The Pagan Origins Of Jesus Christ And Christianity

[Joshpantera]

Dr. Robert M. Price, a noted bible scholar, has a number of good books that would likely shed additional light on this subject. His books, and other similar scholars, can be found on Amazon.

 

Either the gospel story is real which requires miracles, deities, angels, demons and similar stuff that appears to be scientifically impossible or its fiction. God was apparently very chatty in ancient times but not so much since then. Miracles were apparently common in ancient times but not so much now.

 

Then there is the element of common sense, that apparently isn't so common these days, that also much be factored into this story. If the story is true then where is the evidence? The similarities between the gospel and numerous similar pagan stories is well documented.

 

Since there is no real evidence that the gospel story is true, Christianity says it requires "faith". In other words belief without evidence and faith apparently also requires significant indoctrination too.

 

"Osiris is doubly resurrected as his son Horus, too, and he, too, is eventually raised from the dead by Isis. He is pictured as spanning the dome of heaven, his arms stretched out in a cruciform pattern. As such, he seems to represent the common Platonic astronomical symbol of the sun’s path crossing the earth’s ecliptic. Likewise, the Acts of John remembers that the real cross of Jesus is not some piece of wood, as fools think, but rather the celestial “Cross of Light.” Acharya S. ventures that “the creators of the Christ myth did not simply take an already formed story, scratch out the name Osiris or Horus, and replace it with Jesus” (p. 25). But I am pretty much ready to go the whole way and suggest that Jesus is simply Osiris going under a new name, Jesus,” Savior,” hitherto an epithet, but made into a name on Jewish soil. Are there allied mythemes (details, really) that look borrowed from the cults of Attis, Dionysus, etc.? Sure; remember we are talking about a heavily syncretistic context. Hadian remarked on how Jewish and Christian leaders in Egypt mixed their worship with that of Sarapis (=Osiris)."

 

- Dr. Robert Price, Biblical Scholar with two Ph.D's

 

Review of Acharya's book "Christ in Egypt"

[JohnStewart]

If you want a really good book (possibly the only book worth reading, tbh) on this subject then Dr Richard Carrier's On The Historicity Of Jesus must be the best and strongest argument against historicity. You can download it for free from http://gen.lib.rus.ec/

Another useful website is Pagan Origins Of The Christ Myth (http://pocm.info/) which I was surprised to see wasn't here. It's also very good and takes a far more pragmatic stance than those who suggest that Christianity was directly pinched from another ancient religion.

[mymistake]

You know why she did that? Because of the apologists demanding primary source material and bitching about her 1st book The Christ Conspiracy. And I see that even then, the linked Catholic apologetic site still wants to try and contend with CiE even with the mountain of citation available. It's a descent sized book. 

 

 

Christian double standard:

 

Claims that pagan religions have a savior cannot be true and must be fully documented.

 

Claims from the new Testament that there is a savior are obviously true and the very word of God even when the books are anonymous or forged.

[Joshpantera]

Yes, mymistake, the double standards I've witnessed are outstanding. When it comes to anything opposing Christianity they demand hard evidence, scientific evidence, primary source material, etc. etc. When I was more active in locking horns with these guys I'd always refer back to their Christian beliefs when they demand evidence and "data." I'd hold their feet to the fire. Who exactly do they think they are demanding hard evidence from some one else when they believe in a book of fairy tales as absolute truth?

 

 Right...

[pck]

If you want a really good book (possibly the only book worth reading, tbh) on this subject then Dr Richard Carrier's On The Historicity Of Jesus must be the best and strongest argument against historicity. You can download it for free from http://gen.lib.rus.ec/

 

Another useful website is Pagan Origins Of The Christ Myth (http://pocm.info/) which I was surprised to see wasn't here. It's also very good and takes a far more pragmatic stance than those who suggest that Christianity was directly pinched from another ancient religion.

 

Thanks, that book sounds interesting. I'll put it on my reading list

 

btw: What kind of website is this? Some sort of filesharing for books?