Yohan wrote:Technically speaking, there is currently only one major polytheistic religion. That is Hinduism. The major piece missing in a polytheistic religion is the absence of moral principles. In other words, anything goes. One may find that to be the case with now extinct Roman and Greek polytheist religions too.
Keepers of the Monotheistic religions had over time managed to bring in moral principles into religion. Now there are good and bad morals as you know. Monotheistic relgions which emphasises good moral principles tend to do more good things for its believers, and are more attractive.
Lately Polytheistic religion Hinduism for example is copying monotheistic ones in this regard and trying to integrate moral principles into it. Now Hindus will not accept this 'copying' business since it is too much for their bloated egos.
Fa-Hien, the Chinese traveller wh(
visited India at tho beginning of the 5th century
spent six years in the Empire, during three of whicl
he studied Samskrit in one of the large Buddhis
monasteries at Pataliputra. He speaks with intense
admiration of the wealth, prosperity, virtue, am
happiness of the people, and the great liberty the;
enjoyed, "Those who want to go away may go; thos
who want to stop may stop." Most offences wer
punished by fines, and there was no capital punish
ment, and '[color=#FF4000]no judicial torture. Repeated rebellioi
however, was punished by cutting off the right hanc
"but such a penalty was exceptional". The roads
were safe, for in all his travels Fa-Hien was not one
attacked by robbers, "They do not keep pigs <
fowls, there aro no dealings in cattle, no butcher
shops, or distilleries." " No one kills any living thinj
or drinks wine, or eats onions or garlic." Charitable i
stitutions were numerous, rest-houses were kept ontl
roads. In the capital was a free hospital, supporte
by the voluntary contributions of the rich. Fa-Hi<
says:
HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION
Hither come all poor or helpless patients suffering from all
kinds of infirmities. They are well taken care of, and a doctor
attends them ; food and medicine being supplied according to their
wants. Thus they are made quite comfortable, and when they are
well 'they may go away.
(The first hospital in Europe was the Maison Dieu
in Paris, in the seventh century.) It is worthy of
notice that the King was a Hindu, and Fa-Hien a
Buddhist, so he was the less likely to praise overmuch.
http://archive.org/stream/howindiawroguhtf003920mbp/howindiawroguhtf003920mbp_djvu.txt
Gupta age is called golden age of Hinduism and it predates the birth of Islam , the first monotheist religion to conquer parts of India.Surely Hinduism does not have moral principles
