Guest Moljinir Posted January 11, 2009 Share Posted January 11, 2009 I have heard of the Mithra/Jesus connection and the similarities such as: Mithra was born of a virgin on December 25th in a cave, and his birth was attended by shepherds. 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 a tomb 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," "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 of what was later to become Easter. 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." "His annual sacrifice is the passover of the Magi, a symbolical atonement or pledge of moral and physical regeneration." 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." 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.'" Now it would look like Christianity was/is just a knock off of this religion but I have a serious question. I am suspicious. How do I know personally that this is not rewritten history? Maybe this wasn't what people believed about Mithra in 300 b.c. Maybe we are told it's what they believed. Maybe Mithra was invented in 2008. I am not arguing here. I have just became a real skeptical person lately. So how do I know if these claims are true and not recently made up? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodsmoke Posted January 11, 2009 Share Posted January 11, 2009 I have heard of the Mithra/Jesus connection and the similarities such as: <list snipped> Actually, a fair few of those are false. Mithras wasn't born of a virgin on Dec. 25. His birth probably didn't happen in a cave attended by shepherds, either. I don't know whether he was known as the "Redeemer," but I doubt it. That said, he was the son of a male god and a mortal woman. He did perform miracles. He was a savior figure. But POCM explains all that much better than I could, so I'll simply let you check it out with my full endorsement of the site. It's both a personal favorite and one of the best online resources I've found in my studies. Now it would look like Christianity was/is just a knock off of this religion but I have a serious question. I am suspicious. How do I know personally that this is not rewritten history? Maybe this wasn't what people believed about Mithra in 300 b.c. Maybe we are told it's what they believed. Maybe Mithra was invented in 2008. I am not arguing here. I have just became a real skeptical person lately. So how do I know if these claims are true and not recently made up? You do your research. It's the skeptic's curse that diving into the available documentation and personally verifying the veracity of the cited sources is the only real way to lay to rest any nagging doubts one may have about a given subject. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GraphicsGuy Posted January 11, 2009 Share Posted January 11, 2009 So how do I know if these claims are true and not recently made up? Without some research...you don't know... Question is, does it matter? How do we know that all, some, or none of anything is made up? Not dismissing your thoughts or anything, just laying my own feelings on the table. I personally don't give a fuck about ANY religion right now. I respect peoples' views as long as they respect mine. Believe whatever gives YOU peace of mind/life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Moderator florduh Posted January 11, 2009 Super Moderator Share Posted January 11, 2009 There doesn't seem to be a definitive scholarly consensus on that subject as far as I can tell. They're not even sure if the religion was practiced or understood the same way by the Romans and the rest of the practitioners. It appears to me it is a subject that both Christians and their opponents can, and do, twist to their respective advantage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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