The Retold Story?

[Jesi]

What do you think about the similarities between the story of Christ and the story of Krishna, which takes place in 1200 BC?

1. Both were preceded by a "forerunner" born a short time before them (Maurice, Hindostan, vol. 2, p. 316; Luke 1:57.).
2. Each was born in a city away from home where his father was on tax business (H. H. Wilson, trans., The Vishnu Purana, A System of Hindoo Mythology and Tradition (London, 1840), book 5, chap. 3; Luke 2:1-7).
3. Krishna was born in a cave (Cox, vol. 2,p. 107).
   Jesus was born in a stable (Luke 2:7). However, Quintus Tertullian (third century), St Jerome (fourth century), and other Church fathers claimed that Jesus, too, was born in a cave (Godfred Higgins, Anacalypsis: An Enquiry into the Origin of Languages, Nations and Religions (London, 1836), vol. 2, pp. 98-99).
   Frederick W. Farrar, Nineteenth-Century Canon: That the actual place of Christ's birth was a cave is a very ancient tradition, and this cave used to be shown as the scene of the event even so early as the time of Justin Martyr (A.D. 150) (Farrar, The Life of Christ (New York, 1876), p. 38).
4. In infancy, both Krishna and Jesus were sentenced to death by kings who viewed them as pretenders to the throne. Due to this threat:
   Krishna's father was warned by a heavenly voice "to fly with the child to Gacool, across the river Jumna (Mons Dupuis, trans., The Origin of All Religious Worship (New Orleans, 1872), p. 134).
   Jesus' father was warned in a dream, "...rise and take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt..." (Matthew 2:13).
5. One of these kings then ordered "the massacre in all his states of all the children of the male sex during the night of the birth of Crishna" (J. Swain, Asiatic Researches, vol. 1, London, 1801. p. 259).
   The other, Herod, "...sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem, and in all that region, who were two years old or under..." (Matthew 2:16).
6. One of both Krishna and Jesus' first "miracles" performed as adults was the curing of a leper (Thomas Maurice, History of Hindostan (London, 1798), vol. 2, p. 319; Matthew 8:2-4).
7. Urged by Krishna to make a request, a man replied: " 'Above all things, I desire to have my two dead sons restored to life.' Immediately they were brought to life and came to their father" (Maria L. Child, The Progress of Religious Ideas through Successive Ages (New York, 1855), vol. 1, p. 68).
   "While [Jesus] was thus speaking to them, behold, a ruler came in and knelt before him, saying: 'My daughter has just died; but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live....' But when the crowd had been put aside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose" (Matthew 9:18, 25).
8. Either a poor cripple or a lame woman came with "a vessel filled with spices, sweet scented oils, sandalwood, saffron, civet, and other perfumes, and made a certain sign on [Krishna's] forehead, casting the rest upon his head" (Maurice, Hindostan, vol. 2, p. 320).
   "Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, a woman came up to him with an alabaster box of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head, as he sat at the table" (Matthew 26:6-7).
9. Both washed the feet of their disciples (Maurice, Indian Antiquities (London, 1794), vol. 3, p. 46; John 13:5).
10. Both had a beloved disciple (Charles Wilkes, trans., The Bhagavat Gita, or Dialogues of Crishna and Arjoon, in Eighteen Lectures With Notes (London, 1785), p. 51; John 13:23).
11. Krishna said: "Let him, if seeking G-d by deep abstraction, abandon his possessions and his hopes, betake himself to some secluded spot, and fix his heart and thoughts on G-d alone" (Williams, Hinduism (London, 1877), p. 211).
    Jesus said: "But when you pray, go into your room and close the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you" (Matthew 6:6).
12. Krishna said: "I am the light in the sun and the moon, far, far beyond the darkness. I am the brilliancy in flame, the radiance in all that's radiant, and the light of lights" (Ibid., p. 213).
    Jesus said: "I am the light of the world, he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life" (John 8:12).
13. Krishna said: "I am the sustainer of the world, its friend and Lord. I am its way and refuge" (Ibid., p. 213).
    Jesus said: "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me" (John 14:6).
14. Krishna said: "I am the Goodness of the good; I am Begin-ning, Middle, End, Eternal Time, the Birth, the Death of all" (Ibid., p. 213).
    Jesus said: "Fear not, I am the first, and the last, and the living one; I died, and behold I am alive for evermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades" (Revelations 1:17,18).
15. Both "descended" to hell (Swain, Vol. 1. P. 237; I Peter 3:9).
16. Both "ascended" to heaven before witnesses (Higgins., p. 131; Acts 1:9).
17. Both are said to have been G-d incarnate:
    "Crishna is the very Supreme Brahma, though it be a mystery how the Supreme should assume the form of a man" (Wilson, p. 492).
    "Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of our religion; He manifested in the flesh..." (I Timothy 3:16).
18. Before death, Krishna was pierced with an arrows (Higgins, vol. 1, p. 144), and Jesus with a spear (John 19:34).
19. Both were crucified:
    John P. Lundy, Nineteenth-Century Reverend: I object to the crucifix because it is an image, and liable to gross abuse, just as the old Hindoo crucifix was an idol (Lundy, p. 128).
    Thomas Inman, Nineteenth Century Physician: Crishna, whose history so closely resembles our Lord's, was also like him in his being crucified (Inman, Ancient Faiths and Modern (London, 1868), p. 411).
20. When Krishna died, it is said that a black circle surrounded the moon, the sun was darkened at noon, the sky rained fire and ashes, and spirits were seen everywhere (Child, vol. 1, p. 71).
    When Jesus died, the sun was darkened from the sixth to the ninth hour, graves were opened, and saints rose and entered the city (Matthew 27:45, 51-52).
21. Both were "resurrected" (Dupuis, p. 240; Matthew 28:6).
22. "Krishna will return in the end days as an armed warrior, riding on a winged white horse. He will destroy the wicked then living. The sun and the moon will be darkened, the earth will tremble, and the stars will fall" (Chad ,vol. 1,p.75; Williams, Hinduism, p. 108).
    "Immediately after the tribulation of those days [following Jesus' "return"] the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken" (Matthew 24:29).

found at: http://www.tyndale.cam.ac.uk/scriptures/www.innvista.com/scriptures/compare/crishna.htm

 

[Jesi]

note: not all of these similarities are accurate, but some of them are. I was wondering if anyone has any more information on this subject.

 

[FrAnthony]

note: not all of these similarities are accurate, but some of them are. I was wondering if anyone has any more information on this subject.

This is a weak, quick, response, but it's all I could find for now...hope it helps your research.

http://religion-cults.com/Eastern/Hinduism/hindu2.htm

Scroll down to the section called "The Gita".

 

[Rafael]

What do you think about the similarities between the story of Christ and the story of Krishna, which takes place in 1200 BC?

1. Both were preceded by a "forerunner" born a short time before them (Maurice, Hindostan, vol. 2, p. 316; Luke 1:57.).
2. Each was born in a city away from home where his father was on tax business (H. H. Wilson, trans., The Vishnu Purana, A System of Hindoo Mythology and Tradition (London, 1840), book 5, chap. 3; Luke 2:1-7).
3. Krishna was born in a cave (Cox, vol. 2,p. 107).
   Jesus was born in a stable (Luke 2:7). However, Quintus Tertullian (third century), St Jerome (fourth century), and other Church fathers claimed that Jesus, too, was born in a cave (Godfred Higgins, Anacalypsis: An Enquiry into the Origin of Languages, Nations and Religions (London, 1836), vol. 2, pp. 98-99).
   Frederick W. Farrar, Nineteenth-Century Canon: That the actual place of Christ's birth was a cave is a very ancient tradition, and this cave used to be shown as the scene of the event even so early as the time of Justin Martyr (A.D. 150) (Farrar, The Life of Christ (New York, 1876), p. 38).
4. In infancy, both Krishna and Jesus were sentenced to death by kings who viewed them as pretenders to the throne. Due to this threat:
   Krishna's father was warned by a heavenly voice "to fly with the child to Gacool, across the river Jumna (Mons Dupuis, trans., The Origin of All Religious Worship (New Orleans, 1872), p. 134).
   Jesus' father was warned in a dream, "...rise and take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt..." (Matthew 2:13).
5. One of these kings then ordered "the massacre in all his states of all the children of the male sex during the night of the birth of Crishna" (J. Swain, Asiatic Researches, vol. 1, London, 1801. p. 259).
   The other, Herod, "...sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem, and in all that region, who were two years old or under..." (Matthew 2:16).
6. One of both Krishna and Jesus' first "miracles" performed as adults was the curing of a leper (Thomas Maurice, History of Hindostan (London, 1798), vol. 2, p. 319; Matthew 8:2-4).
7. Urged by Krishna to make a request, a man replied: " 'Above all things, I desire to have my two dead sons restored to life.' Immediately they were brought to life and came to their father" (Maria L. Child, The Progress of Religious Ideas through Successive Ages (New York, 1855), vol. 1, p. 68).
   "While [Jesus] was thus speaking to them, behold, a ruler came in and knelt before him, saying: 'My daughter has just died; but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live....' But when the crowd had been put aside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose" (Matthew 9:18, 25).
8. Either a poor cripple or a lame woman came with "a vessel filled with spices, sweet scented oils, sandalwood, saffron, civet, and other perfumes, and made a certain sign on [Krishna's] forehead, casting the rest upon his head" (Maurice, Hindostan, vol. 2, p. 320).
   "Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, a woman came up to him with an alabaster box of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head, as he sat at the table" (Matthew 26:6-7).
9. Both washed the feet of their disciples (Maurice, Indian Antiquities (London, 1794), vol. 3, p. 46; John 13:5).
10. Both had a beloved disciple (Charles Wilkes, trans., The Bhagavat Gita, or Dialogues of Crishna and Arjoon, in Eighteen Lectures With Notes (London, 1785), p. 51; John 13:23).
11. Krishna said: "Let him, if seeking G-d by deep abstraction, abandon his possessions and his hopes, betake himself to some secluded spot, and fix his heart and thoughts on G-d alone" (Williams, Hinduism (London, 1877), p. 211).
    Jesus said: "But when you pray, go into your room and close the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you" (Matthew 6:6).
12. Krishna said: "I am the light in the sun and the moon, far, far beyond the darkness. I am the brilliancy in flame, the radiance in all that's radiant, and the light of lights" (Ibid., p. 213).
    Jesus said: "I am the light of the world, he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life" (John 8:12).
13. Krishna said: "I am the sustainer of the world, its friend and Lord. I am its way and refuge" (Ibid., p. 213).
    Jesus said: "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me" (John 14:6).
14. Krishna said: "I am the Goodness of the good; I am Begin-ning, Middle, End, Eternal Time, the Birth, the Death of all" (Ibid., p. 213).
    Jesus said: "Fear not, I am the first, and the last, and the living one; I died, and behold I am alive for evermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades" (Revelations 1:17,18).
15. Both "descended" to hell (Swain, Vol. 1. P. 237; I Peter 3:9).
16. Both "ascended" to heaven before witnesses (Higgins., p. 131; Acts 1:9).
17. Both are said to have been G-d incarnate:
    "Crishna is the very Supreme Brahma, though it be a mystery how the Supreme should assume the form of a man" (Wilson, p. 492).
    "Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of our religion; He manifested in the flesh..." (I Timothy 3:16).
18. Before death, Krishna was pierced with an arrows (Higgins, vol. 1, p. 144), and Jesus with a spear (John 19:34).
19. Both were crucified:
    John P. Lundy, Nineteenth-Century Reverend: I object to the crucifix because it is an image, and liable to gross abuse, just as the old Hindoo crucifix was an idol (Lundy, p. 128).
    Thomas Inman, Nineteenth Century Physician: Crishna, whose history so closely resembles our Lord's, was also like him in his being crucified (Inman, Ancient Faiths and Modern (London, 1868), p. 411).
20. When Krishna died, it is said that a black circle surrounded the moon, the sun was darkened at noon, the sky rained fire and ashes, and spirits were seen everywhere (Child, vol. 1, p. 71).
    When Jesus died, the sun was darkened from the sixth to the ninth hour, graves were opened, and saints rose and entered the city (Matthew 27:45, 51-52).
21. Both were "resurrected" (Dupuis, p. 240; Matthew 28:6).
22. "Krishna will return in the end days as an armed warrior, riding on a winged white horse. He will destroy the wicked then living. The sun and the moon will be darkened, the earth will tremble, and the stars will fall" (Chad ,vol. 1,p.75; Williams, Hinduism, p. 108).
    "Immediately after the tribulation of those days [following Jesus' "return"] the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken" (Matthew 24:29).

found at: http://www.tyndale.cam.ac.uk/scriptures/www.innvista.com/scriptures/compare/crishna.htm

What devil worth his salt as evil geberal would not run as many counterfeits to the truth as he could to cause chaos and confusion? Lucifer was kicked out of God's presence to earth along with a third of the angels. They have became the contrast to the truth and God's light that would shine upon His creation in mankind. They represent the darkness that outlines the light for the time being.
The devil even quoted the scriptures when trying to tempt Jesus to sin in the desert when God took on the manifestation of flesh as man. Why is it a surprise to see not only may false religions of man, but divisions and false prophets within what is supposed to be a wheel of truth? The Bible warns us all that manyf alse prophets would come,calling themselves after the name of Messiah,the Christ, Jesus.
So then, all this is only evidence for the veracity of the scriptures.

 

[dvd_holc]

Question, what did people do in Krishna verses Christianity? What was the reason Krishna did such and such? What was the reason why Jesus did such and such? What was the culture of Krishna and what was the culture of Jesus? What signifiance did the claims and deeds of each have within their culture? How did their cultures change? What did their death symbolize?

Once, CS Lewis said that either these things are indeed parallel or they have no similarity. So then, have you studied their context yet or not? Or is it enough that you found a short outline of descriptors to give you enough data to walk away?

You know what changed the world and made Christianity rise? Rodney Stark, an American sociologist of religion, studied and wrote about the rise of Christianity in the first few centuries after Jesus. It was not the claims that Jesus made of Himself (which Christians affriamed) but it was the actions of the believers; through their love that Jesus taught which was an interpretation of Torah (written before 1200BC).

 

[dvd_holc]

The Rise of Christianity, (subtitled either "A sociologist reconsiders history" or "How the Obscure, Marginal Jesus Movement Became the Dominant Religious Force in the Western World in a Few Centuries", depending on the edition) is a book by the sociologist Rodney Stark, which examines the rise of Christianity from a small movement in Galilee and Judea at the time of Jesus, to the majority religion of the Roman Empire a few centuries later.
Stark argues that, contrary to popular belief, Christianity was a movement not of the lower classes and the oppressed, but of the upper and middle classes in the cities and of Hellenized Jews.
Stark also discusses the exponential nature of the growth of religion, and why hence the speed of the rise of Christianity is not as miraculous as might be thought.
Stark points to a number of advantages that Christianity had over paganism, to explain its growth: Christians were more likely to survive in times of plague, due to their care of the sick; Christian populations grew faster, due to the prohibition of abortion, infanticide and birth control; in Christianity women outnumbered men, while in Paganism men outnumbered women, leading to a high rate of secondary conversion.
Stark's basic thesis is that ultimately Christianity triumphed over Paganism because it offered its followers a better and at times longer life!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rise_of_Christianity_%28book%29

 

[Jesi]

Question, what did people do in Krishna verses Christianity? What was the reason Krishna did such and such? What was the reason why Jesus did such and such? What was the culture of Krishna and what was the culture of Jesus? What signifiance did the claims and deeds of each have within their culture? How did their cultures change? What did their death symbolize?

that's what I was wondering do you have any information about it or not? Because I am having trouble finding reliable sources.

 

[Jesi]

thank you, WingsOfTheNeophyt. I will look into that. I have heard about other deities that shared some similarities to the story, but those seem to be even more difficult to track down that Krishna.

 

[Jesi]

soo...the devil made it so Krishna's story would line up with Jesus's?

I wasn't aware that the devil could predict the future...

 

[dvd_holc]

thank you, WingsOfTheNeophyt. I will look into that. I have heard about other deities that shared some similarities to the story, but those seem to be even more difficult to track down that Krishna.

Mithras is not hard to find. You can get several books about the cult on Amazon. There is also websites. But the cult of Mithras is not Christianity. Now, the cult of Mithras was growing about the same period as Christianity but it did not hold the same pratices. In fact, Nero was follower of the cult.

 

[Jesi]

Mithras is not hard to find. You can get several books about the cult on Amazon. There is also websites. But the cult of Mithras is not Christianity. Now, the cult of Mithras was growing about the same period as Christianity but it did not hold the same pratices. In fact, Nero was follower of the cult.

I've read a little bit about Mithras, a very little bit. Before I say anything about it, I should read more, definitely. Thank you for the suggestion.

 

[Calminian]

Hi Jesi. I've been wanting to get to this question, but have been swamped at work. The above list is quite misleading and will only fool those not familiar with both religions. I won't cover all of them, but hit on a few to help you understand there is no substance to the borrowing claim.

I think apologist Glen Miller put it best.

"This is another example of someone 'loosely' using Christian terminology to describe non-Christian phenomena, and then being surprised by the similarity."

The idea that both Christ and Krishna ascended to heaven is silly. Just by reading this claim one would assume that Krishna must have, like Christ, floated up to the clouds. The truth is, Krishna, according to legend, was killed in a hunting accident. He never rose again and never ascended bodily anywhere. His spirit left his body and went to the hindu heaven, just like everyone else. No similarities to christianity whatsoever. Jesus rose bodily and then ascended into the sky bodily before witnesses. Krishna's body stayed dead and decayed.

I'm kind of laughing as I'm look at these. Most don't even need a response. I have to say though, the person you got these from was banking on the fact that his readers would have very little knowledge of either religion.

Above it says that both were pierced. Holy moly! Krishna was reportedly shot in the foot by an arrow which eventually killed him. Jesus was pierced in the side after He died to verify his death. Do you really see a copiest at work here? And in your list above it says both of these were before death. He obviously isn't familiar with the christian story.

It also says both were crucified. I can tell you even the skeptics are abandoning this claim. The depictions of Krishna being crucified are all after christian missionaries went into India. Prior to that there is no trace of this idea. It's actually the hindu artists that copied Christianity. Krishna, according to legend, died from accidentally being shot in the foot. That's the story.

"Krishna was accidentally slain by the hunter Jaras...when he was mistaken for a deer and shot in the foot, his vulnerable spot."

"One lance-like (poisonous, cursed) reed was eaten by a fish and then caught by a hunter. In a drinking bout, Krishna, Balarama, and the Yadavas picked the reeds, killing each other. As Krishna sat lost in thought, the hunter, mistaking him for a deer, shot him in the foot with the reed he had found in the fish, and killed him."

"Just after the war, Krsna dies, as he predicted he would, when, in a position of meditation, he is struck in the heel by a hunter's arrow."

I would encourage you to look closely at all the above claims. Get the details and you'll find the similarities will fade quickly. Hope that helps. If there's a specific one you have a question on, let me know.

 

[Jesi]

yeah, Calminian, I did look closer at the list before I posted it and could tell that some of them were obviously wrong (some of the bible verses cited say nothing about what is being talked about). The death of Krishna, so I've read, is sort of disputed. Some do say he was crucified, but I don't know WHY they say that...I am guessing it was one of those handed down by word of mouth myths. But the actual Krishna texts do say he was killed by a poison arrow.

Recently there was another story I read about. It showed the similarities between the story of the great flood and how the Egyptians explained the yearly flooding of the Nile river. It was really interesting.

 

[Robinsegg]

soo...the devil made it so Krishna's story would line up with Jesus's?

I wasn't aware that the devil could predict the future...

Satan would not have had need to predict the future. The prophecies for Messiah were already in place. Satan only had to use that knowledge to counterfeit one.
Rachel

 

[Breaking Babylon]

Exactly. Did Satan not quote Scripture when he tempted Christ in the desert?

 

[Calminian]

yeah, Calminian, I did look closer at the list before I posted it and could tell that some of them were obviously wrong (some of the bible verses cited say nothing about what is being talked about). The death of Krishna, so I've read, is sort of disputed. Some do say he was crucified, but I don't know WHY they say that...I am guessing it was one of those handed down by word of mouth myths. But the actual Krishna texts do say he was killed by a poison arrow.

It's all rubbish. Even the parallels that are true are meaningless. Kings in history have had a tendency to be murderers, especially of those they perceived as threats and future heirs. The idea of a God coming down to earth in human or some other physical form is common to many religions. These are not hard things to come up with. These accusations have been tried not only with Krishna, but lots of other religions. Here's an interesting article.

was Jesus Christ just a CopyCat Savior Myth?

The mere fact that all are gunning for Jesus is actually evidence to me, He's the real deal. Just a thought.

 

[Robinsegg]

One other thought: If, as the Bible states, all people came from one source, isn't it possible that all peoples on Earth knew of some of these prophecies about a deliverer? In which case, we have similar stories of Floods, Creation, and Deliverers, all fulfilled or winding out in their own ways.

Rachel