Christianity is unoriginal

[Nobunaga]

From just a very quick look at the webpage, there don't seem to be any primary sources cited. You need to ask your friend to actually give you the ancient sources.

Point almost no one ever takes on board, but saves so much time.

[quiet dove]

Hi LookingUp, just posting regarding the book Brother Mark recommended, or author., Josh McDowell, very worth in. 'Evidence that Demands a Verdict", he probably has others, but I know that one is excellent.

The thing about your friend, unfortunately....he is refusing the conviction of the Spirit in his heart, and the longer he does this, the more imbedded the deception becomes. And arguing it with him is not going to work, just present truth to him, that is your obedience, and either he will respond to the Spirit or he will choose not to.

It is the day in which we live and these deceptions are main stream..the inaccuracies, the blindness, the refusal....generally by those assuming themselves to be "intelligent" enough to know better than to follow fables as they consider the Bible to be..... but, having rejected the truth, then they turn around and follow what is a fable. But that is the genius of our adversary. The more you look around and see the deception rampant, you see just how brilliant and genius Satan really is. And he can be very beautiful also as he wraps himself around lies that kill.

This is his website, I apologies that there are things for sale, but there are things for free...I think, it says they are. I am fixing to find out as I intend on downloading some of it. Not sure what is there but maybe something that will help you. I think I did see something on the resurrection and since Christianity rises or falls on that issue, as it is proof of Jesus Deity, it is proof He lives, and it is proof through Him we too will live.

McDowells book "Evidence that Demands a Verdict" is really good, if I had the money I would buy everyone I know a copy, to go along with a new Bible......

The thing that is really hard, is that, if your friend wants to deny Christ, he will find a reason, regardless of the evidence. Evidence is only beneficial to the hearer if the hearer is honest and unbiased about the evidence he is hearing. These claiming to the Messiah prior to, after, and still today cannot fulfill the prophecies of the Bible....all they can do is present counterfeit.

[Saved7]

I have heard by many this same argument about Christianity being a copy cat religion. And after looking at the so called evidence each time I am left laughing. For example....there was some ruler in Egypt who died in BATTLE (Jesus didn't go to war) and he supposedly died in the river Nile (baptism I they say) and his wife cut his body up and sent it to different places around the country and then gave birth to a Son which she claimed was his and then he became a Sun God or the dead man or some sacked out stuff like that. It's been a while so the story is fuzzy, but those are the so called similar STORIES/religions. Funny stuff,that.

[LookingUp]

He's told me to check out The Christ Conspiracy: The Greatest Story Every Sold by Acharya Murdock. I basically told him that if he could offer me one primary source, I'd be willing to take a look at it. I told him to get evidence from these people making these claims and that they shouldn't be offended because it's a fair and honest request.

[Indueseason]

A friend shared with me that he can't believe in Christianity because it's obvious we borrowed our traditions from other religions that existed before Christianity. Any advice? This is his note to me:

The similarities of beliefs and religions that predate Christianity. take for instance: Horus 300B.C., Attis 1200B.C., Dionysus 500 b.C., Mithra 1200 B.C..............Most of which were born of a virgin, Dec 25th birthday, performed miracles, known as the Light Alpha omega etc., Dead for 3 days, resurrected.........It seems to me that traditional Christian values were infact barrowed from other predated beliefs. Including the pegan cross.......

Few people have heard about the guys above.Most people have heard about Jesus.The truth has stood the test of time. Your friend can see that if he puts down his prejudices.

blessings to you

[DDGresham1]

Anybody got any links to any of these sources? I would be curious to see some real evidence. If not I'll try and look into it further.

[Saved7]

MOD NOTE: I think this thread will do better in Apologetics and Evangelism forum.

[RollTide21]

Prominent Christian scholars such as William Lane Craig, among others, have thoroughly refuted the "copycat" theory. It's garbage.

[jesse]

Umm... I had something to add that was on the topic of siting sources. My friend at work had this book by David Icke which was just so crazy! I am not even sure what the book was about i just picked it up and read a little about how Jesus was based on the story of Joseph because they had so much in common and how Josephus and Pliny the Younger wrote the new testament and on and on and i only read maybe 3 pages of this book... and you could write like a 500 page book trying to prove those 3 pages. Needless to say, there were no proofs of any claims, no sources cited, just paranoid ramblings of a lunatic. And my friend at work totally thinks all that stuff is highly probable and its just madness. But it just goes to show you where not doing your research will take you! I am sure this doesn't help, I just felt like sharing.

[ewq1938]

lol .

[glad4mercy]

He said this source supports his view. I plan to look over it.

http://www.exposingchristianity.com/New Testament.html

Let's take a look at some of the things that the author accuses Christianity of borrowing, and see if his argument holds water.

1. Resurrection- The hope of resurrection was expressed by Job in Job 19:25-26. Job is probably the oldest book in the Bible, and probably predates Moses.

2. Trinity- The pagan references are merely a satanic corruption of the true God who has always existed. Nothing predates Him.

3. The Lamb- Abraham said "My Son, God will provide Himself a Lamb." There is also Moses and the Passover Lamb, and the Levitical sacrifices. Of course, all of these sacrifices are types of Christ. So we can trace the Christian concept of a sacrificial Lamb back as far as Abraham, but I would say it goes back much further, for example sacrifices for sin and the protoevangellion ( Genesis 3:15) goes back goes back all the way to Adam and Eve.

4. Jehovah- Another reference that is worthy of a chuckle is the reference to Iao of Nepal and how it is often spelt Jao. The writer insinuates that we borrowed Jehovah from this, yet the date given is 622 BCE, hundreds of years after God revealed Himself as YHWH to Moses. This shows that at best the entire article is poorly researched and/or not very well thought out, and at worst, it is a deliberate attempt to mislead people who don't know their Bible.

[TrustGzus]

One thing I don't see any chance of being a copy cat is that every other religion teaches you get "saved" by what you do. You pull yourself up by your boot straps. Only Christianity says that you cannot save yourself. That is so contrary to human tendencies.

[shepherdsword]

Thanks all. He's pretty adamant that there are sources that will prove that Christianity is a copycat religion. I'll try to get the sources from him and look at them.

He has probably been watching "Zeitgeist" and has been swayed by it's lies. Here is a link to a scholarly approach to the movie:

http://www.falsezeitgeist.com/ (scroll down a bit to the video)

[Sam07]

Hi everyone,

If you believe what the bible says

Genesis 1:1
God created the heaven and the earth.

Genesis 7:21
Man and beast are wiped from the earth.

Genesis 9:1
God begins to replenish the earth through Noah’s seed again.

Genesis – Malachi
Abraham promised, land and descendants.
Kings rule of Israel
Prophets prophesy their Messiah.

Mathew 1:18
Jesus birth.

Mathew 27:50 & 28:16
Jesus death & resurrection.

Acts 10:45
Gentiles receive salvation.

Acts 11:26
First called Christians at Antioch

If you follow the bible order, you will see Christianity evolved from Judaism, Judaism is what the Jews practiced and believed before Jesus was born.

Jesus preached and taught the good news, and after Jesus returned to heaven, the apostles carried on his ministry, and many Jews were converted and they didn’t call themselves Christians, until many years later, for the first time in Antioch.

The Jews were the only people, who had salvation, so Christianity evolved from Judaism and then eventually the western world adapted it.

I hope this helps.

Peace

[Colight]

A friend shared with me that he can't believe in Christianity because it's obvious we borrowed our traditions from other religions that existed before Christianity. Any advice? This is his note to me:

The similarities of beliefs and religions that predate Christianity. take for instance: Horus 300B.C., Attis 1200B.C., Dionysus 500 b.C., Mithra 1200 B.C..............Most of which were born of a virgin, Dec 25th birthday, performed miracles, known as the Light Alpha omega etc., Dead for 3 days, resurrected.........It seems to me that traditional Christian values were infact barrowed from other predated beliefs. Including the pegan cross.......

Satan has many things he has used to counterfeit Christianity.

Now if you can find one religion where GOD does all the doing for man..and all man has to do is sit back and do nothing but believe. Then you might be on to something about it being unoriginal.





Christianity is the only religion where God seeks a relationship with man, and has done every thing for that relationship to occur. All man needs to do is believe...

Eph 2
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

All other false religions require man to do some effort to impress the gods for his salvation.
If man works or strives hard enough then he can earn the right to gain the attention of the god.
All other religions allow for man to boast about his works that he did to gain his position with god.