Earlier quoted context omitted.
Many scholars believe there is at least a link, that's not fringe at all. But I agree that seeing patterns has always been a judgement call with a lot of biases playing into it, and different people with different backgrounds make different calls on the extent of such connections and influences. The sum of all judgement calls in this case is however tainted by vehement opposition to the notion from devout Catholics (…
PS: > How else would you carry statues around? Many (most?) cultures that are not connected to the Mediterranean traditions don't carry statues of gods around at all.
So that covers two other major civilization centers on this planet. What does that leave us with? Maybe some cultures in sub-saharan africa? But there's definitely some connection there. So Americas?
TLDR: Opposite is true, carrying symbols of your religion, either by hand or in a vehicle, is extremely widespread.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_car https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon_dance