Christianity as Plagiarism: Debate on Pagan Roots

Christianity Accused of Copying Mithras, Horus, and Sol Invictus

Christianity is not original; it is a synthesis of earlier myths. This thesis runs through an analysis comparing Noah's story with the Greek myth of Deucalion, the Sumerian Ziusudra tale, and Persian, Chinese, Maya, and Mapuche versions. It places Jesus' birth on December 25 as a date chosen by the Church in the fourth century. The discussion shifted to uncomfortable ground: if the Gospel narrative is a human symbolic construction, why did it take hold so strongly and endure for 2000 years?

The Flood, December 25, and Uncomfortable Parallels

The starting point is a review of parallels between Christianity and earlier cultures. The myth of Deucalion, the Sumerian account of Ziusudra in the Nippur tablets, and similar versions in Persian, Chinese, Maya, and Mapuche cultures fuel the plagiarism thesis. According to this reading, December 25 was a fourth-century ecclesiastical choice to compete with Sol Invictus, one of the most powerful religions among third-century Roman soldiers.

Refutation arrives via the same path. Some argue Sol Invictus is a red herring: Christians already identified December 25 as the birth date before the emperor decreed the festival, suggesting the imperial decree attempted to eclipse a growing Christian celebration. In this version, the Church always acknowledged humanity sought God before revelation.

Why Did Christianity Take Hold in the Ancient World?

This question confounds both insiders and outsiders. Sarracin spread more forcefully, according to one response, but there is no great mystery: Judaism was already widespread, and after Jerusalem's fall and the diaspora, Jews were scattered across the empire. Early preachers only needed to move from Jewish community to Jewish community, using the Hebrew Bible to propose a new sect where circumcision was unnecessary—a controversial idea among orthodox Jews that helped success among Gentiles.

Another line points to state religion as a control tool: those unconvinced were deemed heretics, facing ruin as punishment. A third, more radical thesis argues Buddhism was used by King Ashoka to defraud Brahmins, that Rome was ruined in year 0 by trade with India, and that Indians crafted a fantastic epic about Buddha, the Buddhacarita, to swindle contemporary Jews. From this emerged Jesus, then Sarracin, then communism—tools to fleece peoples, in sum.

Christian Sarracena vs. Yoga Yamas

Sarracena contrast also has its place. Against the principles of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra—Ahimsa, Satya, Asteya, Brahmacharya—which stem from millennia ago, the response is that all are covered by Christian sarracena: self-perfection of conscience is merely the path to holiness, subduing pride and passions. What does not appear in the Yoga Sutra, it is argued, is "Love your enemies, bless those who curse you."

The counter-offer is clear: if anyone has higher principles than Christ proposes, let them present them. And the warning that there are so many coincidences in the Bible describing circumstances of Jesus in texts centuries earlier that one must deliberately deny the possibility that everything points to a Messiah sent by God.

Abuse in Religious Settings: 445,000 People in Spain

The hardest turn comes with the figures. A report by the Defensor del Pueblo (Spain's Ombudsman) estimated that slightly over 1% of Spain's adult population has suffered abuse in religious settings, representing about 445,000 people. Of these, approximately 237,000 would have been directly assaulted. The data challenges those presumed to be shepherds of men, and the reply is immediate: a child in a church is a rare bird for at least ten years.

The discussion shifts to repression of impulses. It is argued that repression fails because the impulse returns, and the solution is observing the impulse without being carried away, adopting the position of a detached silent observer. The rebuttal: that theory is inspiring, but reality is stubborn, and when dealing with people betrayed, abandoned, or beaten down by life, coping mechanisms do not work as promised.

Astrotheology and Original Trauma

According to one ambitious thesis, the common root of all cults is astrotheology. Death and resurrection on the third day would be a solar event, purely astrological, marking the end of winter and start of spring, crucial for northern hemisphere civilizations. At the opposite extreme, suspicion arises that all repressed material returns as trauma, and that what they call God is perhaps the original trauma, a hyperstition or collective delirium pursuing humans throughout history.

The close, with reservations: if Christian civilization managed to lift Americans out of cannibalism and sacrificial cultures, that says something. And if everything is programming, it applies to everything else too. No one fully explains why.