Borrowing and Adapting

 
 
 

Vocabulary

 

 
 
 
 
 

Video

 

 
 
 
 

Transcript

 

Throughout history, religions have borrowed ideas from one another. This is not unique to Christianity, but the extent to which it has taken elements from older pagan beliefs is often overlooked.

Many people assume that Christianity brought something entirely new to the world, but a closer look reveals a different story. Much of what is now considered core Christian doctrine can be traced back to earlier pagan myths.

This is not speculation, but a well‑documented historical reality that scholars have studied for centuries.

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The story of Jesus bears striking similarities to earlier mythological figures. Many ancient cultures had gods or divine beings who were born of virgins, performed miracles, died, and were resurrected.

The Egyptian god Horus, for example, was said to have been born of the virgin Isis, just as Jesus was born of Mary. He was also depicted as a savior figure who battled evil forces, similar to Jesus’ role in Christian theology.

Dionysus, the Greek god of wine and festivity, was also said to have been born of a virgin and to have turned water into wine — an act famously attributed to Jesus.

Mithras, a Persian deity worshipped by Roman soldiers, was believed to have been born on December 25th and was associated with themes of resurrection and salvation.

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The idea of a god who dies and rises again is one of the most common motifs in ancient mythology.

Osiris, another Egyptian deity, was murdered and later resurrected. The same theme appears in the stories of Attis, Adonis, and Tammuz — pagan gods who were celebrated in rituals that resemble Christian Easter traditions.

Even the concept of a savior figure sacrificing himself for humanity’s sins was not new. Many ancient religions had figures who suffered or gave their lives for their followers, sometimes as part of fertility rituals symbolizing the cycle of life, death, and rebirth.

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Christianity also absorbed pagan traditions to make itself more appealing to converts. The date of Jesus’ birth is a prime example. Nowhere in the Bible does it state that Jesus was born on December 25th, yet that is the date celebrated as Christmas. This date was chosen because it aligned with the Roman festival of Saturnalia — a time of feasting and gift‑giving in honor of the god Saturn.

The winter solstice, celebrated in various cultures as the rebirth of the sun, also played a role in this choice. By placing Jesus’ birth at this time, early Christians made their new religion more familiar and acceptable to pagans. Some of the customs associated with Christmas — such as decorating trees, exchanging gifts, and lighting candles — were all borrowed from pre‑Christian traditions.

Easter, the most important Christian holiday, also has pagan roots. The name itself comes from Eostre, a Germanic goddess of spring and fertility.

The symbols of Easter, such as eggs and rabbits, have nothing to do with Jesus but are remnants of ancient fertility traditions. These symbols were used in pagan festivals celebrating renewal and new life, making them perfect for a religion that emphasizes resurrection.

Many cultures had spring festivals dedicated to gods associated with rebirth, and early Christians adopted these customs to help convert non‑believers more easily.

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The concept of Hell — a place of eternal punishment — also has pagan origins. The Greek underworld, ruled by Hades, had various levels of torment for the wicked.

The Norse belief in Hel, a shadowy realm of the dead, influenced later Christian depictions of the afterlife.

The idea of demons and a cosmic battle between good and evil resembles the Persian dualistic religion of Zoroastrianism, which heavily influenced Jewish and Christian thought.

Zoroastrianism introduced the idea of a battle between a supreme good deity and an evil adversary — concepts that later shaped Christian theology’s portrayal of God and Satan.

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The Christian practice of communion — eating bread and drinking wine to symbolize the body and blood of Christ — echoes ancient pagan rituals.

The cult of Dionysus involved drinking wine to become one with the god, just as Christians believe in consuming the Eucharist to unite with Christ. Mithraic rituals also involved a sacred meal that was strikingly similar to Christian communion.

Even the symbolic language used in Christianity, such as references to Jesus as the “Lamb of God,” has precedence in older religions where sacrificial animals were offered to the gods.

Baptism, a central Christian rite, existed in multiple pre‑Christian religions. The Egyptians practiced ritual purification through water, and the Greeks had ceremonial washings to cleanse sins.

Even John the Baptist, who supposedly introduced baptism to Christianity, was following a Jewish tradition that predated him. Water purification was seen as a symbolic act of renewal in many ancient cultures, and Christianity simply adapted this existing idea into its theology.

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Church architecture and organization also reveal pagan influences. The structure of Christian churches — altars, incense, and even the title Pontifex Maximus, which was used for the pope but originally referred to the chief priest of Roman paganism — all originated from earlier religious systems.

Many Christian churches were built on top of pagan temples, sometimes even incorporating elements of those temples into their designs. The layout of many churches, with a central nave and an elevated altar, mirrors Roman and Greek temples dedicated to their gods.

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The idea of a Holy Trinity — a single God made up of three distinct entities — is another concept with ancient roots. Hinduism has the Trimurti: Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. Many pagan religions had triads of deities.

The Egyptians had Osiris, Isis, and Horus. The Babylonians had Anu, Enlil, and Ea. The Christian Trinity follows the same pattern, even though the Bible itself never clearly defines it in the way later theologians did.

Many early Christian sects did not even believe in the Trinity, and it was only later solidified as official doctrine through councils and debates.

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The adoption of pagan myths was not accidental. Christianity needed to compete with other religions for followers. By incorporating familiar elements, it became easier for converts to transition into the faith.

If Christianity had remained a strictly Jewish sect following Jewish laws and customs, it would not have spread as widely. Instead, it adapted to the cultures it encountered, absorbing their myths and rituals to make itself more appealing.

This strategy helped it grow from a small Jewish sect into a dominant world religion.

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Despite these clear influences, many believers remain unaware of how much Christianity borrowed from earlier religions. This is partly because religious institutions have worked hard to suppress or reinterpret these connections.

The early Church Fathers often dismissed pagan similarities as distortions created by the devil to confuse people. Even today, many religious scholars try to downplay these connections, insisting that any similarities are coincidental or insignificant.

Historical records, however, tell a different story. The evidence is overwhelming: Christianity, like all other religions, is a product of human history, built upon layers of older traditions and beliefs.

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Understanding Christianity’s roots does not diminish its cultural impact, but it does challenge the idea that it is a unique or divinely inspired religion. When we strip away the borrowed elements, we see a faith that — like all religions — evolved over time by absorbing and repurposing existing myths and traditions.

Recognizing these historical facts allows us to understand the broader pattern of religious development and question the claims of exclusivity that many faiths promote.

Religion is not a divine revelation; it is a human creation shaped by the societies and cultures that develop it.

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Questions

Religion, Faith, Belief. According to the presenter, all religions are totally distinct and unique from each other. True or false?

God, Deity, Satan. Is Jesus entirely special and unique? Does Jesus’s biography resemble those of other figures? Did Jesus, Horus, and Dionysus come from ordinary families?

Spirit, Angel, Devil, Demon. Did they simply live and die?

Ritual, Ceremony, Sacraments. What can you say about the Christmas and Easter celebrations? Are they prescribed in the bible?

Worship, Honor, Veneration. Abraham, Moses, Jeremiah, Isiah talked extensively about Heaven and Hell. Is this right or wrong?

Profane, Sacrilege, Blasphemy. Have all Christian rituals and practices come from Judaism?

Bishop, Reverend, Priest, Pastor. Do European church and cathedral architecture come from ancient Judea and Galilee?

Church, Cathedral, Temple. The Christian Trinity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit has its origins in Judaism. Is this correct or incorrect?

Divine, Holy, Sacred. Are Judaism and Christianity identical, very similar, similar, in the middle, slightly different, very different, or completely different?
 
 
 
Doctrine, Dogma. Describe the religious landscape of your community, town, city, region and nation.

Statue, Painting, Idol, Symbol. Has the religious landscape changed over the generations, centuries or millennia?

Law, Rules, Commandment, Morals. Do you interact with or have you met people of different religions? Who are they?

Theism, Atheism, Agnosticism. What do you wish the religious landscape were like? I wish . . . . . . . . .

Polytheism, Henotheism, Monolatry, Dualism, Monotheism. What might happen in the future?

Salvation, Damnation, Purgatory. What could or should people, governments, religious bodies do?