Christians (anyone welcome) how do you explain the similarities?
A bit long, but since many don't wish to go online and research, I figured I'd post parts of it :)
Krishna & Jesus similarities (Krishna's accounts actually come prior to Jesus)
#6 & 45: Yeshua and Krishna were called both a God and the Son of God.
7: Both was sent from heaven to earth in the form of a man.
8 & 46: Both were called Savior, and the second person of the Trinity.
13, 15, 16 & 23: His adoptive human father was a carpenter.
18: A spirit or ghost was their actual father.
30 to 34: Angels in both cases issued a warning that the local dictator planned to kill the baby and had issued a decree for his assassination. The parents fled. Mary and Joseph stayed in Muturea; Krishna's parents stayed in Mathura.
56: Both were identified as "the seed of the woman bruising the serpent's head."
58: Jesus was called "the lion of the tribe of Judah." Krishna was called "the lion of the tribe of Saki."
66: Both were "without sin."
72: Both were god-men: being considered both human and divine.
76, 77, & 78: They were both considered omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent.
83, 84, & 85: Both performed many miracles, including the healing of disease. One of the first miracles that both performed was to make a leper whole. Each cured "all manner of diseases."
101: Both selected disciples to spread his teachings.
121 to 127: Both celebrated a last supper. Both forgave his enemies.
128 to 131: Both descended into Hell, and were resurrected. Many people witnessed their ascensions into heaven.
Errors in Graves' book:
Due either to carelessness, or the primitive knowledge of religious history in the late 19th century, it appears that Graves made some errors in his book. He reported that:
Both Krishna and Yeshua were born on December 25.
Actually, Krishna is traditionally believed to have been born during August. The festival Janmashtami is held in honor of this birth.
The birth day of Jesus is unknown, but is believed by many to have also been about August during some year between 4 and 7 BCE.
December 25th was chosen for Christmas to coincide with a pre-existent Pagan Roman holiday, Saturnalia. December 25th was also recognized in ancient times as the birth day of various other god-men such as Attis and Mithra. All were linked to the winter solstice, which occurs about DEC-21.
Jesus' and Krishna's mothers were holy virgins
In addition to the above points of correspondence between Yeshua and Krishna, there may be one more similarity: they may have both been crucified.
r_u_real & purrrrfectionist= nice response. But these points don't come from me, rather by studies done. How could you say the Bible IS the word of God, when many stories (even prior ones) are similar to other mythological ones written prior? How can you be so sure?
Quiet.Buck= I'm an Ex-Catholic. 14 years of studying the Bible. I've also studied mythology extensively. You'd be surprised :)
Sovereign= you fail to see that many mythological stories are VERY VERY similar to accounts in the Bible (this is all but one, and I don't mean just about Jesus). You're accepting your version as the truth, yet you can't discredit the fact that they were written prior and that the Bible was written by men LONG after the characters had died. So who's telling the truth?
@ Kira = here you go http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_jckr1.htm
You may also be interested in googling the story of King Sargon and Mithra :)
@ Chris S = I provided the similarities, not the full account. These are similarities that were studied and compared (so you need to know both accounts). The link is provided on my other comment posted previously
@... = and what exactly is the truth? Where did *God* write the truth? The Bible? Written AFTER all these accounts? Seriously, why can't people be objective? I'm not disregarding any possibilities, but the fact that some people mention the *truth* and what is *real*? Come on...
Kira, if you wish you can email me and we can discuss this further :)
@ Lion of Judah Regular= Jesus (as a person) may have existed, though even his existence is still up for debate. What he stands for, is what it's in question.
@ Kira = yes, even other stories on the O.T. are similar to prior written mythological stories. Whether any deity exists, we cannot know. But that religion is men-made, that's no doubt :)
I seriously question the people who believe that the Bible are true events (or word of God), when in fact NO ONE was alive to tell. Rather everyone took common folklore stories and made them into their own religion. Just look at how many branches with Christianity are there. All because of disagreements
@ Chris S. =Krishna was born of the virgin Devaki. No one said the stories were exactly alike. What you're failing to see is that both have similarities (VERY vivid ones). That does not mean they both didn't take some parts from a previous folklore and made them their own. Is that so hard to believe? Really..
Other virgin birth (according to online research)
Savior Dionysus was born of the virgin Semele.
Buddha too was born of a virgin,
The old Teutonic goddess Hertha was a virgin impregnated by the heavenly Spirit and bore a son.
Scandinavian Frigga was impregnated by the All-Father Odin and bore Balder, the healer and savior of mankind.
@ Chris S. = all research I've done regarding the above does state the same (different sources, books, online..please provide yours)
The gospels written? Surely you're jesting. You ARE aware of the origins of the gospels, are you not? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gospel Since you accept wikipedia, please read what it states: even just the very first paragraph
Took me forever to find a hindu site. Still states the same. If you guys have hindu sites where you are providing a conflict with what I've read, please provide sources
http://www.hinduwisdom.info/Hinduisms_influence.htm
And I am, by no means implying that Krishna is a TRUE story. Not at all! Likewise, I won't agree with the Jesus story (not arguing the existence, arguing what He stands for)
In Chapter 11 of the Gita Krishna transfigures himself in a way very similar to Christ’s transfiguration (See Plate 3 at www.class.uidaho.edu/ngier/trinplates.htm.) Krishna asserts his divine priority and sovereignty by subordinating impersonal Brahman as his “womb” (14: 2, 27). (See Figure 2 for a Krishna cosmogony at www.class.uidaho.edu/ngier/trinfig.htm.) The Krishna Trinity is usually expressed by Vishnu as the cosmic body (vishvarupa), the incarnate Krishna, and Krishna as paramatma, a Hindu equivalent of the Holy Spirit immanent and working in all things.[17] (See Figure 3 at www.class.uidaho.edu/ngier/ trinfig.htm.)
The author Jacolliot, referring to the "Bagaveda-Gita and Brahminical traditions," states that the body of Krishna: "was suspended to the branches of a tree by his murderer, that it might become the prey of the vultures...[Later] the mortal frame of the Redeemer had disappeared--no doubt it had regained the celestial abodes..." 6
M. Guigniaut's Religion de l'Antiquité, which states: "The death of Crishna is very differently related. One remarkable and convincing tradition makes him perish on a tree, to which he was nailed by the stroke of an arrow." 7
There are other references to Krishna being crucified, and being shown with holes in his feet, hands and side. 5
In the Christian Scriptures (New Testament) Yeshua's crucifixion on a cross or stake is often referred to as being "hung on a tree:"
Acts 5:30: "The God of our fathers raised up Jesus...hanging him on a tree.
Acts 10:39: "...hanging him on a tree."
Acts 13:29: "...they took him down from the tree..."
Galatians 3:13: "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us; for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree."
1 Peter 2:24: "...who his own self bare our sins in his body upon the tree
@ Chris S. = lol good for you that you can't provide sources. Once you do, you may get back to me. No point discussing further without sources
Krishna was born in a cave, which at the time of his birth was miraculously illuminated.
Devaki, the radiant Virgin of the Hindu mythology, bore Krishna to the god Vishnu (second god of the Trimurthi (also called the Hindu Trinity).
"The divine Vishnu himself descended into the womb of Devaki and was born as her son Krishna." Boslooper, Thomas, The Virgin Birth, SCM Press, 1962, Pp 148 & 149
@ LH Catholic - au contraire. These aren't my views, merely research. They have yet to be discredited as you *phrase* it. I provided links by authors, websites etc..etc..I'm not discrediting their interpretation. I'm going by what I've read so far (and what scholars/authors have written). I'm not trying to disprove Jesus, perhaps they were? ;)
@ Sam - please read above comments, thanx :)
@ Emily H - I would agree with you. Unfortunately there are more people (than you think) who take everything literally. I would accept anyone who says they believe due to faith. But the Bible? I don't think so