CHRISTIANITY & PAGANISM

AMMONIUS SACCUS - A Greek philosopher, founder of the Neoplatonic school, taught that Christianity and Paganism when rightly understood, differ in no essential points, but had a common origin, and are really one and the same religion" (Taylor, Diegesis, p. 329).

GODFREY HIGGINS in Anacalypsis, states: "that every part of the vulgar Christian religion is the same as that of the vulgar religion of the Gentiles; that there is nothing new in the Roman Catholic religion; that, in short it is Reformed or Protestant Gentilism." He goes on to say: "several of the most important doctrinal parts of corrupt modern Christianity are nothing more than scraps of the Heathen mythologies of various kinds taught by different nations, long previous to the Christian era...the immaculate conception, the incarnation, the trinity, with its various hypostases, and the crucifixion and resurrection..." He further states: "It is more than probable that every part has been copied from some former religion; that no part of what has been really the system of the Christian priests was invented originally for their use. To tradition it is indebted for every doctrine and rite which it possesses; to fraudulent and dishonest practices it is chiefly indebted for their establishment."

CELSUS the Epicurean philosopher, wrote that "the Christian religion contains nothing but what Christians hold in common with heathen; nothing new" (Justin, Apol 2.). Celsus, in the Octavius of Minucius Felix, says: "All these fragments of crack-brained ordinary and silly solaces played off in the sweetness of song by deceitful [Pagan] poets, by you too credulous creatures [that is, the Christians] have been shamefully reformed and made over to your own god]."

ISAAC DE CASAUBON, one of the greatest ecclesiastical scholars, says: "It mightily affects me to see how many there were in the earliest times of the Church, who considered it as a capital exploit to lend to heavenly truth the help of their own inventions, in order that the new doctrine might be more readily received by the wise among the Gentiles. These officious lies, they were wont to say, were devised for a good end" (Taylor, Diegesis, p. 44).

FAUSTUS writing to St. Augustine, says: "You have substituted your agape for the sacrifices of the Pagans; for their idols you martyrs, whom you serve with the very same honors. You appease the shades of the dead with wine and feasts; you celebrate the solemn festivals of the Gentiles, their calendars, and their solstices; and as to their manners, those you have retained without any alteration. Nothing distinguishes you from the Pagans, except that you hold your assemblies apart from them" (Draper, Science and Religion, p. 48. New York: 1876).

GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS writing to St. Jerome, says: "A little jargon is all that is necessary to impose on the people. The less they comprehend the more they admire. Our forefathers and doctors have often said, not what they though, but what circumstances and necessity dictated" (Hieron ad. Nep.,quoted in Volney's Ruins, p. 177, Boston, 1872).

ALBERT CHURCHWARD – The mythicist stated a century ago: "The canonical gospels can be shown to be a collection of sayings from the Egyptian Mythos and Eschatology"(The Origin and Evolution of Religion).

BARBARA WALKER - The assertion that Jesus Christ is a myth [reincarnation of Pagan Sun-Myths] can be proved not only through the works of dissenters and "pagans" who knew the truth - and who were viciously refuted or murdered for their battle against the Christian priests and "Church Fathers" fooling the masses with their fictions - but also through the very statements of the Christians themselves, who continuously disclose that they knew Jesus Christ was a myth founded upon more ancient deities located throughout the known ancient world. In fact, Pope Leo X, privy to the truth because of his high rank, made this curious declaration, "What profit has not that fable of Christ brought us!" (The Woman's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets, by Barbara Walker, p. 471). Rev. Taylor, in The Diegesis, reports a slightly different version of Leo X's admission: "It was well known how profitable this fable of Christ has been to us." (footnote, p. 35.)

KERSEY GRAVES -The Jesus story incorporated elements from the tales of other deities recorded in this widespread area, such as many of the following world saviors and "sons of God," most or all of whom predate the Christian myth, and a number of whom were crucified or executed. Many on this list come from The World's Sixteen Crucified Saviors by Graves. This is not to suggest that all of these god-men characters were utilized in the formation of the Christian myth, as overt contact had not occurred in such places as Mexico or Bermuda. Also, modern orthodoxy does not allow for the dates provided by Graves, i.e., that Quetzalcoatl originates in the 6th B.C.E., a date far too early in the orthodox perspective. However, we utilize this list to demonstrate that the same concepts are found worldwide with and without cultural exchange, because they are derived from the same astro-theological observations. Also, we are in concurrence with the "ancient advanced civilization" theory ("Atlantis") that would allow for one or more centralized civilizations to have spread throughout the world during a very remote period in protohistory, thus taking with it the well-developed Mythos and Ritual, which would then mutate into the various forms found around the globe.

M. TURRETIN - In describing the state of Christianity in the fourth century, says "that it was not so much the empire that was brought over to the faith, as the faith that was brought over to the empire; not the Pagans who were converted to Christianity, but Christianity that was converted to Paganism" (Taylor, Diegesis, p. 50).

EMPEROR HADRIAN - The early Christians were charged with being a sect of sun-worshippers (Bonwick, Egyptian Belief, p. 283). The Emperor Hadrian could see no difference between them and the followers of the ancient Egyptian god Serapis, who was the Sun. In a letter to the Consul Servianus, the Emperor says: "There are there [in Egypt] Christians who worship Serapis and devoted to Serapis are those who call themselves 'Bishops of Christ'" (Giles, Hebrew and Christian Records, vol. ii. p. 86. London: 1877).

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