How Do I Explain This

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If someone brings up that gods before Christ had the same characteristics of Christ… Having 12 apostles, being the Son of God, being born of a virgin, being killed and then resurrected on the 3rd day…

What should I say in response? I know there are very similar attributes in past pagan religions.
 
If someone brings up that gods before Christ had the same characteristics of Christ… Having 12 apostles, being the Son of God, being born of a virgin, being killed and then resurrected on the 3rd day…

What should I say in response? I know there are very similar attributes in past pagan religions.
This is a standard but unfounded accusation. These articles will help:

philvaz.com/apologetics/J…iedSaviors.htm

philvaz.com/apologetics/HORUS.htm#SUMMARY

philvaz.com/apologetics/J…nceCarrier.htm
 
If someone brings up that gods before Christ had the same characteristics of Christ… Having 12 apostles, being the Son of God, being born of a virgin, being killed and then resurrected on the 3rd day…

What should I say in response? I know there are very similar attributes in past pagan religions.
I explain it simply with faith. Many of the stories in the bible have been told by others previously, they are not unique to the bible, but its a matter of personal faith as far as who you believe, whether it is the Hebrews, or the Egyptians, or the Sumerians, or Babylonians, etc. I like the christian version myself.
 
A really interesting reference to legends/myths that have similarities to the Christian story of Christ can be found here (Secret Teachings of All Ages, by Hall):

sacred-texts.com/eso/sta/index.htm

Like everything we read as educated adults, take it or leave it, but it at least may give you some fodder for conversation either for or against.
 
If someone brings up that gods before Christ had the same characteristics of Christ… Having 12 apostles, being the Son of God, being born of a virgin, being killed and then resurrected on the 3rd day…

What should I say in response? I know there are very similar attributes in past pagan religions.
The short answer is: those are made stories up by anti-Christian folks seeking to make Christianity sound pagan.

They go through old myths and latch onto anything at all that sounds like it could have a shred of linkage to Christianity and they paste it together as if it were Christianity re-packaged.

For example, there could be an old pagan myth of someone rising from the dead. So what? That doesn’t mean that myth also teaches virgin birth, son of God, etc,etc, yet these folks try to paint it that way.

Watch this short YouTube movie by a respected and popular Priest:
wordonfire.org/WOF-TV/Commentaries-New/Father-Barron-on-Zeitgeist-the-Movie-.aspx
 
The short answer is: those are made stories up by anti-Christian folks seeking to make Christianity sound pagan.

They go through old myths and latch onto anything at all that sounds like it could have a shred of linkage to Christianity and they paste it together as if it were Christianity re-packaged.

For example, there could be an old pagan myth of someone rising from the dead. So what? That doesn’t mean that myth also teaches virgin birth, son of God, etc,etc, yet these folks try to paint it that way.

Watch this short YouTube movie by a respected and popular Priest:
wordonfire.org/WOF-TV/Commentaries-New/Father-Barron-on-Zeitgeist-the-Movie-.aspx
well it is very pagan, but not in a bad way. its simple syncretism, and its how it took over everything so easily in many places. because there is a bend to the rules and traditions, its something we learned quite well from the Romans. There are a lot of similarities from many religions, and we just merged them into ours to get converts, its the natural way about it.
 
I would seek out a good historical work from a catholic author. Suggestions welcome…

Ive read lots of pages listing this sort of thing, some of which seem to actually be based on no evidence at all.
Be comfortable in history then meeting challenges like this becomes easier and more critical.

Thats how i approach it. 😃
 
I would seek out a good historical work from a catholic author. Suggestions welcome…

Ive read lots of pages listing this sort of thing, some of which seem to actually be based on no evidence at all.
Be comfortable in history then meeting challenges like this becomes easier and more critical.

Thats how i approach it. 😃
Actually, I would highly suggest a non-Catholic author, and hopefully, an author that isn’t even Christian. A person’s education and credentials, not their religion, is what should matter in this case, but it won’t stop people from pointing out the faith of the author and disregarding them as a result.
 
well it is very pagan, but not in a bad way. its simple syncretism, and its how it took over everything so easily in many places. because there is a bend to the rules and traditions, its something we learned quite well from the Romans. There are a lot of similarities from many religions, and we just merged them into ours to get converts, its the natural way about it.
So Jesus and His Gospel is a conglomeration of various pagan myths? If you are a Christian, you need to do some serious rethinking.
 
Actually, I would highly suggest a non-Catholic author, and hopefully, an author that isn’t even Christian. A person’s education and credentials, not their religion, is what should matter in this case, but it won’t stop people from pointing out the faith of the author and disregarding them as a result.
Agreed, basically just do a good amount of research 😃
 
So Jesus and His Gospel is a conglomeration of various pagan myths?
STRAWMAN :yawn:

that is not what I said at all.
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farsight001:
Actually, I would highly suggest a non-Catholic author, and hopefully, an author that isn’t even Christian. A person’s education and credentials, not their religion, is what should matter in this case, but it won’t stop people from pointing out the faith of the author and disregarding them as a result.
a most excellent point, I would like to 2nd that.

but would also like to add that a Catholic author could work to. I would not leave it up to one book, one author. I have a BS in History and there is alot of great theological history and information out there, do yourself a favor though and go to the library, some random blog, or wikipedia doesn’t suffice, it may be a start for finding the book you are interested in though. the information is out there.
 
STRAWMAN :yawn:
Perhaps, but a strawman easily constructed from your posts which haven’t addressed the uniqueness of Christian revelation as opposed to the religious myths of earlier cultures, e.g, the Egyptians, which is what the OP was asking about. Of course Christianity has absorbed many cultural practices of the peoples it has encountered through the centuries, but these are different from God’s revelation in and through His Incarnate Son which is to be held with Catholic faith.
 
Perhaps, but a strawman easily constructed from your posts which haven’t addressed the uniqueness of Christian revelation as opposed to the religious myths of earlier cultures, e.g, the Egyptians, which is what the OP was asking about. Of course Christianity has absorbed many cultural practices of the peoples it has encountered through the centuries, but these are different from God’s revelation in and through His Incarnate Son which is to be held with Catholic faith.
well then yeah, I don’t disagree with you. I was talking about the syncretism of Christianity absorbing other faiths along the way, and their cultural practices. I am not sure how easy it was to build because I only made one post and you got on me for it, besides i know what i was thinking even though it may be hard to type from time to time, lol. 😉

now if you want to talk about old testament stuff, I think there is a case for that. Especially since Christianity takes the old testament from the Jews. I cannot say for certain if the old testament didn’t borrow things from others, say maybe the flood from Gilgamesh? or random things from Egypt or Babylon. its hard to say either way, and I guess that is faith. My faith is about Jesus though, not if the flood happened (doubtful), or the Exodus, or any of the other awesome stories from the old testament that even modern day Jewish scholars in Israel cannot find evidence to support.
 
The Pagans never had characters like Christ but they did in their own way have prophecies of a Christs coming. This is why there were pagan kings adoring the baby Jesus after He was born remember?😃
 
you don’t even have to engage on pagan myths at all. Secular historians of the time wrote about Jesus, and He claimed to be God, which leaves the options of 1) crazy 2) liar or 3) telling the truth. He also taught us that we’ll know people by their fruits, and everyone can affirm the good works of Mother Teresa of Calcutta.
 
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