What if I were to tell you Islam, Christianity, and Judaism were based on Paganism? [Ready for this one?]?

Question

As we know, idol worship has been around for quite some time. Idol worship was/is a Pagan practice. This first appeared with Venus of Willendorf, which dates back to anywhere from 20000 BCE or 22000 BCE.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus_of_Willendorf

Judaism, though -- one of popular Monotheistic religions -- came around in approximately 1313 BCE. Least to say, a considerable amount of time LATER than Paganism. (For those who don't, with BCE, the smaller the numbers, the more recent they are)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judaism#Traditional_view_of_the_development_of_Judaism

The Torah was written after the Jews escaped Egypt. HOWEVER... the Egyptians had their own text, known as the Book of the Dead. If you examine both, the similarities are... a few too many. And the Egyptians were around there before the Jews.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torah
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_the_dead

In Christianity, Jesus is the main man. However, Dionysus -- who came BEFORE J-

esus is the main man. However, Dionysus -- who came BEFORE Jesus -- was born of a mortal woman and a Godly father, returned from the dead, and turned water into wine. Jesus died in about 40 CE, and the Bible was written in 100 CE.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Testament
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus_Christ#Historical_and_archaeological_reconstructions_of_Jesus.27_day_to_day_life
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dionysus#Parallels_with_Christianity

Is it a coincidence that Zoroastrianism (a DUALISTIC religion that came BEFORE Christianity) believed in an all Powerful God and an evil spirit of violence and death, and that Christianity does as well? It's an awfully awkward coincidence.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoroastrianism#Basic_Beliefs_Include
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devil_in_Christianity

The Norse believe that after Ragnorok, there will be two humans remaining... and the Norse religion ALSO predates Christianity! What do you have to say to that, Adam and Eve?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_and_Eve
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norse_Mythology#The_end_times_.28Eschatological_beliefs.29

And the Trinity isn't even Christian! It's Pagan and Zoroastrian.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triple_Goddess
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahura
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinity

Since Islam is based on Christianity and Judaism, this pretty much throws it out of whack, too.

What do you have to say about that?

Oh, I forgot Monotheism. Monotheism originated in Egypt during 1300 BCE, by Pharaoh Amenhotep IV (aka Akhenaten). He found the God Aten to be the most powerful and only one worthy of being worshiped. Gee, why's this sound like Monotheism?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atenism
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aten
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monotheism

The cross was *not* a Christian creation. Merely a thieving of the Egyptian Ankh, and then they took off the loop on the top.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ankh#The_ankh_and_the_cross

Answer 1

Try telling me something that I did not already know.

Answer 2

Sure Christianity is not the only Monothesistic religion. A lot of religions predate Christianity because before Christianity was Judaism. However judaism started with Adam and Eve although it wasn't called such until at least Abraham. There are similarities because many religions interperate the same events differently, take the flood, that is preasant in almost every ancient religion. this just reestablishes the fact that it actually did occure, just the way it happened is debated. As for the similarities between book of the dead and the Bible I just don't see it. the book of the dead encouraged lying to the gods, in the Bible you shouldn't lie to God and he is all knowing. I could go on but I have other questions to answer.

Answer 3

Good post.

RW asked if there was a monotheistic religion pre-Judaism and the answer is Yes. Egypt worshiped RA as a monotheistic God for a while before other Gods were created and even after the other Gods were created they were 'one' with RA or manifestations similar to the trinity. Aten was also a monotheistic Egyptian God who some believed to be RA with a different name (the Sun God). For all you know Judaism, Christianity and Islam also worships RA and call him Yahweh, Allah or God.

Answer 4

Truth be know, before the death of Jesus the christian movement was conisdered a CULT in all its forms and practices hence why the romans cruxificied Jesus in an attempt to quell the cult.

And yes, all religions are similiar and that is what binds humanity together. the knowledge that a modern pagan, muslim, catholic, hindu.you name it. we all share a similar belief structure. The indians of the americas worshipped the "SUN" god and many more so they as with all poly-theism teachings were combined into a few narrow mono-thesimic religions for the ease of teaching. It all falls back on the goal. and that is to believe we as humans are not alone in the universe

thanks

Answer 5

The claim that Jesus is just a recent imitation of Pagan "savior cults" doesn't hold up, for two reasons.

1) Jesus' life was prophecied in the Old Testament, and fulfilled in the New. The Bible is what we base our religion on, not copying beliefs from other religions.

2) These other religions (the supposed pre-Christianities of Horus, Bacchus, Dionysus, Mithra, etc.) left us little to no writings or inscriptions by which we can determine their beliefs. It is a fact that all of these "savior cults" were in the Miditerranean region. It's entirely possible these people came into contact with the Jews, and based their religions on the Hebrew Scriptures, which prophecy Jesus.

Monotheism, initially, was held by all people. God allowed them to evolve, and at some point, gave them a soul. These people originally worship God, and only God. They then begin to reject God, and this was the Fall. As the Jewish rabbi Maimonides stated, "In the beginning, people worshipped God, and only God. Then people began to say that the sun and moon were beautiful, and deserved respect as well. They then began to worship the sun and moon, instead of the creator of the sun and moon."

Justin Martyr is one of the foremost Christian apologists in Christian history. He states that there are resemblances between Christianity and previous Pagan religions, but goes on to state a truth, that the devil will stop at nothing to prevent souls from coming to Christ: "When we say Dionysus arose again and ascended to Heaven, is it not evident the devil has imitated the prophecy?"

Answer 6

Tis all very interesting. I was already annoyed by how Halloween had been taken over, and how women have been squashed. Now I guess I have more to be annoyed about. Seems much more sensible to worship trees and stuff that are tangible, than a devine presence that can't be proven.

I realise you have probably researched this in other places too, but you shouldn't rely on wikipedia - it can be edited by anyone, and huge mistakes can be there for ages before sensible readers notice and change it.

Answer 7

If there is/was an actual religion that worked the way it's supposed to heaven on earth would/could be achieved. Unfortunately they all have flaws. And Great ideas were borrowed from other philosophy's. One day someone is going to put it all together and get it right. Until then, peace out

Answer 8

Enough with the "my side's better than yours" crap! Who cares what, where, when, how? Today's people can't accept the ancient ways of christianity and the oposite extreme choice isn't a conclusion. What started out as a way to calm our fears and to make things understandable has evolved into a killer of society. It doesn't matter what your belief is or who you worship it is all a perpetuated misunderstanding that rules society as a whole. And I shall reiterate, it does not matter what you believe.

Have we reached an apex in our journey where we need to wake up and discard the old and imbrace the new? Ancient ways will no longer work. We must open up our minds, and without that which holds us back, and we will see truth. And we will understand it.

Otherwise we are doomed. I see it all over this page. Everybody bickering. Everybody claiming their way is better even if it is a path of doom.

Maybe it's just me. I just can't understand this attraction to negative stuff, doom, hate, whatever. I mean what a choice people take. Being goodie two shoe is just ****** stuff and hate is so easy. What is so wrong with just being ourselves and loving? Have we done a good job of stripping away at it that we don't even know what love means anymore? True love?

I hope and pray that we as a people achieve that next higher plane in our existance. If we don't wake up real soon, we won't even be history. We will have never been.

Steve

Answer 9

People tell me I look a lot like the wrestler Goldberg. Who is the true Goldberg and who isnt? The people that know Bill Goldberg can tell him from a fake.

So some of the 1st civilizations worshipped gods. Does that invalidate any further revelation from God? Is God not capable of speaking and revealing truth himself? Is it possible people in the past have worshipped what they did not know but we know today? If you look hard enough with anything in life youre going to find similiarities. Does that mean there is not one great truth? Of coarse not!

The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. -2 Corinthians 4:4

Answer 10

You've obviously done your research. Well done. Just about all religions have Pagan DNA, and there's nothing wrong with that. However, I'd rather worship the original way. I'm a happy Pagan!

Blessed be.

Answer 11

religions share ideas. You will find this everywhere. I prefer not to call it thieving however, because that implies there is something wrong with it. And in reality, I can't see anything at all wrong with seeing an idea that someone else has, and saying, "I agree. I will incorporate that idea into my belief system."

What IS wrong is to demonize the religion from which you borrowed your idea. Credit should be given where credit is due.