Biblical beliefs that are similar to older pagan beliefs

by M.J. 36 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  M.J.

  I'd like to list some beliefs within Judaism and Christianity that bear a resemblance to older pagan beliefs. The WTS is deceptive when they selectively point out such parallels, but only with respect to beliefs they reject.

  For example, the WTS argues that the origin of the concept of the immortal soul is in Egyptian and Babylonian mythology, both of which espoused such a concept.

  But they neglect to also point out that Babylonians wrote flood accounts similar to the Noah story before the writing of Genesis, or that baptism was practiced in pagan religions before the birth of Christ.

  I've also seen how later biblical conceptions of the Devil as God's adversary seem to mirror what was taught in Zoroastrianism which featured a god of evil in a cosmic struggle against a god of good.

  Any other examples?
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  RodentBoy

  Genesis cosmology is essentially Sumerian in origin. Just about every Semitic-speaking people in the ancient Middle East adopted to the flat, dish-shaped Earth and the crystal dome above it. In fact, the Sumerian culture was enormously influential on ancient Israelite religion. Even the Garden of Eden is essentially modeled on Sumerian mythos.

  The two creation accounts in Genesis possibly reflect an early stage in Hebrew evolution. The "let us make man in our image" is very clearly a polytheistic (and possibly early) variant, contrasted with the monotheistic YHVH variant.

  It must be remembered that that, whatever the Bible may claim, all the archaeological evidence points to the Hebrew tribes being a local group of Canaanites that adopted a monotheistic faith. There is no evidence of an Exodus, no evidence of an extermination of pagan tribes as the Bible claims. These stories were manufactured after the fact, possibly as a means of asserting the dominance of the monotheistic Hebrews over their polytheistic brethren.
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  Narkissos

  The opposite list would be much shorter!

  The whole apocalyptic set of beliefs, which seems to emerge from nowhere in the latest texts of the OT and the NT, has most of its roots in Persian dualism: God vs. Satan, angels vs. demons, resurrection, can all be traced back to Zoroastrian influence.
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  Shazard

  Common it is so eazy to explain. Memories about Noa and preflood times were preserved in one or another way. But looking into pagan you can see how sin clauded real events and "decorated" them with miseteries, myths, legends nice or horrible details (depend on which side you are) and so on. Sacrifice is degenerated in pagan and so on. Pagans has menu degenerated piesces of truth, that's why it seems like Christianity borrowed things from pagans. In reality Christianity is purification and cleansing of the myths and rejecting human inventions. That's why you can see the things in pagan, coz you have information about God preserved in his Word. That's why we have Isrealities so different from pagan, coz they actually were "arc" of God's Word till Christ came, in whom whole truth is revealed fully. Not EVERYTHING pagan is false. I assume that even 90% of pagan stuff is just sin-degenerated truth. Otherwise every single piesce of Christianity can be tracked "back" to pagan origin.
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  DannyBloem

  One of the things that always looked so pagan to me were the use of the Urim and Thummim.
  They were some kind of stones or lots, used by the priests, when they want to make a choce. They would throw them, and whatever would come up would be the answer. Something quite similar like throwing a dice, or reading tarrot cards etc.

  DB
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  DaCheech

  One of the things that always looked so pagan to me were the use of the Urim and Thummim.
  
  They were some kind of stones or lots, used by the priests, when they want to make a choce. They would throw them, and whatever would come up would be the answer. Something quite similar like throwing a dice, or reading tarrot cards etc.

  Gotta love theBible.

  How about the "bitter water"? To test fidelity?
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  greendawn

  Certain religious manifestations derive from the collective unconscious of man and are inspired by universal symbols found in it, they are neither pagan nor judaic or Christian. An example is the burning of incense and the erecting of altars. It is not a case of who started something first and who copied him. Both were taken from that third source.
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  peacefulpete

  A god that wants blood, makes covenents with certain tribes,causes or withholds rain storms, uses a paid priesthood. The Temple design down to the detail was drawn from the culture of the region. Like Narkissso said, little if anything is truly original about the Jewish and Christian cults.
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  Clam

  Hi M.J.

  Not sure if I'm on the wavelength with this, but Hislop's book The Two Babylons is pretty fascinating.

  http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/188131636X/026-3799330-5314064
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  ICBehindtheCurtain

  I was shocked when I found this stuff out , with the invention of the internet I think it's just a matter of time until the majority of people figure this out! I wanted to share the following info I found, it's quite interesting:

  http://cc.usu.edu/%7Efath6/bible.htm

  Enjoy!

  IC