Thread: The Pagan Christ

Saw a very interesting documentary on the weekend that speculated much of the story surrounding Christ strongly resembles many pre-Christian ideas of sun-worship, halos, virgin birth on December 25th, the visit of 3 kings to a Saviour, miracles, resurrection after 3 days, 12 Disciples, it goes on and on.

THE PAGAN CHRIST



There are 2.1 billion Christians on the planet – roughly one third of the entire human population. At the heart of their religion is the New Testament and the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. To Christianity, the written word is the glue that binds the faith of its followers.

So, what if it could be proven that Jesus never existed? What if there was evidence that every word of the New Testament – the cornerstone of Christianity – is based on myth and metaphor?


Based on Tom Harpur’s
national bestseller, The
Pagan Christ examines
these very questions.

During his research, Harpur discovered that the New Testament is wholly based on Egyptian mythology, that Jesus Christ never lived, and that – indeed – the text was always meant to be read allegorically. It was the founders of the Church who duped the world into taking a literal approach to the scriptures.

And, according to Harpur, this was their fatal error – and the very reason Christianity is struggling today.

The mission of The Pagan Christ is not to accelerate Christianity’s slow demise, but to breath new life into its holy book and, in the process, bring the world a richer, more spiritual faith.

The Pagan Christ : Doc Zone : CBC-TV

This isn't the same documentary, but represents a very good summary.

The Pagan Christ

I'll post the original doc when it becomes available.

^ Can't watch the vids (crappy dial-up), but it's long been thought that the placing of Christmas in the middle of December was no accident. Winter solstice is a mere 4 days before & there were pagan festivals to try to induce the sun to come back around that time. A lot of traditions we incorporate into Christmas (ie the use of mistletoe and holly) actually stem from druid festivals.

I read somewhere (no idea where, so I can't back it up) that early Christians actually gave Christ the birthdate of 25th Dec to override these pre-existing pagan festivals. Whether Christ actually existed or not isn't something I feel I can answer, but I'm pretty sure he wasn't born on 25th December.

Originally Posted by Silent Orchestra

Originally Posted by Hootad Binky

Originally Posted by Silent Orchestra

What if there was evidence that every word of the New Testament – the cornerstone of Christianity – is based on myth

There is.

Where?

That bit about a Noah's boat taking two of each animal on board is a bit dubious, for a start.

1) Noahs ark is not in the New Testament.

2) Something being dubious doesn't disprove it.

3) Even if the story of Noah's ark was in the New Testament and it was disproved, it still doesn't prove that everything written there was based on myth.

If you are going to debate anything, please arm yourself with facts, knowledge and an analytical mind. You seem to have a tendency to speak out on subjects you apparently know very little about, first global warming and now this. I mostly enjoy your posts, but occasionally you do come across as a bit naive and gullible.

If a subject really interests you, do yourself a favour and learn something about it, listen to those who already have and then, when you have understood both/all sides of the argument, then think for yourself and make a stand. Not before.

Christmas Day usurped the original Roman holiday that was celebrated then called Saturnalia, where presents were given out.

The trinity and virgin birth was nicked from the religion that worshipped the God Mithra.

And of course, Jesus's divinity was decided at the Counsil of Nicea in 325AD, by church officials. Up until that point, Christians worshipped Jesus as a mortal man.

Originally Posted by Silent Orchestra

Originally Posted by Whiteshiva

If you are going to debate anything, please arm yourself with facts

Difficult to have facts of an event that never happened in the first place.

It would be like discussing the facts of any fictional book - such as Harry Potter - it never happened.

From what I can gather, the New Testament is about Jesus & his gang, who went round performing miracles & healing the blind by spitting in the ground & rubbing it on their eyes & such, amongst other things.

Call me a cynic, but that is a load of bullshit & anyone who doesn't agree is in the grip of advanced mental illness.

Cynic!
The problem is, while Harry Potter is clearly fiction, the bible does actually contain some historical truth. The problem is the religious nuts want us to take it all at face value, while historians are still debating what is fact and what is fiction (not referring to the parts dealing with supernatural beings here).

Originally Posted by Silent Orchestra

Originally Posted by Whiteshiva

You seem to have a tendency to speak out on subjects you apparently know very little about

You're right, which is why I didn't offer a long post detailing exactly how I felt, I just added a small comment, which made my position clear.

Fine, but if you are just brushing off arguments by saying that it is bullocks, and then adding what is clearly logically and factually incorrect, you don't leave yourself with much credability. In fact if anything, you make the very people you are disagreeing with look good.

Originally Posted by Silent Orchestra

Originally Posted by Whiteshiva

global warming

Every new scam the climate change racket comes up with has been disproved on several occasion in one or all of the global warming threads. To say without doubt I & many others are wrong just because you think you are right is wrong.

Absolutely. But it is not just me, it is the overwhelming majority or the scientific establishment. I sincerely hope you are right on the subject, but I prefer listening to the people who actually do the research. and if you have scientific evidence or reports that disprove global warming, I (and I am sure many others) would love to hear it.

Originally Posted by Silent Orchestra

Originally Posted by Whiteshiva

If a subject really interests you, do yourself a favour and learn something about it

The subject being God?
No thanks.

So if religion does not interest you, please don't debate it, because you would not be able to add anything of value to the discussion. Personally, I find it fun to cross swords with the religious nuts, but I prefer to do it armed with knowledge, rather than abuse.