Which religion has borrowed the most ritual and holidays from pagan traditions?

Answer 1

Christianity.

Few people realize that the origins of a form of Christmas was pagan & celebrated in Europe long before anyone there had heard of Jesus Christ.

No one knows what day Jesus Christ was born on. From the biblical description, most historians believe that his birth probably occurred in September, approximately six months after Passover. One thing they agree on is that it is very unlikely that Jesus was born in December, since the bible records shepherds tending their sheep in the fields on that night. This is quite unlikely to have happened during a cold Judean winter. So why do we celebrate Christ’s birthday as Christmas, on December the 25th?

The answer lies in the pagan origins of Christmas. In ancient Babylon, the feast of the Son of Isis (Goddess of Nature) was celebrated on December 25. Raucous partying, gluttonous eating and drinking, and gift-giving were traditions of this feast.


Not to mention Mithras.

1. Mithra was born of a virgin on December 25th in a cave, and his birth was attended by shepherds.
2. He was considered a great traveling teacher and master.
3. He had 12 companions or disciples.
4. Mithra's followers were promised immortality.
5. He performed miracles.
6. As the "great bull of the Sun," Mithra sacrificed himself for world peace.
7. He was buried in a tomb and after three days rose again.
8. His resurrection was celebrated every year.
9. He was called "the Good Shepherd" and identified with both the Lamb and the Lion.
10. He was considered the "Way, the Truth and the Light," and the "Logos," "Redeemer," "Savior" and "Messiah."
11. His sacred day was Sunday, the "Lord's Day," hundreds of years before the appearance of Christ.
12. Mithra had his principal festival of what was later to become Easter.
13. His religion had a eucharist or "Lord's Supper," at which Mithra said, "He who shall not eat of my body nor drink of my blood so that he may be one with me and I with him, shall not be saved."
14. "His annual sacrifice is the passover of the Magi, a symbolical atonement or pledge of moral and physical regeneration."
15. Shmuel Golding is quoted as saying that 1 Cor. 10:4 is "identical words to those found in the Mithraic scriptures, except that the name Mithra is used instead of Christ."
16. The Catholic Encyclopedia is quoted as saying that Mithraic services were conduced by "fathers" and that the "chief of the fathers, a sort of pope, who always lived at Rome, was called 'Pater Patratus.'"



In Rome, the Winter Solstice was celebrated many years before the birth of Christ. The Romans called their winter holiday Saturnalia, honoring Saturn, the God of Agriculture. In January, they observed the Kalends of January, which represented the triumph of life over death. This whole season was called Dies Natalis Invicti Solis, the Birthday of the Unconquered Sun. The festival season was marked by much merrymaking. It is in ancient Rome that the tradition of the Mummers was born. The Mummers were groups of costumed singers and dancers who traveled from house to house entertaining their neighbors. From this, the Christmas tradition of caroling was born.

In northern Europe, many other traditions that we now consider part of Christian worship were begun long before the participants had ever heard of Christ. The pagans of northern Europe celebrated the their own winter solstice, known as Yule. Yule was symbolic of the pagan Sun God, Mithras, being born, and was observed on the shortest day of the year. As the Sun God grew and matured, the days became longer and warmer. It was customary to light a candle to encourage Mithras, and the sun, to reappear next year.

Huge Yule logs were burned in honor of the sun. The word Yule itself means “wheel,” the wheel being a pagan symbol for the sun. Mistletoe was considered a sacred plant, and the custom of kissing under the mistletoe began as a fertility ritual. Hollyberries were thought to be a food of the gods.

The tree is the one symbol that unites almost all the northern European winter solstices. Live evergreen trees were often brought into homes during the harsh winters as a reminder to inhabitants that soon their crops would grow again. Evergreen boughs were sometimes carried as totems of good luck and were often present at weddings, representing fertility. The Druids used the tree as a religious symbol, holding their sacred ceremonies while surrounding and worshipping huge trees.

In 350, Pope Julius I declared that Christ’s birth would be celebrated on December 25. There is little doubt that he was trying to make it as painless as possible for pagan Romans (who remained a majority at that time) to convert to Christianity. The new religion went down a bit easier, knowing that their feasts would not be taken away from them.

Christmas (Christ-Mass) as we know it today, most historians agree, began in Germany, though Catholics and Lutherans still disagree about which church celebrated it first. The earliest record of an evergreen being decorated in a Christian celebration was in 1521 in the Alsace region of Germany. A prominent Lutheran minister of the day cried blasphemy: “Better that they should look to the true tree of life, Christ.”

The controversy continues even today in some fundamentalist sects

Answer 2

Roman Catholic?..... and don't say Christian... there is not a day that has not been used by some "religion" or an other.... and like sex...there are only so many variations untill someone has to start repeating... Pryaing has been and is a part of most all "religions"..probably the oldest "ritual" so is it wrong for muslims to pray because some other pagan "religion" prayed on the same day some islam holiday falls on.....lots of other pagans bow down and knock there heads when praying...is it wrong them for islam to have "borrowed" praying and bowing down?...The worn out compair to pagan BS is a meaningless argument...

Answer 3

There are 2 of them:

1. Christianity

2. The New Church of Islam by Sunni and Shia Sheikhs.

Answer 4

Christianity for holidays and ritual

Answer 5

Christianity.

Answer 6

Catholic.

everything about the catholic mass with the exception of it being inside a building follow Celtic ritual structure.

begin with bells, end with bells.

burn insence and use it to cleanse the area. (they walk a square because they use buildings. we walk a circle outside)

Altar for holding ritual tools.

Ceramonial robes for the priest and his attendents.

reply by the congregation to lines spoken by the priest.

sing praise.

give thanks

ask for enlightnment and for help in everyday lives.

end by hugging or shaking hands with each other.

Answer 7

All religions have rituals and holidays that are similar to those of other religions.

Some would say that Catholicism has borrowed ritual and holidays from pagan traditions.

Cordially,
John
http://www.GodSci.org

Answer 8

Roman Catholics, even though most Christians follow the same Holidays.

Answer 9

all of them i read a book by a catholic priest and he explained how the catholic mass is taken from the jewish passover and that the passover was taken from an egyptian spring festival im mean i think they all christianity islam and judaism all have pagan influinces just look at zorastranisim and look at ahkenaten the pharoh who ran around screaming their is one god calle aten the egyptians wernt happy he outlawed every other god but aten

Answer 10

Christianity.