Pagan origins of Christanity?

crownboy

I'm in the middle of reading Jesus and the Lost Goddess: The Secret Teachings of the Original Christians and after this I would like to read The Jesus Mysteries.

I happened to come upon this book by accident, but I was surprised to see just how much Christanity has possibly borrowed from pagan religions (I knew that OT stories like the flood were borrowed, but figured the NT was made by some cultic Jews). I also didn't realize that certain letters of Paul may be forgeries, or that certain passages in the "genuine" letters could be allusions to pagan things.

Are there any other or books or websites on the topic that anyone could recommend? How much credibility is there to the "pagan origins" of Christanity (not that I really care for personal reasons, but I would like to know anyhow)? Were the gnostic scriptures surpressed by the early church for neferious agendas?

Francois

I think that it's always the case that a new religion is built on the scaffolding of the old. From similiar sources as those you quote, I've been given to understand that for a number of decades, Christianity was a cult within Judaism. Thus Chrisitanity even to this day contains much of Judiac origin.

It also worked the other way 'round. When Christianity spread to the so-called pagan world, the new religion was built on the scaffolding of the old nature religions. Thus Christianity even to this day contains much of Pagan origin.

And think about Judaism itself, which evolved out of the semitic religions of the Levant. Obviously these ancient religions engaged in human sacrifice. And this would include the Hebrews too. Think about it: why would a nation of people who had never seen the need to make sacrifice to their God, all of a sudden accept addition to their ancient religion the sacrifice of animals of all sorts? It doesn't follow, does it?

What does follow is that, just like all other semitic religions of their day, the Jews engaged in human sacrifice. And Moses replaced in their savage, illiterate minds, the idea of human sacrifice with that of animal sacrifice.

If you go back and carefully read about Moses introduction of animal sacrifice to the Hebrews, you'll see what I'm talking about. There are passages where "God" speaks to the Hebrews saying that the idea of passing children through the fire had never entered his mind. Why the lecture if the Hebrews hadn't already been doing it?

Think about it. And think about the pagan origins of Judaism while you're thinking about the pagan origins of Christianity. Obviously, there is no such thing on this planet as a "pure" or "true" religion.

My two cents.

Francois

TheApostleAK

...Christanity has possibly borrowed from pagan religions (I knew that OT stories like the flood were borrowed...

Sure it's not the other way around??

From AK

nancee park

Most JWs who quit the Watchtower DO NOT become pagans or atheists, contrary to the impression your posting would convey. Lots stay spiritual, love Jah and His Christ, and many do still believe God resurrects some on earth and others to serve with Christ in heaven: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jahchristian/

Pappusan

Yeah i have already read The Jesus Mysteries and it is an interesting read. The trick is to work out their source material and see if they are really representing it accurately. I have had trouble verifying some of their sources but the Mithra stuff is reasonably interesting, but conflicts abound with interperetation with it. Same also with the Piso family idea of the synopsis gospels. If you find any hammers regarding this post it coz i would be interested.

funkyderek

...Christanity has possibly borrowed from pagan religions (I knew that OT stories like the flood were borrowed...
Sure it's not the other way around??

Well, the Gilgamesh epic is far older than the Noachian account. It dates to before 2000 BC. So it seems more likely that "Moses" was the plagiarist.

--
Bad times, hard times - this is what people keep saying; but let us live well, and times shall be good. We are the times: Such as we are, such are the times. - St. Augustine, 354-430

LittleToe

There are more than a few writers who claim that Moses just compiled the book of Genesis from extant works.
This seems pretty plausible to me, so I would agree with Derek on this one (that makes a refreshing change ).

The Gilgamesh Epic is a must-read for anyone serious about Flood mythology.

Sirona

I did some research regarding the parallels between the bible and Ancient Egyptian beliefs. There are some interesting websites dealing with that, if you just search. http://www.madriver.com/users/teristar/queen/egypt.html
note similarities between ptah and thoth (God and Jesus) and Isis, Osiris and Horus (father, mother, child). Interestingly, they practiced blood sacrifices and they sacrificed the pharoah (who was considered god incarnate) by outpouring his blood onto the ground.

Joseph Alward's site is also good http://members.aol.com/jalw/joseph_alward.html dealing with Homer and Mark. I haven't checked sources but it seems fairly accurate.

Sirona

Kenneson

Wonder if this is a carry over from Jehovism? Is there really
a pagan "hiding behind every bush?" And is everything pagan
really evil?

willy_think

Christianity started with the founding of the church about 1,970 years ago.
The worship of God started,for the Angeles before man, but for us in the time we call the garden of Eden or at very least, shortly after that time.

It seems funny to me that Christians are shocked and upset when they read that God was worshiped when all religion was paging. It makes me wonder it they think they made God or that he was unknown before God named a man Israel.

If there was an Adam, was he a Christian or Jew?
If there was a God before there was a Jew, was he a pagan God?
If there was a God of the beginning, was he worshipped before there was (for the lack of a better word) an un-pagon religion?
Is it shocking to know there was real God before there was a mandate given to the Jews on how he was to be worshiped?

When I read this kind of thing I can't help but think what is being said is guess what God was before we were! He didn't fall out of the sky, bible in hand, with the start of Christianity.
Shocking!!!!

The Great and Powerful Oz:

pay no attention to the man behind the curtain

Pagan origins of Christanity?

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