How is Christianity any different than mythology?

Oh you are going to get a rash of "cos it's the truth" types of replies!!

I agree with you - it is just one way of humanity's attempts to have a relationship with the Divine, and quite franky littered with magical actions.... mythology is just tales from older religions that have passed away, of tales of derring do, and wonderous events....yes, the Bible is identical!!

Halcon

Friend,

Christianity does differ greatly from pagan mythology. The myths that you know are not supported by any concrete or demonstrable evidence. There is a plethora of scientific and archaeological evidence supporting Christianity, however. There are men like ancient historians Tacitus, Josephus, Pliny the Younger, Phlegon , Suetonius and even the Talmud and false Gospels which did not deny that Jesus performed the miracles that He did. There is an undeniable factual basis that any intelligent and spiritually astutue person would accept concerning Jesus Christ.

Read about what the prominent archaeologist Edwin Yamauchi Ph.D. had to say about this matter. He has studied 22 languages including Greek, Hebrew, Akkadian, Chinese and Egyptian etc.

Again there are certain false parallels between these myths and Christianity. In other words, some mythological tales sound as though they have certain similarities with true Christian stories. Dr. Yamauchi found that there was no evidence of dying and rising gods prior to Christianity.

The Bible stories can be historically and archaeologically verified. Those myths were incorporated into mythology from Christianity by un scrupulous, probably atheistic researchers. All of these fabricated mythological tales originated after the 1st century.

Here are some false parallels sited by Dr. Yamauchi:

The mythological character Mithras was not born of a virgin as some some think. He was born from a rock fully grown not an infant.

Mithras was not born in a stable at inn inn Like Jesus, but a cave.

Another myth was that Mithras was a great teacher with 12 disciples. No, he was a mythological figure and he had no disciples

There was the clain that he sacrificed hiself for world peace. No, Mithras killed a bull. Again Mithras did not die consequently there was no resurrection.

One of the greatest archaeologists of all time , William Albright, claimed that he has never discovered anythng in his discipline that disproved or contradicted the Bible.

Many people it seems believe that Christ actually touched down in time. While accepting that he was the son of God may be a leap of faith some can not take (especially considering the similarities with some more ancient mythologies) most accept that at the very least a man named Jesus walked the earth and through his teaching changed the world.

To submit that the five points you've listed above present a full analysis of Christian Orthodoxy is false as well. For me for instance the mythological similarities become less of a stumbling block after I consider whether there is an actual right/wrong regarding moral acts. Because I choose to believe that there is a truth value associated with moral acts. That charity is in fact "good to do" and stealing is "wrong to do" I ask how this value is determined. If these are merely human constructs created by man for the advancement of the tribe or do they mean more. Are all moral relative as some suggest or are there actual moral values that trump what individuals and societies teach. If there is an optimum moral code and we are bound by our consciences to obey it. Why are we drawn to do good and avoid evil?

After studying the pitfalls of moral relativism vs the church's teaching that objective moral values exist (particularly Thomist Natural Law Theory) I have rationally chosen to accept the more difficult aspects of the plan (meaning the mythological similarities)

If the myth is a religion then it would be similar to Christianity or any other religion. Can a billion people be wrong? Yes they can.

I am also surprised that in this modern age humans STILL embrace superstition over nature and reality.

Check out being a Bright and let us all move forward into a rebirth of an Enlightenment era again to eliminate superstition and superstition's influences on the world.

http://www.the-brights.net/

The Bible is inspired by God. God literally 'breathed' the Word into Life through the ones He chose to use to write it. If you would do some extensive research into the origins of all major religions (old), you would amazingly find that they all can be traced back to the Bible. Who do you think the wise men were? Where do you think the three Kings of the ORIENT stem from? Oriental religions. Many times people would take a concept from the Bible and then build a religion (myths also) upon that one concept and actually create a new religion. Just as evolution is constantly changing its claims (they say this is due to new discoveries) religions change what they believe. The Bible is the Only Source That Does Not Change and that is because God is the same yesterday, today and FOREVER.

How many predictions have been made in mythology that have come to pass? NONE! How many predictions in the Bible have come to pass today, that were made thousands of years ago? Israel became a nation overnight, Jews return to Israel with Jerusalem the capitol, Gog and Magog formed. Israel will be a millstone to the nations of the world. Christians will be persecuted and man will exchange the truth for a lie. The Dead Sea will heal itself, the desert will bloom, and hidden springs of water will come to the surface. These are only a hand full off the top of my head. However, having said that and shown the difference you will still deny it and blow it off to your detriment, how stupid is that?

There is no difference other than Christianity is much younger than ancient mythology and is more refined. Eventually over 100's of years Christianity will evolve into a different cult but still cling to some of the basic mythological traits that infest all religions.

Mythology is the study of stories and allegories that man uses to explain things unknown to him. It is not something that is "false" or entirely incorrect. Mythology has something literal too it, but it is never meant to be taken from a fully literal perspective.

Thus, mythology is an integral part of all religious traditions. I doubt a talking snake existed, but it's in the Bible because it means something, such as an early personification of evil, or equating evil with the stealth and physique of a snake.

Well, if so many well-educated people believe it, they just might be something to it.

Anyway, the thing that seems to separate mythology from Christianity is that 100% of the world identifies mythology as not being true, while a religion still has followers.

If no one follows a religion anymore, that essentially proves that specific religion was false, so it turns into mythology.

Let My People Go:

Jonestown, Nazi Germany, Waco, Helter Skelter

Mythologies emerge from oral traditions conveyed generation to generation for hundreds of years. Christianity began spreading rapidly immediately upon the Resurrection of Christ. It was spread by those who knew Him personally, at great risk to their own lives. (In fact, all the disciples were eventually killed for proclaiming "Christ is Lord" in an empire where the law required acknowledgement of Caesar as Lord).

So Christianity developed immediate and within historical time. Those spreading it knew Christ personally and spread the faith at great risk to their own lives. They would not have been willing to DIE for some STORY they MADE UP.

That Christianity echoes the mythologies of the world is no mistake. Those mythologies are what we literary scholars call "foreshadowing." They are echoes of the reality of Christ, the "good dreams" that God provided to men so that they might be prepared for -- and recognize -- the reality when It appeared.

When St. Patrick evangelized the Irish, they understood that Patrick's God was the reality BEHIND the nature-and-pagan gods they had been worshiping. God was there all along.