There is much debate and speculation regarding whether paganism came before Christianity. Some argue that paganism is the ancient, ancestral religion that predates Christianity, while others claim that paganism emerged as a response to Christianity. To understand this topic, it is important to examine the origins and development of both paganism and Christianity. Paganism refers to a broad range of pre-Christian religions that were practiced by various cultures around the world. These religions were polytheistic, meaning they worshipped multiple gods and goddesses. Paganism was deeply rooted in nature and often involved rituals and ceremonies to honor and communicate with these deities.
Sources
Ezekiel 13 18 - And say, Thus says the Lord God Woe to the women who sew magic bands upon all wrists, and make veils for the heads of persons of every stature, in the hunt for souls. Acts 8 9-13 - But there was a man named Simon, who had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, saying that he himself was somebody great.
Paganism was deeply rooted in nature and often involved rituals and ceremonies to honor and communicate with these deities. Examples of pagan religions include the ancient Egyptian, Greek, Roman, and Norse religions. In contrast, Christianity emerged as a monotheistic religion in the first century CE.
Paganism In Christianity
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Many aspects of traditional Christianity - holidays, practices and doctrines - came not from Christ or the Bible but from ancient pagan religion.
Celtic Festival, Druidic Winter Solstice, Babylonian Ishtar and Egyptian OsirisThe traditional holidays with their annual rituals are coming: Halloween costumes, Christmas decorations, Easter bunnies. Where did those traditions and practices come from? Celebrated as Christian holidays, shouldn't these occasions be faithful to what the Bible says?
Halloween
Jack-o-lanterns have been around for centuries as part of an ancient Celtic celebration at the start of the winter season. The Druids (a sort of pagan priesthood) believed that at this time of year the barriers between our world and the supernatural weakened and broke down. Expecting the souls of the dead to roam the land, they built large bonfires to frighten them off and slaughtered animals—or even people—to appease the evil spirits. The jack-o-lantern represents a poor soul caught between the two worlds, and some believe it served as a warning meant to ward off bad spirits. Incidentally, pumpkins are not common in Europe, so the original jack-o-lanterns were carved from turnips (The Encyclopedia of Religion, 1987, p. 176, "Halloween").
Why is much of modern Christian ritual and belief based on pagan practice rather than the Bible? Isn’t it enough that people honor God however they want?
Carved vegetables, talismans against evil spirits, human sacrifice—these are not in line with the teachings of Jesus Christ. Halloween is still looked to by some as All Hallows' Eve—the night before the Catholic All Saints' Day, a supposedly holy occasion. Yet with all its ties to the occult and dark forces, Halloween is anything but holy. And it's now shunned by many professing Christians. They see no value in celebrating a holiday that clearly originated from polytheism (the worship of multiple gods) and animism (belief in spiritual forces in inanimate objects). Such religions have been broadly referred to as pagan in Western societies since the time of the late Roman Empire.
If most of the beliefs and practices associated with Halloween originated in paganism, does the pagan influence end there?
Christmas
The Druids in ancient France and Britain staged a 12-day festival at the time of the winter solstice. They believed it was the high point of an annual battle between an ice giant, representing death, and the sun god, representing life. They built large bonfires to cheer on and assist their champion, the sun. The Druids and other pagan leaders knew, as we do today, that the days always get longer as the calendar progresses through winter toward spring regardless of their seasonal rituals—but still they persisted in them (L.W. Cowie and John Selwyn Gummer, The Christian Calendar, 1974, p. 22). Unfortunately, so does much of Christianity today.
What is today thought to be a celebration of the birth of Christ began as the pagan midwinter festival. One unbiblical tradition of this holiday is the use of greenery. Decorating with green plants in late December through the beginning of January was one of the ways Druids "honored and encouraged" the sun god at the time of the winter solstice. Families commonly cut down an evergreen tree to bring into their home, where they decorated and displayed it in a prominent place. In the Middle Ages, this ritual of paganism persisted and was eventually adapted and given a Christian label, as Roman Catholic missionaries worked to convince people to worship the Son of God rather than the sun god. In due course, German immigrants brought the practice of decorating evergreen trees to America, where it has flourished. As you may have already guessed, the "Twelve Days of Christmas" of the famous carol owe their origin to the pagan festival too (ibid.). (For more on the pagan origins of this holiday, see "Is Christmas Phony?".)
Easter
Even Easter, which many assume was instituted to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, is steeped in connections to paganism. The name "Easter" ultimately derives from the name of an ancient Chaldean goddess Astarte, who was known as the "Queen of Heaven." Her Babylonian name was "Ishtar." Since most languages pronounce "I" as ee, it's not hard to see how eesh-tar and its linguistic variants could eventually become Easter (see Vine's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, 1985, New Testament Section, p. 192, "Easter").
As the goddess of love and fertility, Ishtar's symbols were—you guessed it—eggs and rabbits! Rabbits can bear several litters of young each year and thus were highly fertile animals familiar to these ancient people. Worshipping Ishtar during an annual spring festival was intended to ask her blessing of fertility on the crops being planted at that time of year. Decorating eggs as a means of worship seems harmless until you consider that the people also practiced ritual sex acts, often with temple prostitutes, to honor the goddess (Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Dictionary, p. 509, "Gods, Pagan"). That doesn't sound very Christian, yet most Christians continue to associate eggs and bunnies with what they think is the most solemn holiday of the year.
Traditional Christian doctrines
Unfortunately, some of the most basic things believed by most professing Christians derive from ancient paganism rather than from the Bible. The idea that people have immortal souls was first taught in ancient Egypt and Babylon. The Greeks likewise taught that at death the soul would separate from the physical body (Jewish Encyclopedia, 1941, Vol. 6, pp. 564, 566, "Immortality of the Soul"). That idea was merged into Christianity from Greek philosophy. It did not come from inspired Scripture.
The ancient Egyptians developed the concept of going to heaven. In their mythology, the god Osiris was killed but then raised back to life, whereupon he went to a distant heavenly realm. The Egyptians concluded that if he could do this, then human beings could follow (Lewis Browne, This Believing World, pp. 83-84). This heavenly reward was a central teaching of several ancient mystery religions—but not the religion of the Hebrews or early Christians.
Even some Christian teachings about Jesus have origins in paganism rather than the Biblical record. Babylonian mythology regarding Ishtar claimed that she had a son named Tammuz. He died each year, but then would be reborn again in the spring. The Babylonian veneration of both the mother and child influenced later versions of Christianity that deified Jesus' mother Mary as much as Jesus Himself (Sir James Frazer, The Golden Bough, 1993, p. 326). This stands in contrast to Scripture, which honors Mary, but reveres no ordinary human being—only Christ.
The Chaldean symbol for Tammuz was the letter tau, which appears as a san-serif "t" and is commonly considered a cross (Babylonian Mystery Religion, p. 51; Vine's, "Cross, Crucify"). While the Bible does indeed teach that Jesus was crucified, there is no record of the shape of the crucifix. At that time, Romans used various forms of upright stakes, some with crossbeams and some without. The Bible gives no indication that the early Church ever used the cross as a religious symbol, but several pagan religions had been doing so for centuries before Christ was born.
How to worship God
Why is much of modern Christian ritual and belief based on ancient pagan practice rather than the Bible? Isn't it enough that people honor God however they want? Human logic might say that one can do anything to show personal religious faith as long as the intent is to worship God. However, God has a much different view.
When He gave the ancient Hebrews instructions about how to worship Him, God also told them very specifically not to borrow or copy the practices of pagan cultures around them. He said, "Do not inquire after their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods? I will also do likewise.' You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way" (Deuteronomy 12:30-31). The point of faithfulness is that God defines how He should be worshipped, not man: "Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it" (Deuteronomy 12:32).
Jesus offered a challenge for us all: "But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him" (John 4:23). We live in a world historically deceived about the truth—especially religious truth. But when you do learn the truth, take Christ's challenge: believe it and follow it. God is seeking you.
Frank Dunkle
Coordinator, Ambassador Bible CollegeFrank Dunkle serves as a professor and Coordinator of Ambassador Bible College. He is active in the church's teen summer camp program and contributed articles for UCG publications. Frank holds a BA from Ambassador College in Theology, an MA from the University of Texas at Tyler and a PhD from Texas A&M University in History. His wife Sue is a middle-school science teacher and they have one child.
David Cobb
David is a member of the Indianapolis, Indiana, congregation of the United Church of God, along with his wife Mandie, daughter HannahBeth and sons Joshua and Elijah. He was born and raised in God’s Church. David enjoys serving in the Indianapolis congregation with various activities including organizing activities, taking care of the nursery with Mandie and speaking.
Photo from Flickr of Pagan festival
It is based on the teachings of Jesus Christ and the belief in one God. Christianity spread rapidly throughout the Roman Empire and eventually became the dominant religion in many parts of the world. The question of whether paganism preceded Christianity is difficult to answer definitively. Pagan religions have ancient origins, with some dating back thousands of years. These beliefs and practices were deeply ingrained in the societies that practiced them. However, the exact date of the emergence of Christianity as a distinct religion is also debated among scholars. Some argue that Christianity emerged as a response to paganism. They believe that early Christians adapted certain pagan traditions and rituals to make the new religion more appealing to pagans, facilitating its spread. For example, the celebration of Christmas on December 25th coincides with pagan festivals celebrating the winter solstice. Others contend that paganism is the older religion, predating the emergence of Christianity. They argue that monotheism, as exemplified by Christianity, was a later development in human religious history. According to this perspective, pagan religions were the dominant beliefs for most of human history and were subsequently supplanted by Christianity. In conclusion, the question of whether paganism came before Christianity is complex and multifaceted. Both paganism and Christianity have ancient origins, and their development and interaction are intertwined throughout history. As with many historical debates, the answer ultimately depends on the definition and interpretation of the terms "paganism" and "Christianity" and the specific context in which they are examined..
Reviews for "Paganism and Christianity: A Clash of Cultures"
1. Emily - ★☆☆☆☆
I found "Did paganism come before Christianity" to be extremely biased and lacking in historical accuracy. The author seemed to have a clear agenda to discredit Christianity and glorify paganism, which made it difficult to trust the information presented. Additionally, there were numerous factual errors throughout the book that were easily debunked with a quick Google search. Overall, I was highly disappointed with the book and would not recommend it for anyone seeking a balanced and unbiased understanding of the topic.
2. John - ★★☆☆☆
While the concept of exploring the origins of paganism and Christianity intrigued me, "Did paganism come before Christianity" failed to deliver. The book seemed more focused on promoting a particular narrative rather than providing a comprehensive and objective analysis. The arguments put forth were weak and often relied on cherry-picked evidence to support the author's preconceived beliefs. I was left feeling unsatisfied and unconvinced by the supposed connections and influences between paganism and Christianity that were presented in the book.
3. Sarah - ★★☆☆☆
I had high hopes for "Did paganism come before Christianity," but unfortunately, it fell short of my expectations. The author's writing style was dull and lacked clarity, making it difficult to follow the arguments being made. Furthermore, the book seemed to veer off topic and delve into unrelated tangents, which detracted from the main theme. Overall, I found it to be a confusing and unengaging read, and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone looking for a well-researched and coherent exploration of the topic.