Similarities between Christianity and Pagan faiths.

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  1. taliesin3339 profile image58
    taliesin3339posted 13 years ago

    Are there any similarities between Christianity and the older pagan faiths? If so, what are they and how were they incorperated into Christianity. Please explain and be somewhat detailed on whatever side of the argument you are on. Both sides of the story, and in between, are most welcome. Please remember that insults and bashing other is not the goal, but rather scholarly debate and reaching the truth.
    This is a scholarly discussion, not one of faith. We are looking for evidence and rational and scientific discussion. Please, whatever your stand on these issues, try to be intellectual, logical, and rational. And treat others with respect.

    1. profile image0
      china manposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      As you call yourself Taliesin I guess you are of a pagan faith, or have serious interest in Druids etc ?

      You must know that Christianity comes with Christ and so started a couple of thousand years ago, you must also know that it is based in the old testament, which was its preceding religion.

      Now Druids were much more interesting.   If we can ignore the modern day attempts at recreating Druidism as some new age cult idea - there is evidence, thin but still evidence, that the Druids were much more than our limited idea of religion today, they would appear to have been the philosophers, doctors, king-makers, for a huge area that ecompassed all of modern europe, including eastern europe.

  2. kephrira profile image60
    kephriraposted 13 years ago

    There are loads of similarities because early christianty was much more diverse and plural, and often incorporated many apsects of the previously dominant pagan religion in order to take over.

    Mid winter pagan fesivals were al about the birth of the new sun, so that's were christians celebrated the birth of the son.

    Pagan spring festival were all about death and rebirth, and so is easter.

  3. Rishy Rich profile image73
    Rishy Richposted 13 years ago
  4. Captain Jimmy profile image62
    Captain Jimmyposted 13 years ago

    It's the other way around pagan religions crept into Christianity. This goes back to Cain and Able the Spirit and the Flesh. Follow through out Genesis the true contrasts and you will find the development of both. People are mistaken to believe that Christianity began at 0 B.C./A.D. True Christianity began at Genesis 1:1. Christianity is all about the Atonement for Sin by the sheding of blood as a tempory covering for Sin.
    Genesis 3:20   And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.

      Genesis 3:21   Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.

      Genesis 3:22   And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:

      Genesis 3:23   Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.

      Genesis 3:24   So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

    Genesis 3:22 says "Behold, the man is become as one of us"

    Christ was there from the beginning and knew that the only way for man to be  At/One (Atonement) was through his sacrifice on the cross at Calvary! Read From Genesis 1:1 to Revelation 22:21 and you will see all the contrasts of paganism and christianity!

    1. Moonchild60 profile image76
      Moonchild60posted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I am afraid that is not true my friend.  Rome in fact was Pagan before Christianity took hold in the 300's.  There are plenty of Hubs on this subject.  Pagan practices were around BEFORE Christianity and Christianity did in fact take many things such as stated in the previous post, from Paganism.  : )

      1. Dan Smith profile image59
        Dan Smithposted 13 years agoin reply to this

        I have to agree pagan cultures were around before Christianity.  In fact, several holidays recognized on the calendar today reflect Christianity subverting paganism.

        1) Christmas - Little of the birth story in the gospel leads us to believe Jesus was born in December.  In fact, the story includes shepherds in the fields at night.  This is unlikely during winter.  Instead, Christmas was selected to coincide with the Germanic/ Norse/ Celtic mid-winter celebration, and eventually subverted it.  However, pagan symbols still exist in the forms of the Yule Log and Christmas Tree.

        2) Pagan New Year was April 1st, timed for the spring planting season.  Christians called April 1st April Fools Day in an attempt to discredit the Pagan holiday.

        3) Halloween is a pagan holiday signifying the harvest season.

        1. profile image51
          paarsurreyposted 13 years agoin reply to this

          Hi friend Dan Smith

          Who founded the pagan cultures?

          Their founders may have got the same message from the Creator- God Allah YHWH; and like the Jews and the Christians they might have remembered a wrong message like them. In case

          Thanks

          I am an Ahmadi peaceful Muslim

        2. sabrebIade profile image81
          sabrebIadeposted 13 years agoin reply to this

          Now see?
          Those I can understand because they are have real historical evidence backing them up.
          You missed Easter though...LOL

          Events like Saturnalia, Ēostre, Sol Invictus, Yule etc are documented.

          1. profile image51
            paarsurreyposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            Hi friends

            But who founded the pagan religions?

            Thanks

            I am an Ahmadi peaceful Muslim

            1. sabrebIade profile image81
              sabrebIadeposted 13 years agoin reply to this

              Early man, trying to make sense of what was going on around him.
              Where did the sun go when it set?
              What caused thunderstorms?
              Why did seasons change?

  5. sabrebIade profile image81
    sabrebIadeposted 13 years ago

    Captain Jimmy, this may sound like a stupid question so forgive me if it is.
    Are there any sources other than the Bible that record Christianity before the Crucifixion of Jesus?
    Because every source I check has Christianity starting with the Crucifixion.
    I know one God was worshiped before that, but I keep searching "Early history of Christianity" and everything I get starts with the Crucifixion.
    Maybe I should try Monotheism?

  6. Shadesbreath profile image78
    Shadesbreathposted 13 years ago
    1. sabrebIade profile image81
      sabrebIadeposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I'll check those out, thank you.
      I looked at the first Hub and I have to reject the Horus/Jesus thing since I have already researched that (and even contacted some Egyptologists)and those parallels..well they just aren't there.
      You wont find any of that in books dealing with Horus.
      I have no idea where Massey got his info from, but when I e-mailed the lists to some pretty well known Egyptologists, the ones that were kind enough to respond were like "No." and one told me I should actually read up on Egyptology myself and I'd see they had no basis.

      But the others I have not researched.

  7. Cagsil profile image70
    Cagsilposted 13 years ago

    Christianity and Pagan faiths?

    Yeah, they are both faiths. I would have thought that was obvious. hmm

  8. sabrebIade profile image81
    sabrebIadeposted 13 years ago

    It looks like Mithras goes down the same road as the Horus/Jesus thing.

    From the VERY little we actually know about Mithras...

    Mithras was born of a virgin on December 25th in a cave, and his birth was attended by shepherds.
    No...Mithras was born from a rock.

    As the "great bull of the Sun," Mithra sacrificed himself for world peace.
    The earliest Mithraic monument shows Mithras slaying a bull.

    They did have ritual meals, which I guess you could contrast with the Christian communion rite.
    Except for the slaughtering of the bull thing.

    I have no idea where all this comes from since no Mithraic scripture or first hand accounts of its highly secret rituals survive, with the possible exception of a liturgy recorded in a 4th century papyrus, which may not be even be Mithraic at all.
    The Roman God Mithras' name was probably taken from the Zoroastrian divinity Mithra.

    I am not in any way downing this theory defending Christianity.
    I am downing this theory defending Archaeology, History and Mythology.
    If anyone can produce any historical text or artifacts to back any of this up, I'd love to see it.
    And that's not counting D. M. Murdock's (better known as Acharya S) work.
    Anyone that gets thrown out of a UFO convention for arguing with another speaker is a bit suspect to me.

    As much as (respected) archaeologists love to ruin a good party, if they saw ANY parallels between Christ, Horus or Mithras, they'd be all over it!
    Heck, they'd be famous as the man or woman that historically disproved Christianity.

    1. Shadesbreath profile image78
      Shadesbreathposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I think the similarities are not in the ACTUAL histories of the ACTUAL people who may or may not have lived.  That is not the point at all, at least the way I approached the question and appreciate Misty's hubs and lots of other mythology and history of world religion stuff I've come across.

      The thing I like to look at most is how the god myths that arose FROM the histories and BECAME religions co-opted ideas from previous versions, and the parallels and temporal convenience that sort of follow stories around the Mediteranian are hard to ignore.  Religion is a story, not a history.  If you approach it from that angle, you can study the history of the stories, how they evolved from one another, like a big game of telephone through the ages.

      I am too tired to go into it more, as to do so would make my forum outing into a reasearch paper, which I have neither the time nor the inclination for.  It is certainly an area of interest though.  I love that kind of stuff.

  9. Cagsil profile image70
    Cagsilposted 13 years ago

    Yeah, no need to waste what would be a great hub on a forum post. wink smile

  10. Bringer_of_Light profile image59
    Bringer_of_Lightposted 13 years ago

    Yes there are many.  Christianity is a blatant copy of the glorious faiths of old.  You see, the ancient christians couldn't compete with the pagans, so they stole their beliefs.

  11. MickS profile image60
    MickSposted 13 years ago

    I'm trying to remember this from when I studied this stuff in the 70s.
    Shortest day, Dec 21/22, the Sun king dies, Dec 25, the Sun king (Jesus) is born,  Epiphany, the sun king grows a year and a day, the 12 year old is now named and armed, (Jesus is named)March 25, Lady Day, the sun king impregnates his mother, the Earth so that he may be reborn on Dec 25 (can't remember the Christian significance here)
    Easter, moveable feast, nowt to do with Christianity, ce;ebrates the feminine aspect of fertility, Celtic/Germanic Goddess, Eostre.  Mayday, masculine aspect of fertilityI think this was just shut out by Christianity.
    Samhain (Sowen, haloween, summer's end)  The Celtic year was 360 days and 5 days out of callender, In these 5 days, the spirits roamed, it was a time out of time, a place out of place and runs through Celtic folklore, at the end of the 5 days, great bonfires were built to welcome in the new year, Christianity calls Samhain, All Souls Night.
    That's about it I think, well that I can remember, me brains starting to hurt.

 
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