From: irfan@maxwell.ece.wisc.edu (Irfan Alan)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.bangladesh,soc.culture.australian,soc.culture.lebanon,soc.culture.filipino,soc.culture.magyar,soc.culture.soviet
Subject: SUMMARY OF OLD PAGAN CULTS
Date: 4 Sep 92 22:23:22 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison; Electrical & Computer Engineering

SUMMARY OF SOME OLD PAGAN CULTS 
HICH HAD SIMILAR RITUALS TO TODAYS' CHRISTIANITY

Allah says in the Qur'an:

	"The Jews call 'Uzayr a son of God', and the Christians call 
Christ the son of God.  That is a saying from their mouth; 
(in this) they but imitate what the unbelievers of old used to say." 

                                                  (Qur'an 9:30)  


Qur'an made us to reject any association of partnership with Allah:

"They say: '(Allah) Most Gracious Has begotten a son!  
Indeed you have put forth a thing most monstrous!..
As if the skies are ready to burst, the earth to split asunder,  
and the mountains to fall down in utter ruin.
That they should invoke a son for the Most Gracious.  
For it is not consonant with the majesty of (Allah)
Most Gracious that He should beget a son."  
     
                                          (Qur'an 19:88)


Warning:  The following references are not meant for reading 
by Muslims nor by Christianity.  These books are essentially 
prepared by secularist or often atheistic circles which 
attacked Christians and denied the Creator.  As Muslims, 
our goal is to show some of the impurities and distortions 
introduced into the true teachings of Jesus (AS).  
Any argument with Christians should carry the information 
in the document "The Call to the Christians" and other 
materials introducing Tawheed (The Uniqueness and Oneness 
of the Creator) before presenting this material.  This 
material should only be presented if the person is 
in dream of this "Redemption of Sins" story or similar 
other blinding notions.

given by Gary Miller)

1)  "Pagan Christs", and "Christianity and Mythology," 
by J. M. Robertson.
2)  "Symbolic Language of Ancient Art and Mythology," by Knight.
3)  "Pagan and Christian Creeds," by Carpenter.
4)  "Bible Myths and Parallels in Other Religions," by Don.

ATHUS:  Mediterranean Area.  2-3 Thousand years ago.  
Born to a virgin with a name Nana.  Called only begotten 
son and savior.  Born on March 24.  Bled to death at the 
foot of the pine tree.  His followers believed that his 
blood brought life and fertility to earth.  He rose from
 the death.  His death and resurrection are celebrated.  
His followers fasten his image on a pine tree and mourn.  
Then they lay it to a tomb.  The next day they would find 
the tomb empty.  They would celebrate his resurrection with meal.

ADAMUS:  Known to Greeks, Babylonians.  Born to a virgin.  
Called 'Savior of Syria'.  He suffered death for the
 redemption of mankind and rose again in spring.  
His resurrection is celebrated by an annual festival.  
Old Testament refers to weeping and whaling of men and 
women over his idol. (see Ezekiel)

DYANISHES or BAKUS:  Greek god.  Born to a virgin with 
a name Dematur.  Only begotten son of Jupiter.  
Born on December 25th!  Called 'redeemer, liberator, 
and savior.'  He said, "It is I who guide you, 
it is I who protect you, it is I who save you.  
I am the alpha and omega!"  In the celebrations 
wine is important.  He is also called: 'the Slain one, s
in-bearer'.  His passion play was celebrated every year 
representing his death, decending to hell, and resurrection.

OSIRUS:  Egyptian god.  Born to a virgin with a name 
'Virgin of the World'.  Born on December 25th.  
Wine and corn is important in the celebrations.  
He is betrayed, slain, and dismembered.  Came Back to life 
after remaining in hell for 3 days and 3 nights.  
After death, his followers kept his image in a box, 
they would bring his image out at the time of cry and 
worship.  He preached the gospel of gentleness and peace.  
His death and resurrection were regarded as the judgement 
of death and further life.  Called judge of the world.  

MITHRUS:  Mediterranean god, sun-god of Persians.  
Born to a virgin.  Perfect prototype of Jesus Christ 
(as in Christian Dogma) and the founder of international 
Churches.  Christmas and Easter was two most important 
festivals.  Called 'divine savior, 7th-day holy, mediator.'  
Came as an infant (remember superman!) on December 25th.  
First worshippers were shepherds.  His followers preached 
severe and rigid morality, temperance, chastity, 
renunciation, and self-control.  Middleday of each month, 
a special feast of Mithurus, symbolizing his function as 
mediator between god and men (students then should have 
been happy!).  Among the rituals:  Baptism, confirmation, 
yukurus, and supper in which communicants partook the 
divine nature of Mithra under the species of bread and 
wine (sounds similar!).  Mithrus was called the 'lamb 
who takes away the sins of the world' (sound similar!)

BAL:  son of god.  Babylonians had passion play annually.  
Mentioned both in the Qur'an and the Bible.  His death story 
exactly parallels the story of Jesus (as in Christian Dogma).  
Bal is taken prisoner.  Gets tried at a house on a mount.  
Together with him was another prisoner who was also executed.  
One another prisoner was let free by the rule.  After Bal had 
gone to mount, a fighting breaks out.  The city was divided i
nto two.  His clothes were taken away and divided among soldiers 
who killed him.  He finally dies.  Gets buried under the mount 
away from the sun and light.  Disappears.  In the 3rd day, 
a weeping woman comes at the gate of burial, crying 
'oh, my brother, oh my brother, oh my brother!'  
Bal comes back to life out of the mountain.  Chief fiest 
is the new year celebration on March, triumph of the 
power of darkness.

Dr. J. D. Kelly, whose book "Early Christian Doctrine" is taught 
in Christian divinity schools, says that the idea of redemption 
is not well known, or well explained.  He says 'redemption of sins' 
is the last element of paganism left in Christianity.  
He says it was common among early Christians that they believed 
Jesus (AS) was not crucified.  Actually, Basilians, Carpocreations, 
Marcinites, and Dositists believed Jesus (AS) was not crucified.

	It seems to us that Jews wanted to kill Jesus (AS) and bury 
his teachings as well as his news about the last Prophet,
Muhammad (ASM).  They first accused him of blasphemy so that 
they could kill him, and then they wrote a story compiled from 
earlier paganistic elements and named their hero, Jesus.
                                                        


Know O Dear Friend!  If the creator of a thing were to be 
in that thing, then there had to be complete fitness between them, 
as far as their form and interaction are concerned.  
This implies that the number of creators should be as many as 
the creatures.  Of course, this is inconceivable.  Hence 
the Creator is not and cannot be in the creatures.  
For example, a book which is duplicated several times 
in a printing press must have been written by a writer's pen.  
The decoration of a book cannot appear by itself, and 
the writer is not in the decoration of the book; 
otherwise, the order would be broken.  Therefore, 
the decoration of the creatures are not from themselves, 
rather they are written according to the judgements (instructions) 
of the Qader (destiny).

Know O Dear Friend!  Human beings cannot give any damage to Allah (SWA)
with his sins and disobedience, but he only harms himself.  
For instance, there is no partner to Allah in truth and in the reality,
so that that partner does not have an external reality, and therefore,
cannot interfere with the Arts and properties of Allah (SWA).  
That partner is incapable of saving its followers.  
The one who is thinking that Allah has partners thinks of those 
partners only in his/her own imagination, and establishes this 
as a fact in his/her empty mind.  There is no place for a partner 
(be it nature, causes, self, idols) in reality.  Therefore, 
that mindless person would destroy his/her own house by 
his/her own hands.  The one who accepts disaster by his/her own-will 
cannot be felt sorry for.