old ways. With the monarchs of ancient D'mt and Aksum being adherents, the religion managed to cling on.

Judaism (f. ~1000 BC)​

dominant in the Levant​

The monotheistic offspring of Yahwism. Repeated conquest by foreign powers led to a dispersal of the Jewish population around the globe, with only a small minority remaining in the homeland. Beginning in the 1800s however, many adherents began migrating back to the Levant, and created their own state. In the following century, many nations with large Jewish populations would offer incentives or outright deport them to this state, leading to the religions majority in the region.

Christianity (f. ~30 AD)​

dominant in Europe, Oceania, South Africa, South America​

A cult of personality based around one man, himself Jewish, successfully spreading across the Mediterranean leading to the conversion of the Roman Empire. Takes on a number of hellanistic influences as a result. As European powers colonise much of the world, they spread their religion with them.

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Adamism (f. ~200 AD)​

dominant in the Maghreb, West Africa​

An early offshoot of Christianity, disagreeing with the choices of the church and putting much more focus on Gnosticism and the early stories, notably Adam and Eve and the Garden of Eden. Refer to their church as 'paradise', and often worship nude (as man was created nude in God's image). Missionaries would spread the religion to west Africa over the centuries.

Islam (f. ~600 AD)​

dominant in Arabia, Persia, South Asia​

A cult of personality based around one man, himself a great conqueror, successfully spreading his beliefs to areas conquered by himself and his descendants. Takes on a number of incluences from the surrounding Abrahamic religions.

Mormonism (f. ~1800 AD)​

dominant in North America ​

A cult of personality based around one man, himself a Christian, successfully converting much of Anglo-America. Goes against a number of mainstream Christian teachings, such as allowing polygamy, and has a completely different canon deeming North America the holy land and positing that Jesus traveled there. Also has a much different view of the afterlife, promising a planet to all loyal followers.

Renkunism (f. ~1850 AD)​

dominant in East Asia ​

 A cult of personality based around one man, himself Chinese, successfully launching a rebellion and crowning himself Emperor. Seen as the brother of Jesus, the canon bases itself notably on Christianity and Islam while differing majorly in certain aspects. His offspring claim to be descended from God and thus divine. Through conquest and conversion, both Korea and Japan end up adherents.



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How's that? 7 Major Abrahamic religions with at least 100 million or so followers each, and everyone on earth subscribing to at least one of them 😉

I know im absolutely massacring butterflies by assuming history is the same with a POD 4000 years ago, but shush

 

[Aisha Clan-Clan]

If the jews get to count as a major abrahamic religion despite such low numbers, then OTL qualifies with mormons.

 

[Dancing Fool]

Not Abrahamic.

Back in the 1400s, I think the founder of the Sikhs after a revelation yelled, “There is no Hindu, there is not Muslim.”

Sikhism was intended as a unifying One God faith. If approximately half its lineage comes from Islam, I guess we need to make an academic distinction whether or not the Faith counts as Abrahamic. [I myself tend to be a “lumper” in taxonomy, but many people are “splitters”]

 

[Godot]

Back in the 1400s, I think the founder of the Sikhs after a revelation yelled, “There is no Hindu, there is not Muslim.”

Sikhism was intended as a unifying One God faith. If approximately half its lineage comes from Islam, I guess we need to make an academic distinction whether or not the Faith counts as Abrahamic. [I myself tend to be a “lumper” in taxonomy, but many people are “splitters”]

I mean fundamentally speaking Sikhism does not accept Abraham or his sons as the progenitors of their faith. Definitionally not Abrahamic.

Saying 'half of Sikhism comes from Islam' is also a massive overstatement of Islamic influences. It's recognized as being part of the Indic faiths, alongside Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism.

 

[Analytical Engine]

Would a more widespread Manicheanism or Mandeanism count?

 

[Lalli]

Probably there could be way to make Mormonism its own independent religion instead them seeing themselves as Christians. It has so many different characters from other Abrahamic religions and even mainstream Christianity that it could easily become fourth Abrahamic religion.

 

[Nivek]

Sabians?

 

[Lothal]

Mormonism that does not recognize themselves as Christians, maybe like a faith akin that considers the ideals of the revolution or constitution as the next relevation of god would fit the bill. Basically American civil religion as a true religion.

A legitimate potential missed opportunity of history was the failure of the Sabbataen movement in the Balkans among the Romaniote community, the Ottomans successfully snipped the bud before it could successfully establish itself or its distinguishing theology. Honestly Sabbatai should have accepted martyrdom the moment the Ottoman Sultan forced him to convert.

In my timeline, there exists an Abrahamic religion that succeeds ITL Islam in the Greater Iran region inspired by folk Shi’ism that believes in reincarnation and transmigration of the soul along with some gnostic-dualistic traits

 

[hmtn]

#3 Judaism: 12-15 million
#4 Baha'i: 5-8 Million

And that's with Iran, its country of birth, cracking down on it continuously for well over a century now. Though persecution has historically been a terrible method of dealing with Abrahamic faiths, especially on longer scales. It took Christianity like three centuries to become a Roman institution, and one could imagine a parallel with the Baha'i and Iran happening in the future. At that point it could easily eclipse Judaism. And even without a massive takeover, the religion is still growing considerably faster than world population. Even if the current status quo continues forever Baha'i is still eventually going to eclipse Judaism, if only because the latter isn't interested in conversion.

Going into the past, maybe the Ottomans really screw over Islam in some way? It would have to be a simultaneous Baha'i wank and Islam-screw, with huge portions of the Middle East converting to Baha'i as the Turks collapse in the early 20th century.

 

[Enigmajones]

Do the Druze count? Or worship of the Bab?

 

[Metempsychosis]

Your challenge is to create a 4th major Abrahamic religion, with at least as many adherants as Judaism. You can uplift a group like the Druze, or take an extinct movement and wank them, or push a fringe denomination into becoming its own religion - regardless of your method, there needs to be some historical basis.

Aside from that, good luck!

Yeah, Taiping Christianity might be the best late bet alongside Mormonism.

 

[Heaven's Thunder Hammer]

Your challenge is to create a 4th major Abrahamic religion, with at least as many adherants as Judaism. You can uplift a group like the Druze, or take an extinct movement and wank them, or push a fringe denomination into becoming its own religion - regardless of your method, there needs to be some historical basis.

Aside from that, good luck!

The babi faith was only ever meant to a short term religion. as it later morphed into the Bahai Faith when according to their scripture, a second Manifestation of God appeared.

OTL the Bahai Faith openly identifies itself as the 4th Abrahamic religion.

The major butterfly to make it a lot more successful would be to avoid having some very troubled young men try to assassinate the Shah of Persia. Bahai scholarship at the time said it set the religion back twenty years. Note that it was only twenty years old at the time of the comment the first place, so essentially bringing it back to year zero.

 

[danteheadman]

The major butterfly to make it more successful would be to avoid having some very troubled young men try to assassinate the Shah of Persia. Bahai scholarship at the time said it set the religion back twenty years. Note that it was only twenty years old ar the time of the comment the first place, so essentially bringing it back to year zero.

Or avert the Islamic Revolution and have the Iranian Shah moderate its domestic repressive tactics. A free and liberal Iran would likely see a major boom in Baha'i converts.

 

[danteheadman]

• Baha'i
• Mormons
• Ahmadiyya (if it accepted the claim that it is not Islam, which all other Islamic movements assert)
• Rastafari
• Chabad (if it broke away from Judaism formally)
• Druze
• Mandeans (yes they exist)
• Whatever was going on in Taiping

 

[SpaceRome]

Chabad (if it broke away from Judaism formally)

Chabad isn't a proselytizing faith, though, at least not in the traditional sense. Their outreach activities are about convincing fellow Jews to be more pious, not getting converts. Without a major messianic figure, you're not getting a non-Jewish Chabad.

But if you want a messianic figure...

The Sabbateans take over the ottoman empire, establishing a brand of Turkish Mysticist Judaislam there centered around Shabbtai Zvi as messiah (but in the traditional Jewish meaning of the term - an anointed holy king like David, not an apocalyptic figure).

 

[PulkitNahata]

Back in the 1400s, I think the founder of the Sikhs after a revelation yelled, “There is no Hindu, there is not Muslim.”

Sikhism was intended as a unifying One God faith. If approximately half its lineage comes from Islam, I guess we need to make an academic distinction whether or not the Faith counts as Abrahamic. [I myself tend to be a “lumper” in taxonomy, but many people are “splitters”]

Not really, the terms used for God in Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh holy book are mainly Hari, Ram, Prabhu and Gopal, three of which are used for the Sanatani God Vishnu and his avatars.. It is a Dharmic religion