What did Christians take from Pagans?

Question

Like 25 december, etc?? I think maybe a mix from different religions??

ok, is their a website to compare, what they took.

Your all right, what didn't they take

Some would say that the pagans copyied the Christians???

Answer 1

Some great excuses for loads of parties!

Answer 2

Just about everything, if by pagan you mean any religion other than christian. Saturnella IS christmas (look it up on Google). Most of the bible was/is a collection of stories, mythis etc. The gospels (mathew, mark, luke and john) were the most agreeable to the church as the church was emerging, but others wrote about jesus, including mary. Some of the other gospels were not included because they did not meet with church approval as early as 300 CE-- $$ was available for the copying of the ones the authorities liked, none for others, so they were forgotten. New writings are discovered all the time... gospel of St. Philip, of the Infancy of Jesus by St. Thomas, and others. (Google these and see what you come up with.) You might like to take a course in bible history -- great stuff. And the National Geographic has been doing some programs on some of the more recent discoveries of writings done during the early years of christianity.... don't forget -- most people could not read, nor write, there were no printing presses, and scribes sometimes changed things to make them more colorful. There are also grave problems in translations -- Aramaic, Greek, Demotic, Latin, back to Greek, then into Latin again, and now into common languages by the 1500' and 1600's Lots of time and opportunities for additions, errors and omissions..... Others who could write liked to add their own twist to some of the stories.

But, anyway, check out some of the stuff on National Geographic... for less than $100 you can get some really well done, and scientifically correct DVD's or tapes.

Some of the things dear to christianity have origins in Egypt -- the beattitudes come directly from Egyptian writings ("blessed are they.... yadayada..." The prayer that begins "Tho I walk thru the valley of the shadow...." also Egyptian. The idea of paradise is also Egyptian , known as the Valley of the Reeds. And a test for eternity became the 10 commandments... This test predates Moses by more than 1000 years.

So, in essence, christianity is a copy-cat religion, even down to the idea of the trinity -- father, mother, and son --- Orisris, Isis and Horus. I could write for a week on this, but won't. The Discovery Channel also has some great things to buy and read... excellent scholarship

Answer 3

Near enough all their beliefs...The Immortal Soul, The Cross, Heaven, Hell, The Trinity, Saints, halos, incense, lighting candles, Easter, Christmas, Birthdays,...the list is endless. Pagan religion, traditions and beliefs started to infiltrate Christianity at the end of the first century...less than a hundred years after the death of Jesus Christ.

Answer 4

The cross, the pentigram (although the church has not been using that one for a couple hundred years or so). Many of the traditions (Christmas from Yule, and All Saint's Day from the pagan celebration that we now call Halloween) come from pagan holidays, because it was a way for the church to convert people who were polytheists to monotheism.

Answer 5

Dare I say it? Practically everything. All of their main doctrines are pagan in origin: Hellfire, immortality of the human soul, Trinity, Madonna and child, the cross, clergy/laity division in the congregation. Clerical organisation and vestments including in particular papal headgear and the shepherd's crook he carries is pagan in origin. So are the sacrements, the wafer particularly. Not that I'm getting at Catholicism particularly, Protestantism is just as pagan - it just doesn't have all the pomp and ceremony of Catholocism. Check it out, not one of these doctrines comes from the Bible which true Christian doctrine is supposed to be based on.

The doctrines of Catholicism/Protestantism make these faiths essentially pagan.

Answer 6

Most holidays. When Catholicism became the dominant religion, (there were no protestants back then) the common folk refused to give up celebrating feasts they had been observing since time out of mind. Early experiments in banning these festivals backfired, so in a classic 'can't beat it out of them, so force them to join US' attitude, the church told the folk that what they were celebrating was, among others :
a.)All soul's day instead of the harvest feast of Samhain
b.)Christ's birth instead of the birth of Mithra, the son of Isis
c.)The Rising of Christ from the dead instead of the Spring Rebirth

that this last holiday is still called Easter, another name of the Goddess Ishtar or Esther, cracks me up...christians and Catholics alike consider this their most holy day and celebrate it by saying 'Happy Easter' to each other. Perpetuating the name of the pagan deity to this day. Just goes to show you, you can't keep a good Goddess down

Answer 7

Santa is a version of Odin who would travel forth on the Winter Solstice and give presents to His faithful followers. The wreath is a druid symbol for the circle of life/death/re-birth. The evergreen tree is a symbol of reincarnation also. The Yule log is definitely pagan in origin. Lighting lights is to welcome back the light of the sun after the winter solstice.

I am sure there is more but I cannot think of them right now.

Answer 8

Christmas Tree, Yule Log, 'December 25', Wassailing, mistletoe...

I've collected that from various spots. Wikipedia is the best for that kind of thing. Oh, and there's a good article here that explains some of the backstories:

http://christmas.howstuffworks.com/christmas.htm

Answer 9

The worst thing that Christians took from Pagans was the goddess mother principal.

Answer 10

The cross, Samhain, Winter Solstice, Summer Solstice, Vernal Equinox...

no, they only stole from us Pagans. The christians hate us.

Answer 11

There arent too many things that Christians and Pagans do not have in common. Both worship, dance, praise, pray, recognize specific sacrifice, there is also Pagan Baptism and forms of communion. The difference is only to whom these things are directed to. If I have a gift to give, it belongs only to the recipient. I cannot give a gift to you and someone else say I gave it to them. It goes to you. I cannot worship the sun god and have it go really to God, and I cannot worship God and it be given to the sun god. If I get Baptized in the Name of Jesus, I am Baptized in His Name.... if you get Baptized in Mithras name, than thats whose name you are baptized in. Everything is dependant on whom the act is devoted to.