Several researchers have also posited that Christianity contains certain Jewish elements.
My Sunday School class is open to discussing other religious faiths or even attending other services.
I wouldn’t say that Christianity plagiarised other myths and religions, so much as had the same root as them. For a few other facets of modern-day Christianity, like the date of the 25th, that’s about helping local heathens become Christians by letting lots of local traditions in to make Christianity seem familiar and easy to adapt to.
Christmas, for example - the date’s not in the Bible and certain events (like the probable date of the census Mary and Joseph were travelling to) make it unlikely that the birth related in the Bible was in December. The date of the 25th of December wasn’t used until a while after the Christians had spread across Europe. I’d say it has a lot more to do with the solstice (which was also the pagan new year in Europe and one of the biggest festivals in local societies) than any date from the myth of Mithras.
probably because “jesus” was a jew? :eek:
http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_jcpa5.htm
http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_jcpa5b.htm
It is a valid comparison. Supposedly it all relates to metaphors for the winter solstice.
One of my favorite Christopher Hitchens quotations:
"“Monotheistic religion is a plagiarism of a plagiarism of a hearsay of a hearsay, of an illusion of an illusion, extending all the way back to a fabrication of a few nonevents.”
Yes, the annual rebirth of the Sun-God Mithras would have nothing to do with the
rebirth of the sun in winter…
I never said that. I said that the choice of the 25th of December was less likely to be to do with the myth of Mithras because it was settled upon later by European Christians. When it comes to facets of Christianity that were settled upon by European Christians, European paganism is bound to be a bigger influence than ancient Egypt.
Of course, the date is probably partly down to the solstice without any reference to other myths - they all have similar dates not just because they’re copying each other but because they all, astronomically, have the solstice.
So you agree then?
That the feast on december 25th is of “heathen” origin, because several native religions plus a big one from the east (Mithraism) that was widespread over the roman Emire celebrated the solstice in their mythologies.
Christianity plagiarised the 25th to piggyback on the popular feast.
Why are you arguing with me? 
I said from the start that early European Christians chose that date partly because of local pagan customs. It’s not like you’ve persuaded me to that POV.
I just don’t call that ‘plagiarism,’ and I think local pagans who were still very active were vastly more influential in the choice of date than distant Gods from dead religions; I also don’t think the pagan dates were the entire reason for the date. Early Christians would appreciate the astonomical solstice too.
Whoosh!
It wasn’t very clear to me what you *were[i/] saying.
I now see that the confusion stems from that you think those eastern religions were long dead when Christianity adopted the feast.
When did Christianity start celebrating the 25th and when was the nativity story created?
I have 2 volumes of the book"Osiris and the Egyptian Ressurection", There are many things that were claimed of Jesus that are the same, But Osiris(not Horus) wasn’t buried, he was cut to pieces and Isis his (sister) wife, gathered all the pieces and took the shape of a dove and hovered over the parts and resurrected him, (she found all the parts but his penis)! He was called the Good Shepard, King of Kings, God,and son of God,supposed to walk on water, but nothing in my books about apostles,nor performing miracles. Isis is supposed to have taken the form of a dove, hovered over Osiris and concieved Horus their son.
As a post script: They also have a bread and wine ceremony of which I heard a cult of Osiris (Egyptians) still use to this day to honor Osiris.
I wouldn’t say that it was outright plagerism. I would say that Christianity was influenced on the helenism of the day, but it was still heavily based on Judaism.
Here’s some good info, IMO.
What came first, the priest, or the religion?
Even Better…What came first, the religion or the god?
That’s not what plagiarism means. And yes, I’m resisting the urge to start quoting The Princess Bride.
If Gaudere is lurking, perhaps she will repost her Mithrasmas Carol, which I found hilarious.
The point is, “Celebrating Chirstmas on December 25” is peripheral to the belief ysstem of Christianity – it’s a date chosen for a bizarre reason, that enabled pickingup on Midwinter Feast rituals from a variety of cultures. And the focus of Christianity is on either or both of (a) Jesus’s teachings on how to live a life in accord with Him, and/or (b) the metaphysical implications of His Crucifixion and Resurrection.
“That’s inconceivable!” – Zecharias the priest, father of John the Baptist 