Question: Someone told me that Christianity is actually a religion based upon Mithraism (a pagan sun god I think) and that most of the gospel was stolen from that belief system. Many similarities can apparently be made such as Mithra’s death and resurrection. What is the origin of this pagan religion and why would someone say this proves Christianity is false?

Thanks!

Diane

Answer: Dear Diane,

The idea that Christianity originated from paganism is not a new one. It has been suggested for many years, and is especially popular among those who compare and contrast world religions. Some comments:

1. Given the methodology some use, it might be possible to prove that all world religions came from each other. The idea is to isolate denominators that are common to all religions, then list them all, and attempt to decide which came first – the chicken or the egg. The one way that such an approach can be helpful is to aid us in understanding that paganism has influenced Christianity, since paganism was and is rife throughout all of human history. There is no way to "purify" culture of paganism, any more than it is possible for men and women to become perfect, free from sin in this life. There are elements in Christianity that have similarities with paganism. However, this does not prove, ipso facto, that Christianity "came from" paganism.
   
2. Christianity "came from" Judaism. Most historians use the phrase "Judeo-Christian heritage" – for Christianity cannot be explained outside of the influence of Judaism. The Bible is divided into old and new testaments, with the old giving us the foundation of why the new was needed. Of course, scholars also consider the roots of Judaism, and its parallels with ancient cultures and paganism. The Bible tells us Judaism is not the oldest religion, but the Bible also tells us that Judaism came to the Hebrews from God. But God used the history and culture already in existence in forming the foundation of the old covenant law, the basis of Judaism then and now.