Paganism in Our Christianity [Paperback]

Arthur Weigall (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 23, 2003

Christian theology, the author asserts, is in part quite acceptable and in part totally unacceptable to the modern mind: such of its doctrines and beliefs as have the genuine authority of the historic Jesus Christ are unassailable and eternal, but those which are based upon the early Christians' interpretation of our Lord's nature and mission are largely untenable. Much of the generally accepted Christian doctrine, the author continues, is derived from pagan sources and not from Jesus Christ at all, a great deal of ecclesiastical Christianity being, indeed, so definitely paganism redressed that one might almost speak of it as the last stronghold of the old heathen gods.

Product Details

• Paperback: 284 pages
• Publisher: Kessinger Publishing, LLC (January 23, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0766135411
• ISBN-13: 978-0766135413
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,506,756 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Elementary in his presentation, August 31, 2009

By 

Dan M. Curtis (So. California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Paganism in Our Christianity (Paperback)

I was very much anticipating the receipt of this work, because I was looking for critical evidence of the influence of Paganism in Christianity. Although there are references he uses, many of his thoughts, it seems, are just his beliefs stated with minimal or no support. Now I don't disagree with most of what he had to say but in many areas he must assume that support or an extended explanation is not needed. In many ways it reminds me of the writings of a non-professional parishioner discussing his non-orthodox beliefs written down for others to read rather than a scientific textual critique of the subjects. I wanted more extensive justification of how or why such and such might have ended up the way it was. He needed to make a case for much of what he talked about, but he did not. This would not be a work that a critical thinker could use to raise doubt in the mind of orthodoxy.

12 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Origin of the Trinity doctrine, February 10, 2007

By 

blondeMatrix (New Zealand) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Paganism in Our Christianity (Paperback)

It's great to discover some authors brave enough to write about the true origin of certain beliefs generally held to be Christian.

Commencing with the second century it appears that certain theologians chose not to take scripture at face value, but rather sought to describe salvation in complex philosophical terms (predominantly platonic). Athanasius could not accept that Jesus Christ was simply the "Son of God", for fear that that implied Jesus had the freedom (like angels and humans) to exercise free will, and could potentially change his mind (about saving us). No, Jesus must become God with the Father. But ditheism (belief in two gods) was contrary to Hebrew scripture (God was one). Consequently, multiple philosophical theories were hypothesized in an attempt to blend both monotheism and, eventually, tritheism - a mathematical impossibility. Trinitarianism was born, and destined to become a complicated, drawn out, and ultimately a violent affair.

The good news of God's kingdom, salvation from death and sin inherited from Adam, and other scriptural truths had an intended audience: common people like Jesus' disciples and us. Jesus Christ is the way and the truth and the life. Not theologians, those educated in secular philosophy, and certainly not pagan Roman Emperors like Constantine and Theodosius. If the true nature of God is of trinity, Jesus would have explicitly revealed this to us. He did not. Instead, the Trinity was formulated over several centuries, and at a cost of much blood.

Moreover, the Trinity is a THEORY of many differing flavours. It is an ELABORATION on scripture. For the followers of one particular flavour to label all others as heretics worthy of persecution reveals the true nature of this doctrine.

"For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths." 2 Timothy 4:3-4 (New International Version)

Chris.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Accurate Historical Document, January 3, 2010

By 

Ms. Nice Person (Lansing, MI) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Paganism in Our Christianity (Paperback)

Just because the author is not scholarly or technical, does not mean the information is inaccurate. Christianity is blatantly tainted with the paganism from the culture in which it developed. The blending of paganism and Christianity was a political and power move on the parts of Roman Emperor Constantine and the Roman church.

Many years ago, I began to notice discrepancies between the "Old Testament" and the "New Testament". I began to search and study. I studied pseudepigraphal writings, the Apocrypha, Roman and Greek mythology, and various other writings. Most importantly, I learned to read Hebrew because I wanted to know for myself what the Scriptures were saying.

One of the discrepancies I discovered is in Psalm 22 in which the word "pierced" was mistranslated and interpolated into the Christian Bible to depict the crucifixion of Jesus. The phrase "pierced were my hands and feet" was placed into Psalm 22. The word "pierced" simply does not appear in Psalm 22. This psalm has NOTHING to do with Jesus Christ.

Furthermore, in Isaiah 7, the Hebrew word "almah" literally means a young woman (review reference #5959 in the Strong's Concordance). The Hebrew word "almah" does not mean virgin. Christian scribes translated the Hebrew word "almah" into the Greek word, "parthenos" which means virgin. Roman and Greek mythology declare various demi-gods were born to virgin women. Christianity just plagarized the same theme for the Jesus Christ birth story. I went through the Hebrew Scriptures line by line and compared it with the Christian Scriptures. I saw for myself that the prophecies people pointed to in the Hebrew Scriptures do NOT make any references to Jesus Christ at all. It simply is not there.

And of course, I researched information on how Emperor Constantine in the fourth century changed the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday on March 7, 321 CE; I researched what happened at the Council of Nicea in the year 325 CE when Jesus was "deified" as God; and I researched details about the pagan Saturnalia and Mithra holidays celebrated on December 25th hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus Christ. These holidays were also part of the winter solstice celebrations. Pagan holidays like Christmas and Easter simply took took on "Christianized" names so the Christians and pagns could celebrate harmoniously.

Nowhere in the Bible does it tells us to celebrate Christmas or Easter. Instead, we are told to celebrate the Passover, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and even Chanukkah. According to the New Testament, Jesus celebrated Chanukkah, which was also called the Feast of Dedication (see John 10:22).

Hundreds of thousands of Christians would be horrified if they really knew the pagan origins of Christianity. However, there are many ministries that are beginning to tell their members not to celebrate Christmas and Easter. Good, that's a start. There are too many similiarities between Jesus Christ and the Roman/Greek mythological gods.