Buddhism started as a revolution of simplicity. No mention of gods. Just transcending the illusions of this world. From where did all the Bodhisattva come? Christianity is the same. From what part of the lessons of Jesus do we get the saints? If Sikhism began with a man (The Guru Nanak) who mocked Hindus for offering water to the sun, why then is the Sikh holy book venerated and why are there so many gurus subsequent to Nanak?
The answer, I think, arises from the human mind. I see religion as a social technology for storing and transmitting heuristic cultural knowledge. Memory champions have shown that the human mind likes stories and colorful tales. And so every reform minded religion returns to those ancient memory friendly traditions in order to survive as a cultural tradition itself.
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