How much did Christianity inherit from the Pagans?

This collection of essays introduces you to the "POCM" (Pagan Origins of the Christ Myth) website -- and debunks it.

I've had more than a few people refer me to this site and ask about it. No surprise, it had nothing new -- and nothing we haven't already debunked. But as is often the case here, when we get enough references, we decide it's time to do something about it. And that's what you'll find here.

The thesis of POCM is the usual: That Christianity inherited everything from the Pagans. Yawn. And you'll see that the author -- who, in light of his a) use of the acronym POCM; b) and in light of his poor research capabilities, we name "Pikachu" -- does nothing but play the usual games that this crowd does. Equivocation. Use of fringe scholarship (which he falsely calls "mainstream"). Bold inaccuracies. And yes, even some lies.

We'll debunk (often by link to prior works) Pikachu's claim that Christianity "borrowed" such things as the virgin birth, the miracles, and baptism. We'll crush his comparisons to Mithra, Dionysus, Attis, Osiris, and Orpheus. Especially Orpheus. In fact, courtesy of our old pal Venerable Bede, we'll be publicizing a finding about that overused thingamajig you see pictured above, the one used by Freke and Gandy on the cover of The Jesus Mysteries, and by Pikachu about 15 dozen times. What finding? You can already get a hint if you look at the picture. Oh boy.

Here's the kind of stuff you'll find at Pikachu's Obnoxious Christ Mess

"Salvation" -- generalized Yeah, this is a pic from a papyrus showing someone dead judged by Osiris, king of the dead in Egypt. The guy's life is measured on scales; if he gets on good more than bad, Osiris gives him eternal life. Like Christianity? Not hardly. This is salvation by works. Not by faith (loyalty) and grace. And don't let the use of the word "salvation" fool you. The word didn't have a specific technical meaning like today. Pikachu is using modern Christian terms to describe the scene, and thereby drawing a false parallel. And eternal life? Don't be fooled by that either. It's more term-shifting, but it's also a matter of what is practical to have an an option. Jesus brought one type of salvation. Osiris brought a different "salvation" 1,400 years earlier.

 

Want to see Pikachu skinned alive? Sure you do. You know what's coming. Go look.

Fringe scholars are the only people Pikachu can find who agree, and even then, not all go as far as he does. He also obviously uses Freke and Gandy and Acharya S -- or sources they use -- but doesn't admit it.

He also routinely abuses things said by ancient people. Like this sound bite he wrests from Christian apologist St. Justin Martyr in the second century AD.

How does Pikachu abuse this quote? By ignoring the social context within which it was written. More inside.

"When we say that the Word, who is the first-birth of God, was produced without sexual union, and that He, Jesus Christ, our Teacher, was crucified and died, and rose again, and ascended into heaven, we propound nothing different from what you believe regarding those whom you esteem sons of Jupiter." [Justin Martyr, First Apology, 21]

So, how much did Christianity inherit from the Pagans?