No, not you. :-)
It's fairly clear that the old Jewish texts are based on several traditions and what we ended up with is an attempt to meld them as seamlessly as possible. E.g. compare [link|http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=1&chapter=6&version=31&context=chapter|Genesis Chapter 6] with [link|http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=1&chapter=7&version=31&context=chapter|Genesis Chapter 7] - did Noah take only single pairs of animals, or did he take 7 (or 7 pairs) of some and two of others? I also agree that it's hard to read [link|http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=1&chapter=3&version=31&context=chapter|Genesis 3] as something other than God talking to equals when he says:
22 And the LORD God said, "The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever."
In this account, God (while creator of the heavens and the Earth) does not seem to be an omnipotent being, but rather a smaller, more "natural" being rather like the Greek gods. He walks around and talks with people and makes his feelings (and he has many swings of mood) known in a straight-forward manner. It's only later that he seems to be an incomprehensible, all-(fill-in-the-blank) being that speaks in allegory and visions and mysteries and demands unwavering worship.
In short, it does seem (from a simple, straight-forward reading of the Bible, even without reference to the mountain of scholarship about it) that the Jewish texts did borrow a lot from the polytheistic religions.
Your observations on what Islam then did with that foundation is certainly thought-provoking. I think it might be a over-stated though. While tens or hundreds of thousands of men can turn out at various rallies led by religious leaders, I don't think that most reverent Muslims follow their mullahs without question.
...
However, on reading things like [link|http://www.shianews.com/hi/articles/islam/0000342.php|this], perhaps I've been naive about this (too):
Imam Hussain (as) was, in his time, the proof of Allah (hujjat Allah) and the guide that Allah (swt) has sent us. The Imam plays a decisive and critical function in the life of any believer, for he is the medium by which the believer comes to know Allah (swt). The sermon indicates upon a fundamental aspect of reality: that it is through the Imam that Allah (swt) makes Himself visible to the hearts of the believers. True faith is not mere worship of a deity that is solely conceptual; true worship of Allah (swt) is to worship Him as if he was visible before you, and it is the Imam who makes such vision possible.
The vision of Allah (swt) with the heart is one of the most important aspects of faith. The Prophet (s) defined ihsan, righteousness, as
worshipping Allah as if you see Him in front of you. [2.]
Yet one cannot see Allah (swt), for He is infinitely exalted above our physical reality. Allah (swt) is, in His Essence, too infinite to ever be grasped by the human mind. And yet Allah (swt) created the universe in order that He would be known by His creation, as Imam Hussain (as) has said in his sermon. But in order for us to have any knowledge of Allah (swt), He must manifest Himself to us in a form that accords with our capacity. As such, for Allah (swt) to establish His hujjat, His proof, the being who fills this role must be of our own nature, which is perceptible to us and of which there is a fundamental kinship.
This strikes me as rather like the (, or at least the common perception of the,) importance of saints and popes in Catholicism. If the Shia really believe that they cannot comprehend Allah without the intercession of an Imam, then there's little wonder that there's so much conflict over who the "true" Imams are, and such enmity between the various sects. And consequently the importance of the mullahs in instructing their flocks....
Thanks for a thought-provoking post.
Cheers,
Scott.