Discover more in these hand-picked books Tell me what you think; read what others say.  
Stuff you need to know before the POCM makes sense. Ideas, rituals and myths Christianity boosted from the Pagans. Some of the Pagan's dying-resurrected godmen The Triumph of Christianity Discover mainstream scholarship about Christianity's Pagan origins What did the Christians borrow? So what?
the ideas, myths and rituals christianity borrowed from the pagans Jesus saves -- Pagan Gods saved first gods whose dad was a god and whose mom was a mortal woman Christianity has baptism -- Paganism had it first Christians share a sacred meal with their God -- Pagans did it first Christians believe in eternal life -- but Paganism believed in it first
home > pagan origins > monotheism
Jesus did miracles -- Pagan Gods did them first Jesus fulfilled prophecy -- Pagan Gods fulfilled prophecy first God and the immortal soul -- Paganism had 'em first Christianity thinks it has monotheism -- Paganism had it first Jesus' God lives in Heaven on High -- Pagan Gods lived there first pagan dead went to the underworld Jesus made clever quips -- Pagan cynic philosophers made them first
Christianity doesn't think it has "monotheism" -- it has monolatry


Was Christianity new and unique? Does the idea of a a single high God require more than logic and common sense?

If you're like Pikachu, the logic would probably escape you that when it comes to gods, there are really only three options: 1) no gods; 2) one god; 3) more than one god. And if you have this kind of common sense, you'll realize that if the idea of a single High God predated Christianity by centuries, this is about as much news as that Dan Rather is biased.

Pagan monotheism
as such isn't something anyone denies. On the other hand, there is a certain irony in that modern scholars are questioning whether the Bible teaches "monotheism" in the first place -- and whay exactly we mean when we even use the word.  

In that light, the philosophers' monotheism Pikachu refers to as by Plato -- which would hardly predate Jewish "monotheism," actually! -- isn't even a worthy consideration as a parallel. But even if it were, there are really so many numeric options for gods to believe in, and the number "one" just isn't that hard to come up with, especially since it reflects normal human hierarchical structures.

So what is Pikachu going to do? Is he going to just wave off modern theistic arguments (comsological, design, etc.) as effects of "borrowing" momotheism from Plato? He just might. He is that lazy.

Judeo-Christian "monotheism" is monolatry

PIkachu actually admits that Christianity began with the Jews' Great God (and demons and devil), but falls off his usual cliff of ignorance when he claims that it added the Pagan idea of a mother of God and the Pagan idea of a Son of God, and added the Pagan philosophers' idea of the Logos (Holy Spirit). "Mother of God" comes in very late in the game -- well after the New Testament, and so irrelevant. The worst ignorance is the confounding of Son and Logos -- in fact, based on the Jewish precedent of Wisdom, and the development of it by the NT, the Son IS the Logos; the Spirit is a bifurcation of the Logos.

Sorry, but the Christian Trinity is NOT three different Gods convolved as one God -- it's one God with two hypostatic expressions. That word "hypostatic" is probably too hard for someone like Pikachu to grasp, but you'll find all the details in the link. And sorry -- this "theory" was straight from the very first century, contrary to Pikachu -- in fact, it was "straight" even before that in the most crucial essential. And of course, there is nothing "pagan" about angels, demons, cherubim, saints, and satan.  That my friend, all came from Christianity through Judaism.

Christianity has one Great God, in the model of Yahweh of the OT, and lesser beings (elohim), in the model of Jewish angels, and demons, and devils -- all supernatural beings.  That's Judaism, pure and simple. It's also just a matter of common sense: As if it takes any imagination to suppose that some sort of creative hierarchy might not exist in reality!
Christianity doesn't think it has "monotheism" -- Judaism brought it monolatry
  
 

The next time you're with Lurch
ask yourself:"Just how hard does Pikachu think it would be to develop a philosophical monotheism, especially in light of the present collection of theistic arguments? Borrowing is a superfluous explanation -- especially from paganism, since Christianity's Jewish roots are far more clear."

Next time you're in church... When they get to the part about one God, maker of Heaven and Earth and of all things visible and invisible, remember Cicero, Celsus, Origin, St. Justin Martyr and the rest who were just following the same logic to its proper conclusion.

You'll know Pikachu is dwiddling with the facts again -- ignoring far more reasonable, practical explanations in favor of a convoluted "borrowing" thesis that doesn't even address the far more important question of whether or not "monotheism" is true.

Uhhhhhhhh!

 

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