Why is the ancient egyptitan religion virtually identical to the christian religion?

Question

Why is the ancient egyptitan religion virtually identical to the christian religion?

Answer 1

Well, except for the whole polytheism thing, with numerous animal-headed deities who influence different spheres, and being completely and totally different, you're right, they're virtually identical.

Answer 2

thats not true....NO other religion believes Jesus is savior!!!!!!!

Answer 3

Some versions of Horus's life and death are very similar to the life and death of Jesus. But other than that they are radically different.

Answer 4

why is christmas a pagan holiday christianity borrowed from alot of other religions its kind of like the Frankenstein of religions  

Answer 5

Why do all religions follow the same basic idea?

Did you know in just about every religion someone died and rose again 3 days later. Makes you think, doesn't it?

Answer 6

Unless you're talking about Akhenaten's short-lived attempts at monotheism, I don't see a lot of similarities.  You do have a few aspects like Osiris returning from the dead, but not enough to say it's 'identical'.

Answer 7

You don´t know much about ancient Egyptian faith, do you?

first, they were polytheists and also, they did pronounce them selves Gods/Goddesses, beside animals..The Anubis..a dog....

Just for the starters

Answer 8

The only reason why you think this is because you've accepted the claims of 'Zeitgeist' as being true.  Here's the REAL truth:

According to the transcript of the film, the story of Horus is as follows: 'Horus was born on December 25th of the virgin Isis-Meri. His birth was accompanied by a star in the east, which in turn, three kings followed to locate and adorn the new-born saviour. At the age of 12, he was a prodigal child teacher, and at the age of 30 he was baptized by a figure known as Anup and thus began his ministry. Horus had 12 disciples he traveled about with, performing miracles such as healing the sick and walking on water. After being betrayed by Typhon, Horus was crucified, buried for 3 days, and thus, resurrected.'

If true, this would certainly be unsettling to Christians. However, examining each point in detail is quite revealing. According to the Egyptian legend, Horus' father was Osiris and his mother was Isis (but there is nothing to connect this name with Mary / Meri). Osiris was killed by his brother Set who wanted his throne. Isis briefly brought Osiris back to life by use of a spell that she learned from her father. This spell gave her time to become pregnant by Osiris before he again died and she later gave birth to Horus. Horus then killed Set. The combination of Osiris and Horus became linked in Egyptian mythology with the idea of death and rebirth. As in all pagan religions, there was a connection with the seasons (winter = death, spring = rebirth) and with the sun setting and rising. In the Egyptian myth it became associated with the flooding and retreating of the Nile and thus with the new harvest each year in the Nile valley.

According to this myth Isis was not a virgin, there is no link to the name Mary, however there is a death and rebirth story in line with the nature gods of paganism and fertility rituals. While this may be of interest in understanding the ancient religions of the world it has absolutely no bearing on the events recorded in the Bible. Horus was supposedly born during the month of Khoiak (Oct/Nov), and not on December 25th, a fact that does not make any difference to the claim that both Horus and Jesus were born at the same time since the Bible never says that Jesus was born on December 25th!

Ironically, the makers of the film do have a point when they connect Christmas with ancient sun worship rituals, but only in relation to Catholicism, but not to New Testament Christianity. The dating of the birth of Jesus at December 25th came in as a result of the Roman Catholic Church trying to entice Roman pagans to convert to Christianity without forsaking their midwinter festival which revolved around the 'rebirth' of the sun as the days began to lengthen. The earliest reference to the Christian celebration of Christmas is found in the Calendar of Filocalus, a manuscript compiled in Rome in AD 354.

The film states that a star in the East announced his birth and that three kings came to bring gifts to the "saviour." However, when stories detailing the birth of Horus are examined, there is no star or three kings who come to visit him. Trying to link this to Christianity fails in any event as the account of Christ's birth in Matthew has magi (wise men, not kings) coming to Jesus with their actual number not being stated.

The movie states that Horus was "baptised" by Anup and started a "ministry." The only accounts remotely related to Horus and water are the stories told of Osiris (his father who is sometimes combined in ancient accounts with Horus to form one individual) whose body was cut up into 14 pieces by his enemy, Set, and scattered throughout the earth. Isis supposedly found each part of the body and after having Osiris float in the Nile; he came back to life or became the lord of the underworld, depending on which account is read. In any event, stating that Horus was "baptised" is simply playing fast and loose with Christian terminology.

In addition, Horus had no "ministry." There is nothing in the myths about Horus becoming a teacher at age 12, nor in fact did Jesus. Luke 2.45-52 simply states that the teachers in Jerusalem were astonished at the answers given by the boy Jesus at the age of 12. Neither are there any statements to the effect that Horus had 12 "disciples." According to the accounts, he had four semi-gods that were followers and some indications of 16 human followers and an unknown number of blacksmiths that went into battle with him. No accounts of Horus being betrayed are found in his portrayals and he certainly did not die by crucifixion in any account. There is an incident described in one story of Horus being torn to pieces, with Iris requesting that the crocodile god fish him out of the water he was placed into, but the movie does not mention this as it does not fit in with their agenda. The movie puts the account of Horus as originating in 3,000 B.C., which predates the invention and practice of crucifixion, so there is another historical problem that must be overcome.

The claims of Horus being buried for three days and resurrected are not to be found in any ancient Egyptian texts either. Some accounts have Osiris being brought back to life by Isis and going to be the lord of the underworld. But, there is no mention of a burial for three days and no mention of his physically coming out of a grave in the same physical body he went in with and never dying again. In addition, there is certainly no account of Horus dying for others as Jesus did.

In the end, the attempt to prove Horus was a picture/forerunner of Jesus simply fails from lack of any historical evidence. The movie continues in this same vein citing other mythological pagan deities that pre-dated Jesus (Attis, Krishna, etc.). It says that Hindu's Krishna was also crucified and resurrected. However, Hindu teachings state that Krishna was killed by an arrow shot from a hunter who accidentally hit him in his heel and after he died, he ascended to be with Brahman. None of the pagan deities, when accurately examined, mirror the Son of God recorded in the New Testament gospels.

Answer 9

It probably wasn't.

It just looks that way today in the documentary evidence that has come down ro us. Here is the reason:

Nearly all we know about ancient religions has come down through Catholic commentators, chronologists, and copyists, who had a predilection for altering other religious writings to conform to Christianity.

This is true with Mithras, Zoroastrianism; as well as the Egyptian (Manetho) and Babylonian (Berossos) religious histories, which have come down to us only as quotes by Jewish and Catholic chronologists (Josephus, Eusebius, George the Monk) in a form modified to support Bible chronology.

So over many centuries, Christian scribes conformed those religions to Christianity. What we now "know" about those religions is hopelessly corrupted.

For example, we have one manuscript for Mithras from the fourth century AD, we have over 100 manuscripts of the New Testament by that date, with some from as early as the second century AD.

So while the religions themselves did in fact predate Christianity, the documentary "evidence" cited for those religions is demonstrably much later than the extant Christian writings, and has been corrupted by conformity.

So today, Christianity and these other religions do appear to have many things in common.

As a result, many today see these similarities and superficially claim that Christianity borrowed, or stole teachings from these earlier religions.

The facts however, demonstrate that the opposite is true.

Christianity did not adapt beliefs from these earlier religions. Rather the beliefs of these other religions were adapted to conform to the Bible. What we see today is the result of Catholic commentators, chronologists, and copyists.

Answer 10

Because the ideas that spawned Christianity developed in the vicinity of ancient Egypt.  Naturally they borrowed a lot of their myths from the other cultures they knew so well.

"Well, except for the whole polytheism thing, with numerous animal-headed deities who influence different spheres, and being completely and totally different, you're right, they're virtually identical."

Wow, you don't know anything about ancient Egyptian religions, do you?

"Unless you're talking about Akhenaten's short-lived attempts at monotheism, I don't see a lot of similarities. You do have a few aspects like Osiris returning from the dead, but not enough to say it's 'identical'."

I recommend any of Joyce Tyldesley's books on Egyptian religion so you can learn more about the similarities.

Answer 11

because in the old days the religous beliefs were copied from one another

angles came from genies

In Arabian folklore, a genie (also jinn, djinn, from Arabic جني jinn) is a supernatural fiery creature who is said to possess free will. Genies are mentioned in the Qur'an, wherein a whole chapter is named after them (Al-Jinn). They can be both good and evil. Evil genies are said to lead humans astray. In Islam, Satan, known in Arabic as Iblees, is the iconic genie that refused to bow down to Adam when ordered to by Allah.