I came across material similar to those found on this site explaining the possible pagan origins of Christianity when I was in NS. Let’s just say that my conversation with my then cell group leader was one mother-long conversation.
POCM answers these questions by looking at what ancient people wrote about ancient religion. What the ancient evidence will show you is that ancient western culture had conventional ideas about Gods and their powers and place in the universe. Christianity adopted those ideas.
Ancient Pagans believed in various levels of divinity, with miraculous powers, coming down and going up to its home in the sky. Divine beings cared about people, listened to and answered their prayers. Gave them the power to prophesy. Even gave them a better deal in the eternal life that comes after death.
Christianity is a product of it’s time and place. Christianity is an ancient Pagan religion.
xizor2000 | 25-Jan-08 at 4:33 pm | Permalink
It might also be arguable that the other pagan religions are imitations of Christianity.
Sicarii | 25-Jan-08 at 4:59 pm | Permalink
I wonder if people have given thought to the fact that the ancients knew about the Great Flood and that there’ll be a coming Savior from oral instructions passed down from generation to generation since the days of Noah.
And because man was fallen and had no manner in which to reach and return to God, they came up with ways to do just that, i.e. the pagan religions.
It also goes forward to prove that man knows fully well inherently that we need a savior and that a return to God is necessary.
Shalom.
xizor2000 | 25-Jan-08 at 5:50 pm | Permalink
Anyway, it is a fact that Roman Catholicism did ‘co-opt’ many pagan figures and holidays. It was a Catholic policy after being made State Religion to do so to make conversion a much less ‘bitter’ affair for the pagans.