Christianity is easily the most dominant religion in the world, comfortably outnumbering Islam in its number of global adherents. Due to the nature of religion, which demands taking things on faith, most Christians would attest to the irrefutability of the tenets making up the religion.
The Bible, the holy book, is gospel. Everything in it is fact, and nothing one might say can change that to a Christian. This is despite the fact that as a work of literature, the bible’s authenticity cannot be proven. This is also despite the fact that it is a collection of books, which were carefully handpicked to make up the document, whilst others were carefully left out.
To the Christian thus, the bible is the word of God and undeniable. To the interested outsider, it is a work of literature whose authenticity is at best doubtful.
The story of Christ, told by four different authors in the books collectively dubbed the ‘gospel’, tells the story of perhaps history’s most famous figure. Christ is the founder of the modern religion, his whole life a series of remarkable events that point to his destiny as the child of God, and the saviour of the world.
What all Christians would see as the unique and divine occurrences in the Christ story, are actually a collection of tropes from the collection of religious literature predating his birth. Every story, no matter how remarkable, follows the basic tropes of storytelling. Every writer borrows from the literature that predates him, and either follows tropes, or breaks them entirely.
Every story has a hero and a villain; there are the stories with the princess in need who would be rescued by the gallant prince. Most heroes have a sidekick; there are some elements that run across every story ever written; that is what a trope is.
So when you discover, that no single element in the Christ story is as unique as you’d been led to believe, and that they are mostly recurring tropes in the religious leader origin story, you see Christ might not be so special.
Thousands of years before Christ was born man had religion, and our explanations for the origins of these mysterious beings have often followed one trajectory; Christ’s is no different- which means he is either as true or as fraudulent as the founders of several religions that came before him.
This article goes into more detail, but mine would just skip the surface of similarities in the Christ story and that of other religious leaders predating his birth. The obvious conclusion here is; Jesus Christ might not be all that we believe he is.
Common elements include the virgin birth, death and resurrection after three days, temptation by the devil, and divine warnings to save the infant saviour from an enemy attempting to avert prophecy.
For instance, six of these deities were born via virgins, a few others on December 25 itself. A couple others also died and resurrected after three days.
These are all common in the story of religious leaders, and the fact that Christ’s isn’t any significantly different show the framers tapped into history, and just followed the tropes of the genre.
These are the similarities between Christ, founder of Christianity; and other religious leaders predating his birth.
Gautama Buddha
Both Christ and Buddha went into their temples at 12 years, where they astounded scholars far learned with their wisdom. Both fasted for a lengthy period, 40 days for Jesus and 47 for Buddha. Both received strong temptation from the devil, yet prevailed.
Buddha started his public ministry at 29, Jesus at 30.
Krishna
One of the six believed to have been born via a virgin; he was also sent from heaven to earth in human form. His adopted human dad was a carpenter, and he was visited at birth by three wise men guided by a star. Immediately following his birth, a local dictator was planning to have him killed, so an angel delivered a warning for his parents to flee.
He started his ministry, performed numerous miracles, and was crucified and resurrected. Bear in mind I’m not talking about Jesus Christ here.
Dionysus
Dionysus is also of the virgin birth brood, and was born on 25 December. He was a travelling teacher who performed miracles, such as turning water into wine.
Zoroaster
Born of a virgin and “immaculate conception by way of divine reason”. Baptised in a river, tempted in the wilderness by the devil, cast out demons and restored sight to the blind. He was slain by his enemies, and was described as the ‘word made flesh’
Attis of Phyrgia
Born on the December 25th to the Virgin Nana- saviour to mankind, he died for our salvation. After death, he descended into the underworld, where he rose after three days.
Horus
Horus was one of the ancient Egyptian gods Hollywood has made so popular in movies like ‘The Mummy’ franchise. He was born to the virgin Isis, and was the only begotten son of the god Osiris. There was also an attempt to kill him at birth, thwarted by a divine warning.
He was baptised at 30, he walked on water cast out demons, healed the sick and made the blind see. He was crucified, descended into hell and resurrected after three days.
What makes Jesus’ story any truer than that of those above who actually lived before him? Is the Bible the word of God, or just the most plagiarised document in history?
Penny for your thoughts…
Good Piece…I would have just said; knowledge is power but a lot of people are knowledgeable and yet they cannot cut through certain things for their own comfort—and sense of belonging.
Most religious people may never know about these similarities and the fact that, the Jesus story is not anything special—in fact, many religious leaders before him hard those attributes. Virgin Birth, Miracles, Dead and Risen…
A recycling of the same story to buy the minds of people; topped by the presentation of a better after life—and made worse by indoctrination as well as acceptance.
All for the benefit of certain group of people; we see them today living their dream lives (big cars, houses and bottomless bank accounts) while those bought await for an after life—to be able to live their dreams.
Excellent! But for reason I am yet to fully understand, Christians are total
y blind to reasons and evidence.
Hmmmmmmmm
This is just another story wrote by an atheist who cannot stand the truth of Jesus the fact that the catholic church tried to maintains some paganism in his cult doesn’t mean Jesus is not the son of God we all know what happened,we know Jesus wasn’t born a in December,we know that easters eggs are idolatry,it’s just up to ourselves to behave well and know the truth from lie.The message of Jesus and what people did of it are two different things .I hate those people who encourage the others do not believe in God;you’re the one setting this world,look those big big stars who have every thing they still commit suicide after getting everything good in this world,i don’t know what you people think life is but if you just live to satisfied your flesh you will find yourself empty and unhappy at the end of the day. You think you’re smart,you think this tiny human brain of yours is anought to understand everything you think you know this world,that your intelligence is anought to challenge Jesus identity and God existence then i pity you a lot.I said it before you have time to insult Jesus and God because everything is fine in your life,when things begin to collaspe you will respect God and Jesus.
The writer only questioned the divinity and uniqueness of the Jesus story. He didn’t say God doesnt exist.
So no need to term him atheist
Our small brains may not be much but surely we do not need to have minds of a deity to exercise common sense. It is the right of every human being to ask questions and expect sensible answers. Religion as we know it would not exist if mankind had not asked the question of our existence in relation to the rest of the universe. Questions and insatiable curiosity took us out of the stone age, iron age, industrial age and brought us now into the information age. If in this age of abundant information and freedom of speech you choose to not ask questions because it will affect your passage to heaven, allow the more daring to ask and search for knowledge. Your own bible said ‘for lack of knowledge my people perish’. You owe it to yourself and your god to seek knowledge, not only knowledge that you are comfortable with. You do not wash your hands with the spittle of ignorance when you live at the shores of a river of knowledge. You all grow belligerent and abusive when people poke holes in the fabric of your religion but you do not hesitate to tell us how we will all roast in hell for our insolence. Your very nature is an anathema to reasonable dialogue. For without dialogue what are we but animals.
Your comment shows that you misunderstood the writer. What is wrong in subjecting what we have been told right from childhood to the “tribunal of truth?” Is there any need to overprotect something that is true and abuse those who have reasons to question its authenticity? Only advocates of errors would not want their claims investigated.
i cant beleive you compared Jesus Christ to all this people, the writer was not as smart to provide dates and years of which all this so called coinsidential things had happened. if you dont believe Jesus christ to be the true son of God who came to die for mankind, who now sits at the right side of his father in heaven and who will come and judge all of us someday, fine. for i and my household we prefer to be dump by believing and taking Jesus Christ as so high and mighty and the only son of God. so keep your genius stupid brains believing that the story of Jesus Chirst is a trope.
Seed of indoctrination and evidence of mental slavery
Well said