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I want you to keep the following things in mind the next time you are presented with the pagan copycat theory.
Ask yourself the following logic-based questions and you will see that most claims instantly crumble.
TERMINOLOGY One thing to look out for when presented with copycat claims is the use of Judeo-Christian
terminology. There have been many religions throughout history whose members participated in ritual baths but
it was not baptism. Political and religious groups may have celebrated a communal meal but it was not a
Eucharist. Followers may consider their god a savior of some sort but they are not called Messiah. Religions may
speak of an afterlife but they do not consist of places known as Heaven and Hell. Critics may use such terms to
make their connections seem stronger but this is a misuse of terminology as these words are usually of
Judeo-Christian origins.
TIMING When presented with comparative evidence, ask yourself:
1) Did the figure precede the Old Testament Messianic Prophecies? (most do not)
2) Does the timing of the evidence precede Christianity? (many religious texts and reliefs post-date Christianity)
3) Does the figure precede the life of Jesus? (figures like Apollonius of Tyana do not)
LOCATION If critics claim a figure from South America, for example, (like Quetzalcoatl) influenced Christianity,
this is an obvious false claim if we can believe the Americas had not yet been discovered.
SYMBOLISM Ask yourself what the symbolism is behind such parallels. Like most religious and political groups of
antiquity, a sect might have celebrated a communal meal but it did not hold the same significance of the
Christian Eucharist. Members might consider their deity a savior but they did not consider the figure a savior
from sin and damnation, etc.
SOURCES See whether or not the claims actually come from the sacred texts of the religion in question (most
hardly ever do). Most references simply quote secondary sources by authors of the same ilk. When they do cite
a religious source, most critics will not the specify the book, volume, or verse number yet they readily quote
exactly where the "copy" can be found in the Christian Bible. Ask for specific references as to where the
evidence can be found in the actual religious texts. Lastly, as we will see throughout this discussion, most
religious texts do not have an official cannon like the Christian Bible. Their texts have been admittedly altered
and added to over the centuries. When critics cite a source from another text, ask yourself whether or not this
evidence is found in a text that predates Christianity (most do not).
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