I have made a rather startling and revealing discover, whilst researching religion, here it is: Mithra.?

Question

Mithra was a persian mythological figure that was born on the winter solstice (December 25) and traveld to various towns healing the sick and giving advice. He was crucified and three days later was resurrected on the Pagan holiday of Easter. The truly weird thing about this finding is the story of Mithra is dated back to 12th century BCE.

What are your thoughts on this subject?

I will post a few links in additional details in just a moment.

http://www.google.com/search?q=Mithra+religion+-game

Lots of good sites turned up on this search, so here is the search results.

also visit wikipedia.com for more information on Mithra. It is not as in depth as the other sites as it tries to focus on him from several different countries view points instead of his country of origins view.

Xtheist,

I am aware of that fact, I was merely stating that the day we celebrate as the birthday for Christ is nothing more than the Pagan revered Winter Solstice and also shares the birthday of an older religious figure.

disciple is brainwashed......

The persian myth of Mithra is basically identical to the story of Jesus Christ. I didn't mention the others because, while they were similar, they were no where near as close in similarity as this religion is.

Answer 1

This is old news. The "Jesus" character was copied from several earlier gods. Most Christians don't know about that because until recently, their information has been carefully filtered by the church. Thanks to the internet and cable/satellite television, they are FINALLY getting educated.

Answer 2

This looks to me to be another case of skeptics citing a pre-Christian religion, assuming that the post-Christian form of the religion (which we know about) has remained faithful to the pre-Christian form of the religion (which we know nothing about), and speculating that the similarities between the religion and Christianity are due to Christianity borrowing from the religion in question. It’s a philosophical argument without solid evidence to back it up. Have we any good reason not to suppose that it was the story of Mithra which borrowed from Christianity and not vice versa?

Given that all of the Christian themes are found in the Old Testament and the Old Testament was begun around 2000 B.C. and completed around 400 B.C., we can then conclude that these pagan religions actually borrowed from Jewish ideas found in the Old Testament.

While there are several sources that suggest that Mithraism included a notion of rebirth, these notions are all post-Christian. The earliest so far discovered dates from the end of the second century A.D.

Therefore, even though there are similarities between Christianity and Mithraism, it is up to the critics to prove which one borrowed from the other. But, considering that the writers of the New Testament were Jews who shunned pagan philosophies and that the Old Testament has all of the themes found in Christianity, it is far more probable that if any borrowing was done, it was done by the pagan religions that wanted to emulate the success of Christianity.

Answer 3

The celebration of Jesus' birth on Dec. 25 was adapted in the 4th century, when Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire. So this minor influence of a pagan religion really can't be used to say Christianity is based on earlier religions. If you do research, watch the time line - there are some aspects of pagan religions that did not exist before Christianity, showing Christianity's influence on pagan religions, not the reverse. Example: the cult of Cybele raised the effectiveness of the "blood bath" from 20 years to eternity, in response to Christianity's promise of eternal life.
Some researchers use Christian terminolgy inappropriately to make their point. Horus is killed, and thrown in the river (that's "baptism) His wife recovers his body (that's resurrection)
Its an interesting study though.

Answer 4

No need to post additional thoughts on this, this is old news and is a dead religion that is just now being brought back up by people always trying to find a way to contradict Jesus Christ. The fact is this. This religion was a copycat religion a few hundred years before Christ. All they did was mimic some prophecies that were given thousands of years before from Judaism about the coming messiah who was Jesus Christ and it was all proven false long ago that is why you dont here it today because it is an old dead false copycat religion. The real Christ came and fulfilled all prophecy and came with signs and wonders and had multitudes of witnesses in Jesus Christ.

Answer 5

Yep, if you study your history, you'll find that "Christianity" is simply a marriage of pagan belief with jewish gnosticism, and its purpose was to unite the Roman Empire under Constantine. The god-man savior myth is a common theme throughout the history of mankind. Mithra isn't the only one who is similar to Jesus.
There is no historical evidence that the biblical Jesus ever existed, either. None whatsoever.
He's just as fictional as Mithra.

Answer 6

http://www.geocities.com/inquisitive79/godmen

Horus predates christ by 1500 years.

Mithra was born of a virgin on December 25 in a cave, and his birth was attended by shepherds bearing gifts.
--He was considered a great traveling teacher and master.
--He had 12 companions or disciples.
--Mithra’s followers were promised immortality.
--He performed miracles.
--As the “great bull of the Sun,” Mithra sacrificed himself for world peace.
--He was buried in atomb and after three days rose again.
--His resurrection was celebrated every year.
--He was called “the Good Shepherd” and identified with both the Lamb and the Lion.
--He was considered the “Way, the Truth and the Light,” and the “Logos,” [Word] “Redeemer,” “Savior” and “Messiah.”
--His sacred day was Sunday, the “Lord’s Day,” hundreds of years before the appearance of Christ.
--Mithra had his principal festival on what was later to become Easter.
--His religion had a eucharist or “Lord’s Supper,” at which Mithra said, “He who shall nto 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.”
--“His annual sacrifice is the Passover of the Magi, a symbolical atonement of pledge of moral and physical regeneration.”

Furthermore, the Vatican itself is built upon the papacy of Mithra, and the Christian hierarchy is nearly identical to the Mithraic version it replaced . . .
. . . Virtually all of the elements of the Catholic ritual, from miter to wafer to altar to doxology, are directly taken from earlier Pagan mystery religions.

Answer 7

Dude, Mithra, Horus, Krshna, Quexalcote, there are plenty of comparable savior stories. Watch the first part of Zeitgeist sometime.

http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com/
http://btjunkie.org/torrent/ZEITGEIST-The-Movie-Official-Release-re-encoded-AVI/433321f54ef61a0b4e1aa6867307af68bb9c00c5448f/download.torrent

Answer 8

http://www.jesusneverexisted.com will give you more references to other pagan gods of which the life of jesus was stolen, for there were others apart from Mithra.
this site is a must for Christians and Atheist alike

Answer 9

Yep, old news. Most of the story was taken from older myths.

Answer 10

Gee, I had the same shocking reactionb when I learned about the god Osiris of Egypt!