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The Pagan Roots of Christianity

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posted on Oct, 3 2011 @ 08:08 PM
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Originally posted by sirjunlegun
reply to post by Lynda101
 


Which is why Lynda101 you worship the Creator and not the creature. Perhaps inherently there is nothing wrong with pleasures of lust except we were told not to lust for anyone outside of marriage. Or perhaps the wisdom says Creation should be so Holy, the perfect union of egg and seed should be the agony and extacy and a firm marriage the fertile healthy environment so the carrier of the next generation of life will be healthy and provide a Holy blessed union and so on and so forth. Those that have eyes to see, see and ears to hear, hear and we know the voice of the Shepherd just as the demons knew the sight of Messiah. Lust is just one of many examples.


When I read your reply I wondered what you were talking about concerning lust, as I hadn't covered that topic in my reply. Then of course, I realised I had brought to the table the concept of the Goddess of Love and, immediately it was taken purely from the concept of lust, one of the great fears of the Catholic Priest and Christianity across the board. The goddess of Love represented the sacredness of motherhood, relationships, harmony. You might have been more comfortable had I have used the Goddess of Hunting etc. The ancient pantheons represented real activities that people carried out and real situations such as weather/thunder or rain that they had to deal with. They were hardly something to deride.

I suspect you will find that the quote you loosely refer to concerning eyes to see and ears to hear with, is Christ talking about occult,hidden teachings he did not make known to the populace, only his chosen disciples. Its accepted in Christianity that Christ went to Egypt for some time as that was not a Judiac country it poses the question was he learning Pagan beliefs and teachings he could not get in Israel at that time.



posted on Oct, 3 2011 @ 08:41 PM
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Originally posted by kalunom
reply to post by SuperiorEd
 


Do you not think that a symbol can be worshiped as an idol? I don't understand the distinction you are making. Pagans worshiped idols, Christians worshiped symbols? What's the difference?



Living faith is rare. Faith is developed over time. Dead faith is common it seems. The Bible says that faith without works is dead. Works don't lead to faith. So where does faith come from? God develops our faith by being the good shepherd. Worshiping idols is placing faith in another place other than God. The main idol is self.


edit on 3-10-2011 by SuperiorEd because: (no reason given)



posted on Oct, 3 2011 @ 10:48 PM
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Yes, Christianity has a foundation in Paganism- from Halloween, to Christmas trees, to SUNday services.

The OP could have picked many topics to make his point that are much more direct and easier to understand than the writings quoted.



posted on Oct, 3 2011 @ 11:16 PM
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Originally posted by CB328
Yes, Christianity has a foundation in Paganism- from Halloween, to Christmas trees, to SUNday services.

The OP could have picked many topics to make his point that are much more direct and easier to understand than the writings quoted.


Just too clear up one little thing, Christianity does not have its roots in Paganism. The church has its roots in Paganism. The message in the bible didn’t change. The fact that similar stories exist to those in the Bible really proves nothing.



posted on Oct, 4 2011 @ 12:02 AM
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There is a ton of pagan and christian intermingling going on well into the middle ages. Even today...see voodooism. Christian missionaries tried to come up with ways to relate the Christian faith to the already held pagan beliefs of whatever area they were in...see the Celtic cross...image of the sun( worshipped by celts ) behind the Christian cross. Indeed Christmas as mentioned earlier...pagan celebration of the winter solstice. Yule. Jesus was most likely born in march! The huge campaign undertaken by Rome to bring all it's empire under the same umbrella.



posted on Oct, 4 2011 @ 12:09 AM
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reply to post by sacgamer25
 


Christianity is not rooted in paganism. The holy roman church was basically formed by pagans though to bring the empire under same belief system...making them easier to govern( control ). Constantine oversaw the formation of the first biblical canon. And while there was certainly picking and choosing of which texts went in and which went to the vaults..the writings were not significantly changed. The dead sea scrolls revealed this most recently but other texts proved it previously. See previous post for what happened next and why christianity seems so interwoven with paganism in certain areas and eras.



posted on Oct, 4 2011 @ 12:12 AM
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Whether the church is "rooted" in paganism is up to debate. Constantine was a "convert", although he never fully committed to the religion he forced on the people. Rooted is just a strong word for it. Tho not wholly inaccurate. Paganism is certainly not the FOUNDATION of the church or Christianity as a whole.
edit on 4-10-2011 by FloatingGhost because: (no reason given)



posted on Oct, 4 2011 @ 12:31 AM
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reply to post by Zeer0
 


I want to chime in here with a thought, now just expand a little, cus you know I have with the different ideas about organized religion.
So everyone is comparing pagan rituals with Christianity or Christianity with pagan rituals, seems like things got mixed up along the way, so which came first is the question, well we have been told some documents are dated older than story’s in the bible, so we assume these are original stories and the stories from the bible are remixes of the original older account.

Cool I can vibe with that idea, but thing is I'm being told this without the skills to read the actual language these stories are wrote in including the Hebrew bible. Could be a lie, but who do I trust in?
But now the stories from the bible tell you that there is an advisory who wants to deceive you, I believe in the idea of that, giving the world is full of false information and smoke and mirrors, leading the common man in a blind bliss to his grave.

So does anyone else think it probable that the devil/satan…and all the different titles , could have been setting up these false documents eons ago to deceive a future of souls?

You got Christmas which is pagan to the fullest but Christians celebrate Christ’s birth on this day, who decided this ??? the organized church did that’s who. And there is not set date when he was born, just guess’s.

What better way to deceive the population of believers than to put a persons savior on a pagan holiday.


So was it the church adopting the pagan way or trying to incorporate the truth into pagan, to destroy the truth, and bury it in deception?

edit on 4-10-2011 by Sippy Cup because: (no reason given)



posted on Oct, 4 2011 @ 12:41 AM
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reply to post by FloatingGhost
 


I think it was meant to dilute truth, and to still have the pagan rituals remain intact, but done in a passive way.



posted on Oct, 4 2011 @ 12:45 AM
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reply to post by Sippy Cup
 


None of the above. First off...though you can't decipher the original languages...many can. Many. To get them all to withhold info or knowingly go along with a mistranslation would be impossible. Of course there will be squabbles about words or phrase translations. There have been many...and you can research them and make your own conclusions. Most are between slightly and totally insignificant but some are of interest for sure. Paganism is certainly older than Christianity. Or Judaism or Islam. But paganism is not a set religion by any means like the 3 previously mentioned. Concerning the rest of your post I think I'd be repeating my repeating myself in previous posts. No I do not find it probable that any Christian texts were thought up by devils eons ago.
edit on 4-10-2011 by FloatingGhost because: (no reason given)



posted on Oct, 4 2011 @ 01:00 AM
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reply to post by FloatingGhost
 


Whoa I didn’t say Christian texts being thought up by devils eons ago, I said the pagan texts being put in place by devil (singular). But you can do it that way also. ( post kinda sloppy coherent thought falling apart, couple brews and less grub in the tummy does that)

So those many men who “CAN” read such said languages might say this says this or that, but I don’t know this dude , or is this dude is on the up n up or has an agenda, but in the same breath I cant say all these’s people who can are liars.

However

I got a stack of 20,000 dollars laying right next to me…believe it!!!!! if you don’t you can call me and my two friends who are here with me who will tell you the same thing.

true/false (circle one)



posted on Oct, 4 2011 @ 02:41 AM
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Pagan roots in Christianity?
Depends how you define that word.
The Holy Bible - the Word of God? No.
The pure Christianity based solely on the Word if God? No
The Catholic church and it's daughters who incorporated pagan practices? Yes.

Halloween? Uh, last time that I checked it's not a "Christian" practice.
Christmas? Yes, the celebration of Jesus's birth.
"On December 25 of 2 BC as it entered retrograde, Jupiter reached full stop in its travel through the fixed stars. Magi viewing from Jerusalem would have seen it stopped in the sky above the little town of Bethlehem." www.bethlehemstar.net...
Was he a couple months old at that point? Possibly.

The biggest thing Satan ever did was to set up the 'similarities'. He knew the prophecies when the Messiah was to come. The sad thing is that people cannot contemplate on this aspect, that they automatically believe that Jesus Christ is the fraud.
And all anyone has to do is earnestly seek God for the truth. For when you do, He leads you and once you understand the truth in the core of your being, life is humbled in the presence of Divinity.



posted on Oct, 4 2011 @ 03:11 AM
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Christianity didn't appear in a vacuum. It's early believers came from a variety of cultures, some pagan; so
I'm not understanding this charge of paganism.

Obviously, Christianity is rooted in the person and message of Christ. So any claims of paganism must show a connection to Christ himself.



posted on Oct, 5 2011 @ 04:30 AM
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reply to post by kalunom
 


I'd agree there's been pagan infestation of Christianity, I wouldn't say the "roots" are pagan.. they were the first to be called "Christian" at Antioch, Syria.



posted on Oct, 5 2011 @ 05:25 AM
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Originally posted by NOTurTypical
reply to post by kalunom
 


I'd agree there's been pagan infestation of Christianity, I wouldn't say the "roots" are pagan.. they were the first to be called "Christian" at Antioch Syria.


St. Ignatius was the third Bishop of Antioch. He was the first to use the term "Catholic."

Ignatius of Antioch, Epistle to the Smyrnaeans, Chapter 6, 110 A.D.:

"Take note of those who hold heterodox opinions on the grace of Jesus Christ which has come to us, and see how contrary their opinions are to the mind of God ... They abstain from the Eucharist and from prayer because they do not confess that the Eucharist is the flesh of our Savior Jesus Christ, flesh which suffered for our sins and which that Father, in his goodness, raised up again. They who deny the gift of God are perishing in their disputes."



posted on Oct, 5 2011 @ 06:33 AM
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OP quote
"My point here being, the lines between early pagan beliefs and early Christianity were not so cut and dry. A person was not one thing or another. These strong divisions came much later.

In today's day and age we are so divided amongst are religious affiliations that we feel as though our own personal religion has to be the only, right and true religion in the world.

These correlation between Pagan and Christian can also be made between Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, and Islam. All major religions have common roots. Much based in astrology and astronomy."

Since you make the claim that Christian roots are based in/on paganism, can you please cite officially translations of pagan myths which correlate to Christ Jesus? You casually mentioned Zeus and His sons being born of virgins....In reality:
Dionysius: His father was Zeus who seduced a mortal woman (something Zeus did frequently) named Semele. Dionysius resulted from the physical relations between Zeus and Semele.

We need to clarify that (in Christianity) God the Father did not have sex with Mary. Jesus' conception was miraculous, no male was involved.

So why do you continue to parrot myths as fact? Most serious scholars in the field of comparative
religion gave up long ago after realising that the ancient myths actually don't correlate to the story of Jesus Christ. Google it instead of parroting lies which are easily disproved by 5 minutes of research.

Some Christians, however, do recognise the pagan PRACTICES that have infiltrated the churches - at the hands of the Roman Catholic Church. It is blasphemy - worship of idols, sun worship etc. But ironically, attacks against fundamental Christians, who believe the Bible as the Word of God, are rapidly increasing whilst Catholicism (sun worship) isn't ....GO FIGURE. WONDER WHY THAT IS? COULD IT BE THE FACT THAT IT HAS HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF BELIEVERS PRAYING TO MARY AND SAINTS, WORSHIPPING ON SUNDAY, WORSHIPPING IDOLS?

I pray that anyone reading these threads gets WHY these continued attacks against mankind's Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, are a dime a dozen. I pray that you yourself can take the time to see why you yourself spread false information.

Christianity is inherently divisive in one regard-. Jesus Christ proclaimed that He alone paid for the sins of mankind and that He is the route to salvation. There is no compromise on this fact. And for this very reason Satan knows that He has to attempt to get as many men as possible to no longer believe in that very message. He paid the PRICE for us.

Do you understand why His blood was required to be shed? Before Christ, animal sacrifices were required to atone for sin being committed. One had to kill an innocent creature of God, spilling it's blood. When man must kill an innocent animal like a lamb because of his sin, it illustrates the awfulness of sin. God wanted man to understand that when he sinned, it meant death for something or someone. The Lord wanted us to realize that the penalty of sin would cause a life to be taken. When people had to take a little lamb and bring it to be slain upon an altar as an offering for their sins, the impact of sin became REAL to them. Sin always requires a sacrifice. The penalty of sin IS death, Jesus was the lamb slain from the foundation of the world, and His death and shed blood paid the price for sin once and for all. Accepting Jesus Christ gives us the Holy Spirit, and the act of confessing/repenting our sins now cleans us. That is why He said that life is given to those who come to Him. Sin is death in this universe. And He provided mankind the pathway to Life in such a universe.

Whilst my last paragraph is OT, it does illustrate CLEARLY there is nothing pagan abouts the roots of Christianity. The church yes, the roots categorically no. To fully unserstand this part of God's Divine plan in our world - in our creation and life upon this Earth - is wondrous. Please, I pray that you no longer take part in the devil's playground and turn to Jesus for your redemption.



posted on Oct, 5 2011 @ 07:10 AM
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How about an analogy, boys and girls?

There once was a biker...big ol' burley red necked biker dude.... the big ol' burley red necked biker gets saved and accepts Jesus as his Lord and Saviour... does the big ol' burley rednecked biker dude talk any differently? Does he use different words and phrases? He may be a little more respectful of some of the words he uses, but as a whole...he will continue speaking as he always did...using the same phrases, metaphors, and analogies when speaking.

Rewind back a couple thousand years...a pagan accepts Jesus as his Lord and Saviour. Does he talk any differently or will this person continue using the same metaphors, phrases, words and wording that he always used?

He would probably continue talking as he always did...just use the same words to illustrate a new viewpoint or philosophy or way of life.



posted on Oct, 5 2011 @ 07:38 AM
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Originally posted by colbe

Originally posted by NOTurTypical
reply to post by kalunom
 


I'd agree there's been pagan infestation of Christianity, I wouldn't say the "roots" are pagan.. they were the first to be called "Christian" at Antioch Syria.


St. Ignatius was the third Bishop of Antioch. He was the first to use the term "Catholic."

Ignatius of Antioch, Epistle to the Smyrnaeans, Chapter 6, 110 A.D.:

"Take note of those who hold heterodox opinions on the grace of Jesus Christ which has come to us, and see how contrary their opinions are to the mind of God ... They abstain from the Eucharist and from prayer because they do not confess that the Eucharist is the flesh of our Savior Jesus Christ, flesh which suffered for our sins and which that Father, in his goodness, raised up again. They who deny the gift of God are perishing in their disputes."


I was referring to something written about 70 years earlier:


The Book of ACTS.



posted on Oct, 5 2011 @ 02:23 PM
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reply to post by Sippy Cup
 


So your telling me the "Devil" did it?

Reminds me of Justin Martyr.



When we say that he, Jesus Christ, our teacher, was produced with no sexual union, was crucified and died, and rose again and ascended into heaven we propound nothing different from what you believe regarding the sons of Jupider.



Then he also goes on to say this...



For when they say that Dionysus arose again and ascended to heaven, is it not Evidence the Devil has imitated the Prophecy?


I think its kinda funny that its obvious Christianity comes from older Religions and peoples rebuttal is that the"Devil" did it. That makes me lul.



posted on Oct, 5 2011 @ 02:46 PM
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reply to post by Zeer0
 


Justin Martyr was the first man to mix Gnosticism and Christianity in Alexandria, Egypt.

Bad example to use.



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