Is any idea in Christianity original?

Question

The pre-Christian God Mithras - called the Son of God and the Light of the World - was born on December 25, died, was buried in a rock tomb, and then resurrected in three days.

December 25 is also the birthday or Osiris, Adonis, and Dionysus.

The newborn Krishna was presented with gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Christianity's weekly holy day was stolen from the pagans.

The vestiges of pagan religion in Christian symbology are undeniable:
Egyptian sun disks became the halos of Catholic saints.
Pictograms of Isis nursing her miraculously conceived son Horus became the blueprint for our modern images of the Virgin Mary nursing Baby Jesus.
Virtually all the elements of the Catholic ritual - the miter, the altar, the doxology, and communion, the act of "God-eating" - were taken directly from earlier pagan mystery religions."

BONNIE
christianity is almost 2000 years old, that doesn't exactly count as new. What point did you think you were making in not answering the question?

LOVER OF GOD.
I did use facts, I was hoping to get an intelligent creative answer from a Christian. Some of the ideas of Judaism came from the Egyptians, Babylonians, Assyrians and the "Canaanites". Christianity originally was a new version of Judaism, dropping the old laws, and that is when it brought in the other elements from existing pagan religions that I mentioned. I am still waiting for you to answer the question, and to stop playing "dodge the question and insult the asker".

I can't use "better facts" I know you wish there were some. I can only use the facts that exist. I am asking you to explain them.

GODSHANDMAIDEN
No, why don't you answer my question with an answer.

Answer 1

Do these pre-date the old testament????????
I did not mean to insult---we are an offshoot of Judaism in that the prophecies of the Jews point to the coming of Christ in many scriptures especially in Isaiah "Unto us a son is given unto us a child is born and his name shall be called many names....Mighty God, Everlasting FAther." I did not mean any offense, so I apologize you took my statement that way.




The real root of Christianity. Your sources come from canaanite, and midianite cultures which are mentioned in the old testament. Use better facts ok.

Answer 2

Yes.

Although there are quite a few things taken from other religions, there are a few things which are unique. Jesus told people to lock themselves in their closets to pray, which was a pretty unique concept. If it came from elsewhere, it really is not clear from where it came. He was crucified. Crosses existed, definitely, but crosses with corpses on them were generally not seen as religious symbols, but have become since the Catholic move away from iconoclasm.

Plenty of religions borrowed from one another. Mithrists had the Dec 25 death thing, but Roman Pagans about 200 BCE had a virgin born half-deity who died to save mankind. He was also born around this time of year. There could be a 3-way relationship there.

The reason why the pictures of Mary nursing Jesus resemble Isis and Horus is quite intentional, but not on the part of Christians. Worshippers of Isis actually did a faux-Christian thing so that the dominant Christian culture did not destroy their temples. They pretended to be Christian and claimed that it was Mary and Jesus.

Of course, you missed quite a few other examples, including the Hymn of Aton and chapter 125 of the Papyrus of Ani being almost word for word things said in the Old Testament.

Regarding whoever said these all happened after Christianity, this is not the case. In fact, the "God eating" first appears in some pyramid texts. Granted, it was beer and bread, not wine and bread in that earliest case, but eating the deities flesh and blood, symbolized by beer and bread, would help one get into the afterlife.

Of course, I see nothing wrong with religions borrowing from one another, especially when it is something which encourages people to do good.

Answer 3

Not really. In fact the two commandments that Jesus gave - touted as original are found in the Old Testament.

Baptism was a practice for people becoming Jews and was also prevelant in other religions.

I even have serious doubts that Paul was ever a Jew, let alone a Pharisee. A Pharisee would not quote from the Septuagint over the Hebrew translation to other Pharisees. Nor would he hang out with and do the bidding of the High Priest.

That being said - I don't think Christians intentionally stole anything. Not any more then any other religion.

Answer 4

Hello. The most original idea in Christianity is that God (the Son) would strip Himself of that which He had rights to to take on flesh, live on this earth, and then die for the sins of all mankind. That a God who IS Love would give up His beloved Son to redeem fallen unregerate man is incredible. He died on a cross because of love. Religion is man reaching out to God, whilst Christianity is about God reaching out TO man... since man was wholly inable to help himself otherwise. God loves and cares about those who've not accepted His gift of forgiveness yet. That God would have His people go through the world down through history to tell people about Him so they can be wth him at their life's end... it is original. No other religion offers a God who is a healer, a restorer of hopes, and grants mercy daily to His own children. No other religion calls those who've received His gift CHILDREN. There is ONLY one way to heaven... and that's through Jesus Christ His son. No other way, religion, or enlightenment will do it.

Answer 5

Nope, it's a hodge podge of whatever came before it. For however you want to see it, Christianity is a new religion, in terms of the world order. You may see it as being old due to the age you put on it, but face it, in comparison to what came before, it is far from old. Everything that I have ever heard about the religion is taken from some older source. Even your supposed founder was not a christian.

Answer 6

to be religious...ie. christian is taking the easy way out...christians always come out with this "why do you question god instead of satan?" hoopla.....they are the ones falling for "Satan's" lies by believing since childhood a fairy tale...does the concept of brainwashing ever enter your feeble christian minds?...when your a child you believe in santa claus and you think old people all die in their sleep but these things are not true...its not wrong to know this and its not scary either...so quit being children, starting holy wars, and ruining your short lives afraid of some angry vengeful god who loves you...its like a violent, drunken uncle or something

Answer 7

Yes it's very much a secondhand religion. They use the old jewish sky god which itself is based on the god of the Egyptian Pharoah, Akhenaten.

Answer 8

most holidays are pagan, easter was actually an orgy in the temple of a goddess,all women were required to show up one time in their lives and serve as a temple prostitute, by their pagan. religion.
also, some stories written in ealry mesopotamia hundreds of years before the bible was written have stories of an ark and the flood and a story very similar to the Moses one.

also some of Aristotles writings seem to have been plagiarized too

Answer 9

Ooh,dear,let's clear a few things up.
Christianity is derived from the Old testamnet as well,where we find the doctrines:
Ascension of Jesus to the right hand of God (Psalm 110:1),Atonement by blood (Leviticus 17:11),Begotten Son (Psalm 2:7),Crucifixion (Psalm 22:11-18, Zech. 12:10),Incarnation of God (Isaiah 9:6,Zech.12:10),Resurrection of Christ (Psalm 16:9-10,Isaiah 26:19),Return of Christ (Zech. 14:1-5,Mic. 1:3-4),substitutionary atonement (Isaiah 53:6-12),trinity (Gen. 1:1,26,Job 33:4, Ex. 6:2-3,Num. 12:6-8,Psalm 104:30, Is.48:16),virgin birth (Isaiah 7:14),and the worship of Jesus (Psalm 97:7).
n addition,the evidence for these pagan religions are actually dated to after the time of Jesus,so if there was copying,it was the pagans copying from Christianity!
You can read a refutation to all of your claims here:
http://www.tektonics.org/copycat/copycathub.html

Answer 10

The birth under an eastern star in a manger wrapped in straw comes from Zoroastrianism. That is why it was three Zoroastrian priests (magi) who were the first to find and recognize Jesus.

Answer 11

really the pgan tradiotions were in what time frame? but anyway may i add that mithras is belived to have come about between 0-200 ad.... sounds more like the pegans stole from cristianity. disks? halos? who said these were strictly christian symbols? they are symbols!!! is a pentagram symbolic only of satan?!

one holy day per week.. find me the religion that came about BEFORE the jews... the real religion i dobut they called themselves "the pegans"

i will admit, many traditions are borrowed from other religions into christianity, such as a cerimonal washing (i.e. baptism) However, no where in the bible, may i remind you does it say that only christians will do these things...

anyway your facts lack specific examples.