What are the issues involved in studying a religion that supersedes or claims to supersede another?

Answer 1

First of all, a claim to supersession implies a belief that the older religion was true although possibly incomplete. So, just as Christianity claimed to supersede Judaism, which it saw as true but incomplete, so Islam claimed to replace both Judaism and Christianity, then Sikhism supersedes Islam, and so on. In a way, Mormonism forms another branch that claims to supersede orthodox Christianity.

While the later religion claims to acknowledge truth in the earlier religion, this does not necessarily mean truth in the later religion. The study must look at whether there could have been good grounds for the founders of the later religion to claim to add new truths or insights.

In comparison, monotheistic Judaism replaced the earlier polytheistic beliefs of the Jews, not because they were incomplete, but because the priests now taught that the old beliefs were wrong. From that perspective, it did not supersede them, but simply supplanted them just as Christianity, centuries later, was to replace the paganism of the Roman Empire.

In another context, the cult of Mithras could supersede that of the sun god Apollo for some followers but not others, so that there are those who follow both gods. Both in time would be superseded by the cult of Sol Invictus. The belief in the sun god remains, but his character and the rituals of worship change.

A religion could also claim to supersede an older religion because the gods of the old religion, while true, were not powerful enough. A conquered people could feel that their old gods had not saved them from defeat, so the gods of their conqueror must be stronger. There could be room for one or more of the old gods, but the new gods will by and large supersede the old gods. Zeus could supersede Baal as the storm god. Another issue is whether the new religion adds value to the spiritual or moral experience of its followers. Is it a cult that will soon fade away, or does it present real intrinsic value as a religion?