Understanding Religion, Part II: Comparative Mythology

Part I: The History of Mankind

Part III: Life After Death

This article is purely the view of the author, and not AnonHQ.

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Part II of this report will cover Christianity in depth, as it is the most practiced religion in the world with around 2.04 billion followers, and this is especially true in Western nations, but understanding Christianity will shed light on other religions as well, including Judaism and Islam. Through comparative mythology, researchers have made numerous direct comparisons between ancient myths and religions, and modern religion. There will be three main subtopics discussed under Christianity: Christianity’s relation to the ancient Egyptian religion, the “Christ theme”, and the “flood theme.”

This three-part report, which began as a personal project, will focus on religion from a neutral (non-denominational) standpoint, using only evidence that is source-based. Much of the information provided below will not be easy for some to accept, however the information has always been available. It simply isn’t “mainstream” information, and the average person doesn’t know there’s anything to research in the first place.

Part II: Comparative Mythology

Christianity’s Relation to the Egyptian Religion

The connection between Christianity and the Egyptian belief system was thrown into the public spotlight in the documentary, Zeitgeist: The Movie, leading many to believe the concept was a creation by writer and director, Peter Joseph, however the fact is this evidence has existed since man was able to decipher ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, and Peter Joseph wasn’t the first to make that connection. Keep in mind that, as mentioned in Part I, Christianity began as a Second Temple Judaic sect, so really, when we’re speaking of the similarities between the ancient Egyptian religion and Christianity, we’re often actually referring to the connection between Judaism and the ancient Egyptian religion.

Zeitgeist: The Movie Part I – The Greatest Story Ever Told

The three major names in this area of research are; Gerald Massey, who was the first to make the Christian/Egyptian connection in the early 20^th century, (Massey, 1907, p. 728-914). Alvin Boyd Kuhn, who in the 1940’s, continued the connection on to Judaism, which we know Christianity (as well as Islam) was directly inspired by, (Robinson, 2001, p. 229). And finally, former Anglican priest, Tom Harpur, who—in his book The Pagan Christ—reveals how the Christian Church covered any attempts to reveal the bible as myth.

There are some who refute the claims made by those above, stating that it isn’t a far stretch for different people of different cultures and religions to be able to come up with the same ideas, and this is true, however when one looks at all the evidence aside from the connections to the ancient Egyptian religion, this argument becomes shaky at best.

The Christ Theme

The “Christ theme” has become a term that most often describes ancient gods or deities who share the same common life story; born to a virgin on December 25^th, visited by three kings, executed and resurrected, etc. While this theme has existed well before Christianity (Horus and Jesus have the most direct similarities), it is associated to Jesus since he’s the most well-known being with this typical theme—let’s leave the fact he wasn’t actually born on December 25^th alone for now. You will find quite a few sources online that list these ancient deities, and probably just as many that refute them. Because many of the ancient sources we derive our information from are subject to interpretation, there may never be an end to this particular controversy, so while it is worth mentioning briefly, for sake of argument, and in an effort to retain accuracy, we are going to avoid delving further into this debate and focus instead on another aspect of common historical life-themes.

Before we move on, here is a short video that quickly explains the controversial topic:

For the Anons who have studied not only ancient history, theology, and literature, but mythology as well, you are familiar with the various story-telling themes, such as the “creation theme” and the “trickster theme.” In this report, we will discuss the “hero theme,” which is what Jesus’s life falls under.

Actual history, as we know, is not romantic. As the saying goes, history is written by the victors, and the victors are most often murderous and deceitful. Stories, on the other hand, fulfill psychological needs (which is why so many stories have happy endings or lessons to learn), and this ends up translating into story themes. The hero-theme is the most common, and can be seen in everything from Harry Potter, to the Transformers—the hero has humble beginnings, leaves home on an adventure having most often been given a gift to help them on the way, in this case, a pile of gold for Harry, and “Bumblebee” for Sam Witwicky. They then accomplish greatness, and often return home the victor.

Austrian psychoanalyst, writer, and teacher, Otto Rank, who studied under Sigmund Freud (1856-1939), was instrumental in defining the role of the hero in ancient myth. In his best-known book, The Myth of the Birth of the Hero, Rank outlines the typical family romance pattern that is widespread enough to be considered universal. Listed below are those deities that fit the common theme, including Jesus Christ, (Thury, 2013, p. 181-182).

Sargon the First, who founded Babylonia in the twenty-fourth century, B.C.E.

Moses, who led the Israelites out of Egypt.

Oedipus, the king of Thebes.

Gilgamesh, the Babylonian hero.

Cyrus the Great, king of Anshan in Persia.

Triston, knight of King Arthur’s court.

Romulus, the mythical founder of Rome.

Hercules, the Greek hero.

Jesus of Nazareth.

“…Rank’s analysis not only considers the models of great deeds that might be emulated by private citizens, but also has significance for the images that people hold of their heroism as represented by their country and region,” (Thury, 2013, p. 182).

Otto also lists the common threats faced by heroes, and again, the pattern is clear:

Oedipus – father

Paris – father

Telephus – grandfather

Perseus – grandfather

Gilgamesh – grandfather

Moses – father figure

Jesus – father figure

Romulus and Remus – father figure

Jesus Christ supposedly existed during a time when our ancestors were keeping excellent records, and yet he is not mentioned in any historical texts. Jesus does, however, fit the perfect hero myth.

The Flood Theme

The flood theme is worth mentioning in this report not only because of how widespread it is, but because nearly every flood story from around the world is practically identical, meaning a man builds a boat, loads up a pair of all animals, waits out the flood, and repopulates the earth. A few examples of various flood stories from around the world include, (Thury, 2013, p. 155):

Rome’s flood, as described by the Roman poet, Ovid, in his major work, Metamorphoses

Genesis

Epic of Gilgamesh

Diné Bahane’, the Navajo creation story

The details behind the flood stories are almost always the same as well. Taking the Epic of Gilgamesh, Genesis, and Metamorphoses into consideration; all floods were caused by man displeasing the gods, all gods sought to eliminate mankind as a result, all gods had an exception (i.e. Noah in Genesis), they all gave a warning, the gods always let their chosen exceptions know they’ll survive, the chosen all load up a pair of animals, and then there’s the storm and flood. In all three stories, the gods fear the flood themselves and later regret it, and all the boats land on a mountain. The chosen survivors then make a sacrifice, and are rewarded by their gods, (Thury, 2013, p. 153). It’s the same in nearly every story, the first known version being the ancient Sumerian tale of Atrahasis which existed well before Christianity or Judaism were ever conceived.

Let’s take a moment to Talk about Islam

With around 1.6 billion followers, or 23 percent of the global population, Islam is the second largest religion in the world behind Christianity, and in fact shares the same roots. Islam, Christianity, and Judaism are often referred to as “Abrahamic religions” because their history is traced to the ancient figure known as Abraham. Interesting fact: According to the Church of Latter-Day Saints, the name Abraham also appears in late Egyptian texts along with Isaac and Jacob, which assures scholars that both the Egyptian and biblical “Abrahams” are one and the same. The point to take away from this; whether looking at Judaism, Christianity, or Islam, they’re all in the same proverbial “boat.”

In Part III of this report, we will discuss life after death from the viewpoint of both Christianity, as well as some branches of the science community, by delving further into the concepts of the devil and hell, and quantum physics.

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This Article (Understanding religion, Part II: Comparative mythology) is a free and open source. You have permission to republish this article under a Creative Commons license with attribution to the author and AnonHQ.com.

Sources:

American Chemical Society (2016). Chemistry in Context, (7^th ed.). McGraw-Hill.

Burkert, Walter (1985). Greek Religion. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Hoekema, Anthony A (1994). The Bible and the Future. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans.

Lane Fox, Robin (1989). Pagans and Christians. New York, NY: Knopf.

Massey, Gerald (1907). Ancient Egypt, the light of the world. London: T. Fisher Unwin.

Robinson, George (2001). Essential Judaism: A Complete Guide to Beliefs, Customs and Rituals. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster, Inc.

Spielvogel, Jackson J. (2012). Western Civilization (8^th ed.). Boston, MA: Wadsworth.

The Future of World Religions: Population Growth Projections, 2010-2050. Pew Research Center. Retrieved from: http://www.pewforum.org/2015/04/02/religious-projections-2010-2050/

Thury, Eva M. (2013). Introduction to Mythology: Contemporary Approaches to Classical and World Myths (3^rd ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Unger, Merrill F. (1981). Unger’s Bible Dictionary. Chicago: Moody Bible Institute.