I am assuming that you, like many others, read new mainstream books that herald headline titles that claimed Christianity borrowed from such mystery religions as Mithraism. But those writers can easily oversimplify matters and (especially) recast mystery customs into Christian terms to emphasize parallelism, all because they are seeking the same sensationalism that even Christians can be guilty of when some speak on the end times (such as Harold Camping). If it's one thing I learned in statistics, it's that correlation does not equal causation. Seemingly Christian Mithraic customs are very often dated as appearing after, not before, the outset of Christianity. The "Lord's Supper" of both Mithraism and Christianity indeed finds its origins in another religion: Persian and Jewish customs (the Passover), respectively, not from one another. Almost all pagan parallels to Christianity originated after not before Christianity, so they could not be the origin of Christianity. These are only some of the explanations for the "copycat theory" alleged against Christianity. Gary Lease, an atheist and a professor of religion at UC Santa Cruz and a good friend of my family, even said that "after 100 years of unremitting labor, the conclusion appears inescapable that neither Mithraism nor Christianity proved to be an obvious and direct influence upon the other in the development and demise or survival of either." Resurrection parallels are truly laughable when one considers them: Mystery gods came back to life amid vegetation cycles annually, not once for all in the way Jesus did. More importantly, Jesus' resurrection was a physical, historical, flesh-and-blood event. Pagan cults were a mere mythical drama cast in fantastic language. Notice the down-to-earth nature of the Gospels (as opposed to epic Greek myths). When you look closely at alleged parallels (such as virgin birth, blood of the lamb, etc), differences do arise; most importantly, the fact that the God of Christianity is nothing like the gods of ancient religions. Looking closely at the parallels, really studying them and not resorting to the type of cursory glance typical of these splendid claims, really clears things up.
The book of Daniel, recorded in the Septuagint in the BC era, also prophecies the coming and rejection of Israel's Messiah (Jesus) in chapter 9. Daniel prophesies that 483 years from the decree to rebuild Jerusalem (which was destroyed by invading armies), the Messiah would be revealed to Israel and then "cut off," or killed. King Artaxerxes, who ruled from 465-425 BC, decreed that Jerusalem be rebuilt in his 20th year. 483 years later Jesus rode on a donkey into Jerusalem and revealed Himself as the Messiah, and then He was killed or "cut off" a few days later, just as the prophecy said hundreds of years ago.
And I obviously know that "you ARE here." That was the point of my original post, if you've forgotten. I've found, however, that the decline of religion has led to the slow slide of society. If one looks around, one can see more and more people motivated by selfish desires for the very reason that there is no God in their minds to hold them back or bring them judgment (notice the scruples of old borne of God-consciousness). Obviously there are some moral atheists, such as yourself, but the philosophy gives itself to moral degradation, and atheist Neitzsche recognized this, when he noted that the Western values of human rights and equality stem from Christian ideals in the equality of souls and the preciousness of human life in the eyes of God.
And now I'll stop, because I've went quite long already. Have a good night.
I am assuming that you, like many others, read new mainstream books that herald headline titles that claimed Christianity borrowed from such mystery religions as Mithraism. But those writers can easily oversimplify matters and (especially) recast mystery customs into Christian terms to emphasize parallelism, all because they are seeking the same sensationalism that even Christians can be guilty of when some speak on the end times (such as Harold Camping). If it's one thing I learned in statistics, it's that correlation does not equal causation. Seemingly Christian Mithraic customs are very often dated as appearing after, not before, the outset of Christianity. The "Lord's Supper" of both Mithraism and Christianity indeed finds its origins in another religion: Persian and Jewish customs (the Passover), respectively, not from one another. Almost all pagan parallels to Christianity originated after not before Christianity, so they could not be the origin of Christianity. These are only some of the explanations for the "copycat theory" alleged against Christianity. Gary Lease, an atheist and a professor of religion at UC Santa Cruz and a good friend of my family, even said that "after 100 years of unremitting labor, the conclusion appears inescapable that neither Mithraism nor Christianity proved to be an obvious and direct influence upon the other in the development and demise or survival of either."
Resurrection parallels are truly laughable when one considers them: Mystery gods came back to life amid vegetation cycles annually, not once for all in the way Jesus did. More importantly, Jesus' resurrection was a physical, historical, flesh-and-blood event. Pagan cults were a mere mythical drama cast in fantastic language. Notice the down-to-earth nature of the Gospels (as opposed to epic Greek myths).
When you look closely at alleged parallels (such as virgin birth, blood of the lamb, etc), differences do arise; most importantly, the fact that the God of Christianity is nothing like the gods of ancient religions. Looking closely at the parallels, really studying them and not resorting to the type of cursory glance typical of these splendid claims, really clears things up.
The book of Daniel, recorded in the Septuagint in the BC era, also prophecies the coming and rejection of Israel's Messiah (Jesus) in chapter 9. Daniel prophesies that 483 years from the decree to rebuild Jerusalem (which was destroyed by invading armies), the Messiah would be revealed to Israel and then "cut off," or killed. King Artaxerxes, who ruled from 465-425 BC, decreed that Jerusalem be rebuilt in his 20th year. 483 years later Jesus rode on a donkey into Jerusalem and revealed Himself as the Messiah, and then He was killed or "cut off" a few days later, just as the prophecy said hundreds of years ago.
And I obviously know that "you ARE here." That was the point of my original post, if you've forgotten. I've found, however, that the decline of religion has led to the slow slide of society. If one looks around, one can see more and more people motivated by selfish desires for the very reason that there is no God in their minds to hold them back or bring them judgment (notice the scruples of old borne of God-consciousness). Obviously there are some moral atheists, such as yourself, but the philosophy gives itself to moral degradation, and atheist Neitzsche recognized this, when he noted that the Western values of human rights and equality stem from Christian ideals in the equality of souls and the preciousness of human life in the eyes of God.
And now I'll stop, because I've went quite long already. Have a good night.
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